Featured Supporter: Carla Millar

For 30 years, Carla Millar was a constant presence in the College of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Office at Fresno State, where one of her duties was coordinating the London semester and the London winter intersession program. Now retired, she continues supporting students who again and again benefit from the skills and confidence they gain through the study abroad experience.

A Valley native and Madera High School graduate, Millar has a decades-long history with Fresno State. As an undergraduate, she worked as a student assistant during the school year and as a staff member during the summer in the Stenographic Service Center, where faculty syllabi were typed and copies produced. She fondly remembers faculty as her mentors. As a “small-town girl,” Millar said she is grateful she was able to graduate from Fresno State and continue that connection throughout her career. 

“I feel like I grew up at Fresno State.”

Millar earned her B.A. in word processing management, a special major, at a time before computers. After graduating in 1974, she was offered a full-time staff position at Fresno State. From there, she worked in the Linguistic department office before being transferred to the College of Arts and Humanities Dean’s Office, coordinating the London program. 

“Carla was the contact person for the students who were interested in participating in the London program. Her responsibilities included locating flats, working with the travel agent for flights, banking and housing for faculty,” said Gail Freeman, a retired administrative analyst in the College of Arts and Humanities. “She spent time with each student, getting to know them on a personal level. She was able to get the students excited about what they would see and what they were going to learn.”

Dedicated to her job and the students, Millar often traveled with them for a few days at the beginning of the trip to help get them settled in and work out the logistics for the following year. 

For many students, study abroad is a life-changing experience. Upon return, many students reflect on their life-long skills in cultural competency, learn self-confidence and independence, and gain an enhanced global perspective learned abroad. Working with students, organizing the trip and traveling with them, Millar saw the London program’s impact on students.

“The majority of them had not traveled abroad, and it was pretty amazing because I could feel their excitement,” said Millar. “It was a chance of a lifetime.”

The London program started in the Spring of 1984 when five faculty members took 75 students for an entire semester in London. In 2009, the semester-long program was trimmed to the three-week winter intersession program it is today. Millar was there to oversee that transition.

“Transitioning to winter intersession made it more affordable for faculty and students.”

Millar retired from Fresno State in 2015, after 42 years, and moved to the Central Coast. However, her involvement in Fresno State continues through her support of students. In honor of her husband, who passed in 2007, Millar established the “Carla Jean and Scot C. Millar Travel Award Endowment,” which directly supports students enrolled in the London program in perpetuity. 

“In her 30-year career in our dean’s office, Carla Millar helped generations of students achieve their dream of studying abroad in London, yet she didn’t stop in retirement. Instead, she has left a legacy of support through scholarships for London students,” said Dr. Honora Chapman, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. “These funds make all the difference in their ability to travel, an experience that changes their lives by broadening their perspective and building their confidence out in the world. We are so grateful for Carla’s visionary support! “

In addition to the endowment, Millar often supports students through the “Millar Travel Award,” funded through annual pledges. 

“I attribute a large part of my success in life to my experience as a student and employee at Fresno State,” said Millar. “It’s a way of giving back, to help provide students opportunities in life.”

In addition to her support of the London program, Millar also established the “Scot C. and Carla Jean Millar Endowed Scholarship Fund” benefiting College of Arts and Humanities students and a baseball and softball scholarship endowment in her father’s name, the “Richard ‘Cardy’ Farias Memorial Scholarship.” She is proud that all of her scholarships go directly to students in need.

“It’s a wonderful feeling. I feel gratified and blessed that I’m able to help enrich young people’s lives,” Millar said.  “I’m in awe of the fact that I can make someone’s life better for them.”