front&center Dr. Vernon Miles

New Henderson provost enjoys literature, teaching

By The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Contact)

LITTLE ROCK — Dr. Vernon Miles has made his way back to Arkansas after 20 years of serving in the education system, fulfilling a long-held dream.

Miles is the new provost and vice president for academic affairs at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia. He began his job on Oct. 1, and he is already making plans to put HSU on the map.

“My goal for HSU is simple: I want HSU to be regarded, because of its excellent academic programs and services, as the very best liberal arts and sciences university in the state and the region,” Miles said

Dr. Charles Welch, president of HSU, said when Miles was hired that Miles has the “experience, communication skills and leadership abilities that we need at this time.”

Miles brings much experience to the position. He was born and spent his childhood in the Mississippi Delta, eventually moving to Jackson, Miss., as a teenager. After graduating from Belhaven College, Miles made his way to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he earned his Master of Arts and doctorate in English.

“I truly loved Fayetteville and Arkansas and have wanted to come back to Arkansas for 20 years,” he said. “My doctoral dissertation was on American antislavery novels (1820-1860), and I have been interested in issues of slavery, race, class, and gender in my scholarship and teaching for many years,” Miles said.

He received a Mellon post-doctoral fellowship and spent a year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill doing research on both pro-and antislavery writing. In addition to receiving his education, Miles set a milestone for his family: He and his older sister were the first to attend college.

“My parents never really went to college, except to take a class or two late in life, and neither ever graduated,” Miles said.

Miles said he always knew he wanted to be a teacher.

“Mentors inspired me to pursue administration, but I never really prepared or trained to do this particular job. Teaching, now, is a different story. We all have met people we truly wanted to be like, and the ones I always admired and wanted to emulate were always my teachers - in grammar school it was Ms. Cowan and Mr. Cotton; in high school it was Ms. Madden and Mr. Lowe; and in college it was all of my English professors,” Miles said. “The thing that tied all of them together was their intellectual curiosity. They enjoyed it so very much that it became contagious.”

Miles spent nine years teaching English full time at Union College in Kentucky before moving into the position of vice president for academic affairs from 1997-2002. He moved on to Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Va., as dean of the college from 2002-2007, and then served at Our Lady of Holy Cross College in New Orleans as dean and vice president for academic affairs for the past year.

“When I got into teaching, it was an easy transition into administration,” Miles said. “I figured out I wasgood at it, and my career just evolved that direction.”

Miles also is an avid reader. Coming from a background studying and teaching American literature, Miles especially enjoys fiction and historical writers. He counts black women writers such as Harriet Wilson and Harriet Jacobs among his favorites, and he once taught a course on the subject. He also enjoys James Baldwin and Richard Wright, and Southern writers Flannery O’ Connor and William Faulkner.

“English seems to be inclusive of so many things,” Miles said. “You’ve got to know the political, historical and social context in which somethingwas written. You have to know all the disciplines.”

Miles’ wife, Kathy, is a former librarian.

“You can imagine how many books we have, as an English teacher and a librarian,” Miles said. “I think our books are holding up the ceiling.”

Still, teaching will always be in Miles’ blood. He said he misses being in the classroom - everything except grading papers - and would like to teach a class at HSU every year or two.

“College teaching - really all teaching - is a wonderful profession,” he said. “You get to have a huge impact on young people’s lives, and you get to watch them grow and mature personally, socially, and intellectually. What could be better than that ?”matter of fact

My family includes: I have been married for 19 years to Kathleen (Kathy); we have no children. We do have a dog, a chow/yellow Lab mix named Lulu. She’s a great dog.

My favorite movie and actor/actress: I have no favorite movie, as I like too many of them to have a favorite. One of my favorites is Citizen Kane.

Brideshead Revisited is one of my favorite series.

Dianne Lane and Julia Roberts, Ian McKellen, Tom Hanks, and Dustin Hoffman. I also like the actor who played Johnny Ringo in Tombstone (and the protector in Terminator), but I can’t remember his name.

My favorite quote is: "One really ought to know everything." Professor Ben Drew Kimpel, department of English, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. We ought to aspire to something, and this seems the highest aspiration I have heard so far.

My favorite memory is: I have many, but two come to mind: the first time I went snow skiing and was able to actually ski some before falling down; the first time I rode my motorcycle - it was too much fun.

My hobbies are: Travel, reading, museum and art gallery visits, golf.

I cannot live without: I have no idea. Having spent the last year in post-Katrina New Orleans, I made many friends who have learned to live without so much that I can’t imagine anything that I “can’t live without.”

The world would be a better place if: People were more forgiving, more charitable.

My goals for the future include: Right now I wish to concentrate on giving my very best to Henderson State University. I have certain personal goals, like reading more books and traveling to Ireland again. I would like to go to France and to Italy and to spend time in Scotland. I would like to play golf at St.

Andrews in Scotland and also at the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. As far as work is concerned, I simply wish to serve the university.

Tri-Lakes, Pages 130, 134 on 10/12/2008