UT Tyler Education Professor Honored for Research Efforts to Enhance Rural Schools
Dr. Gary Miller named 2022 Researcher of the Year by TCPEA
TYLER, Texas (February 23, 2023) – Dr. Gary Miller, associate professor of educational leadership at The University of Texas at Tyler, has been named Researcher of the Year by the Texas Council of Professors of Educational Administration. He was named TCPEA Advocate of the Year for 2020.
TCPEA established the Researcher of the Year Award to recognize outstanding contributions in the field of educational research and inquiry. Miller’s research focuses on social-emotional learning in addressing the mental health needs of students in rural schools.
“We are proud of Dr. Miller for his exceptional work in the field of educational leadership,” said Dr. Amir Mirmiran, UT Tyler provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This recognition by the council is proof of his dedication to better serve future administrators as well as schools across East Texas.”
Nominees for this award must be active members of TCPEA, which serves a membership of about 60 institutions statewide. Miller was recognized at this year’s TCPEA annual meeting during the Texas Association of School Administrators’ 2023 Midwinter Conference in Austin.
“Dr. Miller is a passionate educator who strives to provide our principal preparation students with rigorous and relevant educational experiences,” said Dr. Yanira Oliveras-Ortiz, UT Tyler associate professor and School of Education interim director. “Being named the TCPEA Researcher of the Year is a great honor, not only for Dr. Miller, but also for the School of Education.”
A member of the UT Tyler School of Education faculty since 2014, Miller has led UT Tyler’s educational leadership programming for more than seven years while maintaining strong partnerships with school districts in East Texas and across the state. His efforts have allowed UT Tyler to be one of only two universities in Texas to partner with local districts for five consecutive years through Texas Education Agency’s Grow Your Own grants. These grants aim to address teacher shortages in hard-to-staff areas, close demographic gaps between students and teachers, and build interest in the teaching profession among high school students.
Miller’s other professional and research interests include school leadership’s role on the expansion of emerging technology and its impact on student learning. At UT Tyler, he teaches administration of special programs, practicum in principalship and school law courses.
TCPEA is an affiliate of the International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership, formerly the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, which is committed to the practice and study of educational administration. Established in 1947, as NCPEA, ICPEL continues its
commitment to serve the interests and needs of professors of educational administration and practicing school leaders. For more information, visit tcpea.org/.
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center). Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.