UVM is saying goodbye to one of its faculty members, who will be Hamline University’s 20th president in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Dr. Fayneese Miller is the dean of the College of Education and Social Sciences and professor of human development, educational leadership and social policy. Miller said she focused her research on identity development and social political attitudes on adolescents, using her psychology studies to research the connection between cross-racial friendships.

“Fayneese Miller has had a long and distinguished career at UVM,” President Tom Sullivan said. “She has accomplished a great deal as dean of the College of Education and Social Services. We wish her well in her new position as president of Hamline University.” Since Miller started her role as dean of education, UVM’s graduate education program has been placed among the top 65 programs nationally, according to U.S. News and World Report’s ranking.

“I have been really impressed with UVM’s education program so far, it has prepared me for a career that I know I will enjoy and be good at,” sophomore education major Birte Gunnarsson said.

Miller said that the decision to take the presidency at Hamline was not easy. “To me, UVM is like a family,” Miller said. “I’ve been here for nine and a half years and the people that I’ve met are people all the way from those who clean the buildings to the president.” She said becoming president of Hamline will also bring new opportunities for her career.

Miller said Hamline University’s social justice and equality-based mission fit her interest in racial relationships in young adults. “I will miss that sense of community and the students and faculty,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to seeing if I can help solve some of the problems we’re having in higher education, but solving them in a different way than I currently do.”