Ahead of Her Time

Frances W. Miller ’40BC ’42BUS was a woman ahead of her time.

When she proposed her graduate thesis topic to Columbia Business School (CBS), Frances chose something close to her heart: marketing her hometown team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, to women to bolster attendance at baseball games.

Her topic was rejected.

Nevertheless, she graduated from CBS with a master’s degree, a life partner, Jerome Miller ’42BUS—whom she met on the steps of Low Library during their first year of business school—and a lifelong affection for Columbia.

Frances and Jerome spent most of their married life in Hawaii, moving to Palm Beach later in life to be closer to family. Jerome passed away in 2009 and Frances in 2023. 

During her lifetime, Frances joined the Hilltop Society, whose members make consecutive year gifts to the Barnard Annual Fund, and she made regular gifts to the CBS annual and scholarship funds. In 2005, she joined the 1754 Society, which honors alumni and friends who have made future plans for the University through trust, estate, and other future gifts. 

Through a bequest, Frances left a lasting legacy to both Columbia and Barnard by creating endowed scholarships for students. Each scholarship carries the same name: the Jerome and Frances W. Miller Scholarship at CBS and the Jerome and Frances W. Miller Scholarship at Barnard.