University of Evansville Invests Dr. Kristy K. Miller as Barbara J. Kolb Price Endowed Chair in ChemistryRead full article…

Posted: Wednesday, July 1, 2026
By: Ian Leonhardt, Advancement Communications Coordinator

The University of Evansville (UE) formally invested Kristy K. Miller, PhD, as the Barbara J. Kolb Price Endowed Chair in Chemistry during a ceremony on July 1 in Neu Chapel.

The ceremony recognized Miller's contributions as a professor, scholar, mentor, and academic leader in UE's Robert and Judy Decker Wargel Department of Chemistry. It also honored the generosity and University legacy of Barbara J. Kolb Price '66, Trustee Emerita, whose gift established the endowed chair.

An investiture is among the highest honors a university can bestow upon a faculty member. It formally recognizes a faculty member's appointment to an endowed position while honoring the donor whose generosity makes the position possible.

"Barbara Price and Dr. Miller share a deep commitment to the transformative power of education," said UE President Christopher Pietruszkiewicz. "Barbara's generosity creates opportunities for future generations of students, while Dr. Miller's leadership and mentorship help those students realize their potential. It is especially meaningful to celebrate both of their legacies through this investiture."

Price, an Evansville native, earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from Evansville College, now the University of Evansville, in 1966. Her time at Evansville College was deeply shaped by her love of chemistry, the faculty who guided her, and the classmates and experiences that made her education meaningful. She later earned a Master of Arts in Chemistry Education from the University of Chicago and a Master of Science in Management from Purdue University. Those foundations supported a distinguished career at Phillips Petroleum Company, where she ultimately served as Vice President of Health, Environment, and Safety. Her longtime service to UE includes serving on the Board of Trustees from 1995 to 2020, as a Life Trustee from 2020 to 2023, and as Trustee Emerita since 2023.

Dr. Miller serves as Associate Provost for Student Success and Academic Excellence and Professor and Chair of the Robert and Judy Decker Wargel Department of Chemistry. As the Barbara J. Kolb Price Endowed Chair in Chemistry, she will continue advancing the department's tradition of close faculty-student mentorship, undergraduate research, and experiential learning.

The endowed chair brings Price's story full circle by investing in the department that helped shape her academic foundation. It is especially meaningful that the chair is housed within a department named after her late friends, Bob and Judy Decker Wargel.