Dr. Vachel Miller, director of Appalachian’s Ed.D. in educational leadership program. He is also a professor in the Reich College of Education’s Department of Leadership and Educational Studies. Photo by Marie Freeman
BOONE, N.C. — The Reich College of Education (RCOE) at Appalachian State University has named Dr. Vachel Miller as the new director of its doctoral program in educational leadership. Miller’s appointment began in July.
About his goals for the doctoral program, Miller said, “I am excited to build new partnerships for the doctoral program ... engage more faculty and strengthen relationships with the (program's) concentrations.”
Miller is a professor in the RCOE’s Department of Leadership and Educational Studies (LES) and has most recently served as program director for the higher education program. He has taught graduate-level courses in research methodology, leadership organizational theory and global education issues.
His background in international education provided him with an opportunity to teach at Bahir Dar University in 2015 as a Fulbright Scholar. Additionally, he has been active in advising doctoral students and supervising dissertation research, and he served as the interim director of the doctoral program in educational leadership from 2013–15.
Miller earned an Ed.D. in educational policy and leadership from University of Massachusetts Amherst, an M.A. in international education from the University of Minnesota and a B.A. in German from St. John’s University.
He joined the RCOE faculty as an assistant professor in 2008 and was promoted to professor in 2019. His research interests focus on globalization, culturally responsive teaching, sustainability, spirituality and leadership.
In fall 2018, Miller presented at Appalachian’s annual Women in Educational Leadership Symposium on “Blending Adaptive Leadership with Design Thinking to Empower Change.” This summer he will present at the annual Martin and Doris Rosen Summer Symposium, organized by Appalachian’s Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies, on “Prerequisites for Violence and Peace: The Complex Role of Education Before and After the Rwandan Genocide.”
Miller, who began school in a two-room schoolhouse in North Dakota, has taught on four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.
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About the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies
The Department of Leadership and Educational Studies at Appalachian State University prepares traditional and nontraditional students to assume educational leadership roles in community colleges, universities, public schools, public libraries and related educational settings through active scholarship, reflection, professional discourse and interdisciplinary programs of study based on the integration of theory and practice. The department, housed in App State's Reich College of Education, offers a doctoral program in educational leadership, as well as support courses in educational foundations and research. Learn more at https://les.appstate.edu.
About the Reich College of Education
Appalachian State University offers one of the largest undergraduate teacher preparation programs in North Carolina, graduating about 500 teachers a year. The Reich College of Education enrolls more than 2,000 students in its bachelor’s, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degree programs, with offerings that span multiple fields — from teacher preparation, counseling, and therapy, to higher education, school and student affairs administration, library science, educational leadership and more. With over 10,000 alumni employed in North Carolina public schools, there is at least one Reich College graduate in every county in the state. Learn more at https://rcoe.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
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