Dr. Jeffrey Miller, who received his Master of Science Degree in Institutional Management in 1995 has written a new book, Avocado: A Global History. It is one of three books that he has released. He is an associate professor and for a dozen years was program coordinator for hospitality management in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Colorado State University.
Dr. Miller worked in the foodservice industry for over 20 years as a chef in the Kansas City area and Annapolis, Maryland before becoming a teacher. After completing a degree at the University of Kansas, Miller trained as a chef at the New England Culinary Institute. After earning his master’s degree at Kansas State, and a stint teaching at Utah State University, he went on to complete a doctorate in Education and Human Resource Studies at Colorado State. At Utah State University he was program director for their Culinary Arts/Food Service Management major.
Dr. Miller, who is considered a master teacher at Colorado State, is passionate about teaching and connecting with students in the classroom. “There is no greater feeling than watching a student get it, to watch that light bulb go off in their head when they understand something or connect the dots” said Miller. In 2017, Miller was named the CAFÉ/Sysco Culinary Educator of the Year, adding to a list of his teaching accolades, including the 2007 Colorado State University Alumni Association Best Teacher Award.
Dr. Miller keeps a close connection to industry through consulting on teaching and curriculum evaluation. He has worked with well-recognized hospitality companies such as McDonald’s, Disney, and several branches of the U.S. military.
While working on his degree at K-State, Dr. Miller worked as a graduate teaching assistant in Derby Dining Center. “I enjoyed my time working at Derby, my colleagues in the dining centers were great mentors and friends”. He noted the last time he drove through campus, the apartment he once called home in the Jardine Complex was torn down to make way for the renovated facilities. “Everything is so different”, he said. “Student housing is different, the dining centers are different, there are new buildings everywhere. Thank goodness Aggieville is still there.”