The Thomas V. Mike Miller, Jr. Center for Leadership is dedicated to recognizing and elevating those members of our community who both exhibit incredible leadership ability and inspire it in others.
Through initiatives to encourage and develop their talents, the Center supports students, faculty, and rising community leaders as they grapple with the challenges facing this and future generations.
Established in September 2019, the Miller Center honors the memory and legacy of Maryland State Senator and Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., with the mission of building an inclusive and engaged community through education, civic engagement, and social responsibility.
A staunch supporter of higher education throughout his career, Miller long described community colleges as “the first line of defense for our educational system.”
“The Miller Center for Leadership is the College of Southern Maryland’s ‘thank you’ to Senator Miller for a career of supporting community college education... This center will allow us to honor his leadership—and legacy—by providing programming and support to future generations of leaders across the Southern Maryland region.” - CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy
The vision of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership is to build an inclusive and engaged community through education, civic engagement and social responsibility.
Our purpose is to serve and connect College of Southern Maryland and surrounding region by offering leadership training and other opportunities to develop student and community leaders who contribute to their local and global communities.
The core values of the Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. Center for Leadership correspond with the values/guiding principles of the College of Southern Maryland (*including four additional leadership principles):
Maryland State Senator and Senate President Emeritus Thomas V. “Mike” Miller, Jr., passed away in January 2021 at the age of 78. Senator Miller dedicated his life and career to public service, representing his community in the state legislature for more than forty years. Through the Miller Center and the lives he touched, his memory and legacy of leadership live on.
The CSM community had the privilege of spending time with Senator Miller in fall 2019 and hearing his thoughts about leadership and his hopes for our future generations. We are honored to share portions of that interview with you in our memorial tribute video.
It means so much to my parents and me that I was able to receive this scholarship... I work part time as a student assistant to be able to pay for books and a part of my tuition while my parents help me pay for the rest. The scholarship is such an amazing opportunity because being able to save money any way you can for your future is so important. It is also a stepping stone for my education after CSM. It is a way for me to be able to see ahead into my plans for university.