Celebrating a legacy of Maryland leadership and decades of strong support of higher education, the College of Southern Maryland Foundation is launching an initiative to establish the Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. Center for Leadership at CSM. The longest-serving state senate president in the country will be recognized on Sept. 26 at the Running Hare Vineyard in Calvert County.
Miller has been a member of the Maryland Senate since 1975 and served as the president of the Maryland Senate since 1987.
“By establishing the Miller Center for Leadership, CSM will be able to honor Senator Miller for his exceptional leadership while helping to raise the next generation of leaders,” said CSM Foundation Chair Kim Rosenfield. “I can’t think of a more appropriate way to thank the senator for his years of service to Southern Maryland and especially to CSM.”
Viewed as a strong supporter of higher education, Miller has described community colleges as “the first line of defense for our educational system” during his meetings with CSM’s student leaders and their peers who attend the annual Maryland Student Advocacy Day in Annapolis. Recently, Miller encouraged CSM’s representatives to participate in community activities not only to give back to their community but also as a resume-builder for their future. “We are a peninsula—Charles, Calvert and St. Mary’s County—and one of our most precious resources is you, and the most precious thing we can do for you is to provide you with a quality education.”
“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,” said CSM President Dr. Maureen Murphy. “This center will allow us to honor his leadership by providing programming and support to future generations of leaders across the Southern Maryland region. We have lots of young leaders in Maryland; let’s help them grow and replace us.”
In addition to the 400-person celebratory event on Sept 26, the CSM Foundation is including the new Miller Center for Leadership as a feature in its upcoming Pride of Southern Maryland fundraising campaign which will launch during the spring, 2020. According to Rosenfield, the goal for this initiative is to raise $500,000 for the center.
Funds from the Sept. 26 event, along with future outreach efforts, will go toward the new Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. Center for Leadership at CSM which will include: an endowed scholarship fund for student leaders; named distinguished professorships; community leadership forums and programs; student leader internships and other leadership programming.
A longtime supporter of CSM and the senator, Marianne Harms of Calvert County along with CSM Foundation Director Dixie Miller are among the founders of this project. Harms, in recalling the support of the senator for many organizations in the state and “our corner of the world,” described Miller as “such a loyal friend to Southern Maryland and a leader for our state. Mike and his family are just wonderful, extraordinary people, and I can’t think of a better legacy than a leadership center at the college named for my friend.”
Tickets are limited and are still available at the CSM Foundation. Contact the foundation at 301-934-7599 for tickets and visit https://foundation.csmd.edu/news-events/center-for-leadership.html for information and sponsorship opportunities.
CSM Celebrating a Legacy: State Senator Mike Miller. 5-6 p.m. (VIP sponsor reception), 6-8 p.m. general reception); Sept. 26. Running Hare Vineyard, 150 Adelina Road, Prince Frederick. The community is invited for the College of Southern Maryland’s (CSM) celebration of State Senator Mike Miller’s legacy of leadership as the longest presiding state senate president in the nation and a chance to be a part of CSM’s new Thomas V. “Mike” Miller Jr. Center for Leadership.
The Center is being designed to support students, faculty and rising community leaders who demonstrate and inspire leadership in others. Tickets required.
For sponsorship information, call 301-934-7599 or email [email protected]. For more, visit https://foundation.csmd.edu/news-events/center-for-leadership.html.
