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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (May 9, 2012) — Milligan College presented Fide et Amore awards to Dr. Susan Higgins and Sue Skidmore for their loving and faithful service to the college.
The Fide et Amore awards, Milligan’s highest acknowledgement of service, were presented at spring commencement ceremonies, May 4 and 5. During the ceremonies, Milligan also awarded a total of 208 degrees and an honorary Bachelor of Science degree to Eileen Purcell Williams.
Higgins, who has taught at Milligan since 1977, is a professor of sociology and the area chair of social learning. Dr. Patricia Magness, professor of humanities at Milligan, presented the Fide award to Higgins and read a citation detailing her service as a professor and leader.
“Dr. Susan Higgins has worked tirelessly as both a teacher and administrator, pushing herself, her colleagues and her students to ever higher levels of achievement,” Magness said. “Because she does such stellar work herself, she inspires others to do the same. The excellence of her teaching is all the more remarkable because she teaches in so many disciplines, including linguistics, anthropology, sociology, missiology and Greek.”
Over the last year and a half, Higgins led the preparation and compilation of the compliance report for Milligan’s recent reaffirmation and reaccreditation process. In addition, she shepherded the development of several new programs at Milligan, including the master’s degree in counseling and a political science major.
Skidmore, who has worked at Milligan for 33 years, also was lauded for her leadership and work on Milligan’s reaccreditation process. She currently serves as registrar, associate dean, and director of institutional research and effectiveness.
In addition, Skidmore chairs Milligan’s Facts and Trends committee, a group that completes an annual assessment of the college’s performance in several areas. She has been a wise and constant adviser and confidante to three Milligan presidents, several deans and a multitude of colleagues.
“Given her years at Milligan and her awareness of the trends and the effectiveness of the college, Sue knows the institution and its history better than most,” said Dr. Bert Allen, Skidmore’s colleague and friend. “Sue might be termed the rudder, the guiding light or the light on a hill that keeps us oriented and moving toward the goals we have set for ourselves and for the college.”
In addition to the Fide awards, Milligan occasionally presents honorary degrees at commencement. This spring, an honorary Bachelor of Science degree was awarded to Williams who attended Milligan from 1938 to 1942, and successfully completed the required courses to graduate. Her final requirement was medical technology training at Knoxville General Hospital, where she became ill with double pneumonia in December of 1941. Because of the severity of the illness, she was hospitalized for a significant period of time followed by a lengthy recovery at home. By then, World War II was well under way, and she was unable to return to Milligan to complete the final requirements for her degree.