Jerry and Margaret Miller Scholarship

Perhaps it is only natural for a recently retired college president to want to leave a permanent mark on the university where he served, but it also helps immensely if his wife works for a company that has a generous matching gift program. That was definitely the case for CLC President Jerry Miller and his wife Margaret in establishing this endowed scholarship that bears their names.

Jerry served as president of California Lutheran University from 1981 to 1992. During his tenure the Pearson Library, the Samuelson Chapel and the Ahmanson Science Center were all added to the landscape of the campus. Also during that time, Margaret was making her mark as a software document specialist at GTE Government Systems. Both Margaret and Jerry were painstakingly thorough in carrying out their respective responsibilities.

The Millers had moved to Thousand Oaks from Chicago in 1981. Jerry was a graduate of Hamma School of Theology in Illinois and an ordained pastor in the Lutheran Church in America. Immediately prior to assuming CLU’s presidency, he held the position of executive director of the Lutheran Campus Ministry. The Miller family included two sons, three daughters and 11 grandchildren.

In 1992, when Jerry retired, he became associated with Los Robles Bank as a board member and public relations person. He found that serving on corporate and nonprofit boards was a rewarding avenue for serving his community as well as the University. In 2012 he received the prestigious Christus Award in recognition of his efforts in strengthening the relationship between church and university. Margaret retired in 1997 and became an even more devoted grandmother and capable volunteer for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church and nonprofits like Meals on Wheels. Even in her retirement from GTE, she was able to keep her matching gift privilege for several years. Through that two-to-one match and their own generosity the Millers were able to build their scholarship fund quickly.

In designing their scholarship, Jerry and Margaret gave the University complete freedom to select the recipients, with no major restrictions. The exact wording of their instruction for the Jerry and Margaret Miller Scholarship reads: Strictly at the discretion of the University.