09/01/2026
Congratulations to Nichole Miller for receiving the Excellence in Community Building Award at this year’s Blugold Breakfast!
Nichole Miller, a graduate of UW-Eau Claire, began her work at the university in 2008 as an academic department assistant in the music and theatre arts department.
After subsequently serving several years as an academic advisor in the Advising, Retention and Career Center, Miller transitioned to post-traditional program manager in 2025. Her career across campus has consistently been characterized as one rooted in “communication, equality and transparency.”
Most recently, the central focus of Miller’s work has been the implementation, pilot and successful launch of UW-Eau Claire’s bachelor’s degree in professional studies, which has graduated nearly 100 students in just two years. In building a degree designed to “meet students where they are,” Miller helped bring the following key changes:
-Advanced credit for prior learning opportunities, which will allow students to earn credits for a portfolio of professional work completed.
-Advanced online learning opportunities on the Vision 2030 Online Implementation Team.
-Implementation of the Prison Education Initiative at UW-Eau Claire. In May, a group of incarcerated individuals at the Stanley Correctional Facility completed bachelor’s degrees in professional studies. These were among the first incarcerated individuals in the state to have this opportunity in more than 40 years.
Miller says she is humbled and grateful both for this recognition and for the chance to work in a place where “people are willing to push boundaries to make new things happen.”
“I want to thank the people who nominated me for this award; I’m very honored,” Miller says. “This really belongs to everyone on this campus who builds this community that supports flexibility and access for post-traditional students.”
