Back to News 
MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (Sept. 16, 2013) — Milligan College will install two endowed faculty chairs on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. in Milligan’s Mary B. Martin Auditorium of Seeger Memorial Chapel. The service is free and open to the public.
The college will name Dr. Heather Hoover as the George and Janet Arnold Chair of Humanities and Dr. Jeff Miller as the Vera Britton Chair of Bible.
“We’re grateful that the former holders of these chairs, Drs. Lee and Pat Magness, will be on hand to read the installation citation to each candidate,” said Dr. R. Garland Young, vice president for academic affairs and dean. “Lee and Pat served on Milligan’s faculty for a combined total of 58 years prior to their retirement.
“Their legacy as educators can be seen, heard and experienced in many ways across our campus. But one of the most profound ways Lee and Pat influenced Milligan was by mentoring younger faculty to carry on the traditions of academic excellence and Christian commitment that they always model so joyfully. So it is very fitting that in one service we will be able to install two of our younger faculty colleagues into the endowed chairs that Lee and Pat formerly held with such distinction.”
The George and Janet Arnold Chair of Humanities
Dr. Heather HooverHoover, associate professor of English and composition, has taught at Milligan since 2007. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Milligan, a Master of Arts from East Tennessee State University and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Tennessee.
Along with teaching and serving as director of writing, Hoover helped to implement Milligan’s Quality Enhancement Plan program designed for students to pursue undergraduate research. She is also an active member of the Council for College Composition and Communication and of the Modern Language Association.
“This honor befits Dr. Hoover’s accomplishments as a teacher and scholar of literature at our college,” Young said.
Hoover’s chair is named in honor of a couple with strong ties to Milligan. Reared in Wythe County, Va., George Arnold attended Milligan from 1938-41. After service in World War II, George and his wife, Janet, settled in Kingsport where George worked for Home Federal Savings and Loan as vice president and director for public relations until his retirement in 1993. In 1994, Milligan’s Patricia Ann Arnold Nursing Science Center was named in memory of their daughter.
Dr. Jeff Miller
The Vera Britton Chair of Bible
Miller, professor of Bible, holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Theology from Nebraska Christian College, a Master of Divinity from Emmanuel Christian Seminary and a Ph.D. in Biblical Interpretation from The Iliff School of Theology and The University of Denver.
He began his career at Milligan in 1999, where he has taught various Bible and Greek courses. In addition to teaching, Miller is an active member of Christians for Biblical Equality and serves as an adjunct professor at Emmanuel.
“We are grateful for Dr. Miller’s outstanding work as a teacher, scholar and mentor to our students, and his appointment to this chair is a fitting recognition of his many talents,” Young said.
The Vera Britton Chair of Bible honors the memory of this dedicated Christian servant. A native South Carolinian, Britton lived in Clearwater, Fla., where she worked as the administrative assistant to the founder of Eckerd Drug Stores and also to the cartoonist for the “Blondie” cartoon series.
Britton was active in First Christian Church of Clearwater, where she served as a Sunday school teacher, president of the Women’s Service Circle, as well as several other civic and humanitarian service organizations.
For more information about Milligan, visit www.milligan.edu.