Patrick Miller honored with emeritus status

14 Oct 2019

Patrick Miller, professor of landscape architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired professors, associate professors, and administrative officers who are specially recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service to the university. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1986, Miller has been a dedicated educator of students, professionals, and other educators and has worked to develop programs, curricula, and coursework at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the United States, Canada, China, and the Middle East. He has provided invited counsel on the development of Ph.D. programs focused on landscape architecture at Kansas State University, North Carolina State University and the University of Georgia.

In 2005, he was named honorary head of the Landscape Architecture Department at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.

As associate dean for graduate studies and outreach in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies from 2006 to 2018, Miller advanced the rigor and impact of the School of Architecture + Design’s Ph.D. program and is largely responsible for the international reputation of the school’s Ph.D. track in landscape architecture.

Miller served as head of the Department of Landscape Architecture for 13 years and worked with faculty to guide the department through significant growth in both enrollment and facilities. The number of full-time faculty rose from four to nine, student enrollment grew from 34 to 140, and the landscape architecture program was taught in both Blacksburg and in Northern Virginia.

In addition, Miller helped develop the U.S. Department of Education grant proposal that established the Community Design Assistance Center, now in its 30th year at Virginia Tech. The center provides design services to communities throughout Appalachia as well as valuable economic support and internship experience for students.

As president of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 2005, he helped bring the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment to the attention of landscape architects across the world. As a member of the society’s licensure committee in Virginia, he provided testimony on the educational preparation of landscape architects at hearings held on upgrading licensure in Virginia.

Miller was named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1997 and was named a Fellow of the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture in its inaugural class of fellows in 2007.

In addition, Miller received the Jot D. Carpenter Medal for Teaching Excellence in 2018, ASLA’s highest award for teaching, and CELA’s Outstanding Educator Award in 2018.

Miller received his bachelor’s degree from California State Polytechnic University, his master’s degree from University of California at Berkeley, and his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

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