Beloved Teacher and Mentor Honored with Endowed Scholarship to Support First-Generation College Students Pursue Their Dreams

By Emma Lang

Michael A. Miller’s grandparents knew he was destined for higher education since he was a child growing up in Baton Rouge. They didn’t know the specifics—that he would become an incredible scientist, devoted mentor, and professor of cell biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham—but they had a feeling that, someday, he would become the first person in their family to attend college.

Elizabeth Turnipseed, M.D., saw his greatness too. After they met in college at Emory University and married later in life, she admired his unique ability to see potential in people of all backgrounds.

“He had a passion for finding bright people who hadn’t had the opportunity to do all the things that others had,” Turnipseed said.

To Turnipseed, her husband was the best man she had ever known. Apart from being undeniably smart and funny, he was as kind as he was humble.

In December 2018, Michael Miller, Ph.D., unexpectedly and tragically passed away at the age of 47.

When Miller passed, Turnipseed wanted to honor her husband. She knew his passion to support and mentor young scientists, so she decided to create an avenue that would allow his dream to live on. In lieu of flowers for the funeral, she asked people to contribute to the Michael A. Miller Endowed Scholarship in Science and Mathematics.

“After his death, there was an outpouring of generosity—not only from his friends and family but from the UAB community,” Turnipseed said. “It was an incredible outpouring to get it off the ground.”

But Turnipseed was just getting started. In addition to the outright gift Miller’s community gave, in 2022 Turnipseed committed a legacy gift in her will.

“He died much too young, and I couldn’t think of anything better than if I am able to build the scholarship in his honor,” Turnipseed said. “There are so many people out there who have so much to offer. He loved supporting those students. Now we have to find a different way for him to support those people.”

The two met while pursuing undergraduate degrees at Emory but went separate ways after graduation. Miller went to the University of California Irvine for his master’s degree and Vanderbilt University for his doctorate. Turnipseed went to Harvard University for her master’s degree in public health and UAB for medical school. Eventually, they found their way back together.

They married in 2002 during Turnipseed’s fourth year of medical school. She went on to advance in her career at UAB and is now an internist (a specialized doctor in adult medicine). She serves as chief of medical staff for the hospital and the vice chair for clinical affairs for the Department of Medicine.

While Turnipseed finished school and residency at UAB, Miller was a scientist in UAB’s Department of Cell Biology—now called the Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology—where he earned a full professorship. He spent his entire career at UAB.

“He loved his colleagues; he loved his department,” Turnipseed said. “It really allowed him to grow professionally, and it was an outstanding fit for him to ask the scientific questions that he had. He was able to build an outstanding career. It was a wonderful environment.”

As the endowed scholarship shows, it wasn’t just the scientific advances that made Miller passionate about his position.

“He loved that teaching and mentoring aspect almost as much as he loved the practice of science itself,” Turnipseed said.

The scholarship is geared towards students, like Miller, who are the first in their family to attend college. It is awarded to a student in the College of Arts and Sciences who is pursuing mathematics or science, Miller’s beloved subjects. Students who remain in good academic standing will continue to receive the scholarship for four years of school.

"The Michael A. Miller Endowed Scholarship in Science and Mathematics will give deserving first-gen students the opportunity to pursue their interests and passions in science and mathematics without the burden of debt or trying to manage working while a student,” said Kecia M. Thomas, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “As a first-gen student myself, I know how important this scholarship will be in changing the trajectory of the life of a UAB student as well as their family."

While Miller’s friends, family, and coworkers helped create the original scholarship, Turnipseed has even bigger dreams for this fund. She hopes one day her husband’s endowment will cover full tuition for a student’s four-year college career. Through her planned gift, she’s one step closer.

“Legacy giving wasn’t something on my radar until I had something personal happen to me,” Turnipseed said. “I realized that this was an option, a tool for me, where I can really get this scholarship to where I envisioned it or to something larger. You don’t have to be a multimillionaire to support the things that are important to you—this allows you to do that.”

Shortly after Miller passed, Turnipseed received a flurry of letters from Miller’s former students about the impact he had on their lives. They wrote how he influenced them, supported them, and mentored them. After studying under Miller, some of these students wrote that they went on to work in academics, in industry, and in a wide array of remarkable careers.

Although he passed too soon, his legacy of mentoring and supporting scholars lives on.

“If this scholarship someday can give someone a little bit of a boost, and that person then goes on to do something phenomenal, what good fortune to be a part of that,” Turnipseed said.

Your legacy gift can make a difference in the lives of future UAB students. For help finding the right gift for you, contact the Office of Planned Giving at (205) 996-7533 or plannedgiving@uab.edu today.