Nyusya Milman-Miller, associate professor of Russian in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, has received the university’s 2017 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education.

Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Alumni Association, the Alumni Award for Excellence in International Education is presented annually to a Virginia Tech faculty or staff member who has had a significant impact on international education.

After arriving at Virginia Tech in 2002 as the only faculty member teaching Russian, Milman-Miller immediately crafted a study abroad program in Moscow to augment students’ understanding of the Russian language and culture. As student interest in Russian studies rose, Milman-Miller developed a full curriculum, hired experienced faculty members, and recruited students. In 2015, she graduated the first cohort of 15 Russian majors.

In the past four years, Milman-Miller has secured a Project Global Officer grant totaling $1.5 million, the largest grant ever received by the department. The funding has supported critical language training of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) students as well as expanded the department’s course offerings in Russian, Chinese, and Arabic. The Project Global Officer grant also supported 78 ROTC cadets in their study-abroad education in countries that included Russia, China, Estonia, Jordan, Latvia, and Lithuania.

“Dr. Milman-Miller’s contributions toward developing a globalized curriculum, building institutional partnerships, establishing study-abroad programs, and securing external funding have undeniably rendered the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures more visible not only on campus, but also nationally and internationally,” wrote faculty members Nadine Sinno and Alexander Dickow on behalf of the department’s Scholarship and Honors Committee, in a letter of nomination.

In 2015 Milman-Miller received the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences’ Excellence in International Initiatives Award, and in 2016 she received the Award for the Outstanding Contribution to the Profession from the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages.

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