9 minute read
Huber About HILARY
When did you meet Dr. Hilary Miller and what were your first impressions?
LTG Keith Huber: My first interaction with Dr. Miller was that week in November 2014, and President McPhee then asked me to come back the next day for the “salute the troops” football game. When I was on a 90-day contract at my request, Dr. Miller and I immediately in January of 2015 started doing research with other academic institutions as to what it meant to have a veterans center, what services and what mechanisms were in place, and what did veterans need. I mean in this period, why Dr. Miller and I—we didn’t stalk—but, by golly, we followed veterans around on campus, and when they didn’t want to have pizza or coffee or meet with me, we went out. We did our research as to where their classrooms were, and we would walk the halls during breaks between classes.
I would ask professors if I could come in for a couple of minutes and talk to the veterans in their classes. We wanted to know: How many veterans are out there? What classes are they taking? What do they expect? What do they need? What do they enjoy? What are their expectations? What are their failures? We really wanted to get the granularity of, if we’re going to do something here, it needs to be something that serves veterans during this challenge of transition. We wanted to do so much more than just provide what is an essential task of a certifying officer, and we wanted to serve their family.
I thought the connection between Dr. Miller and me was absolutely perfect from my foxhole. My concern all along had been that the families weren’t being taken care of. Every time I’d come back from a deployment, and especially the numerous combat deployments I survived, my family suffered. Every time I came back, everybody would go, “How’s the general?” and my wife, Shelly, would go, “Hey, nobody’s asking me how I am. Nobody’s asking your daughter, your son, your grandsons.” So I know who my heroes are: My heroes are the spouse that tries to be both Mom and Dad, and the precious children who wonder if they’re ever going to see you.
I thought the connection between Dr. Miller and me was absolutely perfect from my foxhole.
Hilary is that heartbeat. She has the perspective as a military spouse. She has the perspective as a sister of an active duty—still active duty—Marine Corps lieutenant colonel. So she has served. She knows the sacrifice of our families and how we need to provide assistance for them. She was the right person— whoever made that decision, it was a great decision—and I’ve been very humbled to be at her side and to learn from her.
I understand after your assessment period that you had two requirements to accept the job: the creation of a veterans center and Hilary as its director.
I wanted to make a proposal based upon what the University currently provides and where is that gap as to what the veterans and their families have expressed that they expect and that they need. So, in the research of that, it became obvious to me that this incredible University was accustomed to having a military presence from the onset of its creation and that the patriotic support of the University and the community already existed. And, in fact, it was fueled and fostered by Dr. Hilary Miller as she and a military committee created the concept and found the funds for the Veterans Memorial.
And then of course her ability and her knowledge. She had worked in a variety of jobs at the University, so people knew her and respected her. To me, coming into an academic environment was really a bizarre foreign terrain [laughing]. And so it really helped me to have someone who understood the vernacular and the pathways in the process and, through her own purity of motive and strength of character, had earned the respect of the leaders of the University.
And what do you think she means to MTSU, particularly to the veterans and other military-connected members of the community?
We average about 1,200 veterans and military family members enrolled each semester as students. But we interact with thousands of veterans and their families every year worldwide. So the people who physically walk through the door of the Daniels Center probably represent 10% of our overall effort. For the people that are enrolled, Dr. Miller literally checks the grades of every veteran and family member who is a student. She is the voice of calm and wisdom and encouragement. And if you’re a student and you’re having difficulties, she’s there to sit down with you and resolve it.
But she’s also with me as a buddy team member when I reach out to the communities, to the businesses, whether it’s at the Sounds game, Predators game, stage of the Grand Ole Opry, or the soccer field. She and I are out there identifying the veterans that we are here to serve. And you don’t have to have any affiliation with MTSU—you just need to have questions or need assistance, and we are here to serve. You don’t have to pay a bloody thing, or sign a document, or buy a widget that says True Blue on it. This University has the courage to do the right thing to serve the veterans and our families. And it’s based in my mind upon the selfless servant leadership of Dr. McPhee and the senior leaders.
What have you been amazed about that Hilary has been able to accomplish at the Daniels Center?
All along she and I have recognized what probably is the obvious, and that is as you build teams, who you’ve got on your team is important. All I did my entire military service was build and lead teams, of a variety of sizes and compositions and different levels of stressful environments. But as we were seeking as to who we would request to be on our team at the Daniels Center, able to have the flexibility, the knowledge, and the genuine care and concern for veterans and their families in transition across the globe in a variety of circumstance, she— like all of us—had some initial concerns of “Are we going to pick the right people? And are we going to instill in them the ability to serve the team success?” And it didn’t amaze me that she was successful at that.
I guess at times she would express a concern that she may not be able to get people moving in the right direction, but I never questioned her ability to inspire or instill the proper motivation in people. She’s done an incredible job at building and leading a team. And she’s a very humble human being and is a servant leader. And so at times I feel a need to remind her as to just how good she is, how much good she does serving others, and how much I’m humbled to be her colleague.
That’s pretty strong coming from a three-star general. What do you think are her best attributes?
Well, her obvious impressive intellect and her ever-present humility. And that, in spite of her intellect and her experience, she recognizes the reality for all of us that, “Hey, we all have a lot to learn, and we can all learn from everybody that we interact with.” And her energy level and stamina is exhausting to mere mortals.
Her energy level and stamina is exhausting to mere mortals.
And then what do you think the secret is to how well you two work together in partnership?
I think the secret to it is the commonality of our focus in serving others. Within the team at the Daniels Center, I don’t see any egos. This isn’t about me. It isn’t about her. It’s about our veterans and their precious families. And so we’re all able to view and to comprehend the simplicity of our definition of success, and that is serving others. Whatever they need. We’re going to find the answer. We’re going to provide the service. We’re going to serve them and let them know how much we appreciate their service and their sacrifice.
Do you two ever disagree or not be on the same page? And if so, how do you work that out?
Yes, we have different approaches to complex problems that we face. And when we don’t agree on how we should address it, why, we sit down and have a very candid question-and-answer period. I mean, typically, if someone’s coming for funding and if she and I don’t agree on whether we have the available funding or what level of funding, one of my questions is always gonna be, okay, what if we’re not here, what’s plan B? You know, don’t be like my daughter, whose concept of a bank account is “I spend it until I need more and then I go to Dad.”
I mean, we all realize that emergencies occur that we may not have anticipated, and we’re very fortunate with the community support that we have funding sources which can assist people when they have emergencies. We talk about a lot of very heart-wrenching complex conditions in life with families and veterans in transition, and we have a very rigorous discussion, and then we figure out what is the best thing to do—once again, focused on benefiting the veteran and the family, not what’s best to do because I think it is.
Is there anything else you wanted to say about Hilary or what she does there?
Well, none of us are invisible, and I know that she’s a living, breathing, walking role model— I know she is to my daughter, and for that I’m forever thankful.
Hilary Miller dossier
Career
MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center director since 2015; previously MTSU’s College of Liberal Arts recruitment and resources manager and assistant to the dean; former Texas State University financial aid officer; and past SunTrust Bank assistant vice president
Education
Texas Christian University, B.B.A., 1992; University of Texas, M.Ed., 1997; Vanderbilt University, Ed.D., 2005
Military family connections
Military spouse and sibling
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