Roane State Community College

September 30, 2020

By Bob Fowler
Roane State staff writer

Case Miller says he owes Roane State’s Jennifer Fugate a huge debt of gratitude.

“She was one of the main reasons I was able to do everything I’ve done,” said Miller, who recently began his job as the corporate relations coordinator for Carson-Newman University’s Athletics Department.

Fugate, now Roane State’s student engagement coordinator, was Miller’s success coach when he enrolled in the community college after graduating from Rockwood High School in May 2016. Miller, now 23, said Fugate “put together a plan for me to graduate in a year and was one of the biggest helps in my academic life.”

He is the son of Cindy Miller and longtime Roane County School Board member Brillo Miller, now Rockwood’s mayor.

Miller said he thought about going to a university but instead decided to go to Roane State. The Tennessee Promise scholarship offering free tuition had recently been launched, and “I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to get an education for free,” he said.

He said he had a head start on college because he took several college-level courses through Roane State’s dual enrollment program while he was a junior and senior at Rockwood High.

Standout Roane State educators, Miller said, included Jayla Daniel, an associate professor of biology. “She did a good job of preparing me for what a university-level class was like.” Also outstanding: Assistant Professor Steven Carriger, who taught his Western Civilization course. “He really cared about his students and made the class interesting.”

Miller graduated with a 4.0 grade point average in the spring of 2017 and enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He was in a special program centered on sports management and obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in three years with an emphasis on sports administration. He graduated last May, again with a 4.0 grade point average.

With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, “It was a tough time to graduate with a degree in sports when sports are shut down,” Miller said. He said he was fortunate Carson-Newman had the job opening. He’s responsible for creating partnerships with organizations to help raise money for the university’s athletics department.

Miller said Roane State played an enormous role in his success to date. “I would not have had the study skills or the work ethic if I didn’t go to Roane State.”