CWU College of Science Dean Accepts New Position

October 11, 2007

ELLENSBURG, Wash.-- Dr. M. Meghan Miller, Central Washington University's dean of the College of the Sciences and professor of geological sciences, has accepted a three-year term as president of UNAVCO, Inc., a non-profit research support corporation in Boulder, Colorado.

"I am really excited about this opportunity to use my research and administrative experience in the service the scientific community," says Dr. Miller, who plans to divide her time between Ellensburg and Boulder. "I'm ready for new challenges in my professional life. This is a uniquely good fit for me."

Miller has served on Central's faculty since 1991 and as dean since 2002. She earned her bachelor of science degree at Yale University and her doctorate at Stanford University.

"As a faculty member and dean, Meghan has contributed significantly to the transformation of CWU," says David Soltz, CWU provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. "She has encouraged, enhanced and supported faculty as teacher/scholars who engage in scholarship activities that enhance their teaching. Meghan will be missed by the Central community, but this is a tremendous professional opportunity for her."

Made up of a consortium of universities, UNAVCO, Inc. supports and promotes earth science research that uses high-precision geodetic techniques in solid earth deformation such as GPS. UNAVCO facilities provide technical support, field engineering expertise and data products and archiving for scientists whose research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA.

With NSF and NASA funding, UNAVCO operates a major facility in Boulder, and smaller facilities at six other locations including Ellensburg. Dr. Miller has been a member of the UNAVCO scientific community for nearly 20 years, initially as a National Research Council post-doctoral fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, then as a CWU faculty member. At Central, she has led development of the Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array, a GPS network used to measure fault deformation and lead to better understanding of the earthquake cycle in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416.

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state.