The history department, one of the biggest departments at BYU, has chosen Shawn Miller as the new department chair.

Miller replaces Arnold Green as Department chair, who will continue in the history department as a professor.

"The department chairs have done a good job in the past," Miller said, mentioning he will make small changes.

Miller said he will spend time fine-tuning the curriculum of the department as the department continues to try and help students to not just understand history, but to think like a historian, analyze like a historian and become historians.

After many years away from BYU, the 1997 school year was Miller's first year back. Miller first came to BYU as an undergraduate student studying history. After serving a mission in Brazil, Miller finished his graduate and Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Miller spent time teaching at Drew University, and was also a researcher at Harvard prior to teaching and researching at BYU.

As the father of five, Miller has been married for 17 years to his wife Kelly, and hopes to still have enough flexible time to participate in some of the schooling events of his children, who range in age from "a boy in scouts to a babe in arms."

Miller said he feels like serving a mission really opened doors for him to go to the graduate school that he wanted. He also said that for BYU students of history, serving a mission and being immersed in local culture for two years or 18 months really puts them ahead of other graduate school applicants.

Miller became a professor because he loves to learn. He said he enjoys teaching the most.

Copyright Brigham Young University 26 Jul 2007