December 14, 2012
Giving of time and treasure
Working on Wall Street, K-State graduate Joe Miller of Spring Lake, N.J., knows the impact debt load can have on a person’s future, so he’s doing his best to help alleviate that load for students. Miller and his wife, Louise Burke, have established a scholarship for students from Atchison County majoring in finance or accounting.
“That’s where I grew up and I always felt it was important to give back and give them the first crack at the scholarship,” Miller said.
While a student at K-State, Miller was involved in student government and Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity. He’s continued his involvement on the K-State campus as an alumnus, having previously served on the College of Business Administration’s finance advisory board and currently as a member of the Dean’s Council. He also participates in the college’s Executive Mentor program.
“I think this program will be a success,” Miller said. “One of the biggest problems with having mentors on the east coast is it’s hard to have one-on-one meetings with them. But I think there’s no question that it will be a very big benefit to the students.”
Miller hopes this scholarship will allow students who are not sure they can stay in school be able to continue and finish. A goal of the College of Business Administration, as well as the university, is to be able to supply scholarships to as many students as possible to help keep them in college and alleviate their debt load.
“If we can help alleviate the debt load for students when they get out of college, I think that’s why scholarships are very important,” Miller said.
Miller would encourage others, especially alumni, to consider creating scholarships at K-State.
“I think they have to reflect on their experiences at K-State. Think about the rising cost of higher education and what it means to families you can give assistance so their children can go on and not get loaded up with debt.”