Miller was a native of Virginia, and earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees before embarking on an academic career.

[1] Miller was a psychology professor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia from 1925 to 1928, and at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania from 1930 to 1935, where he also served as the dean of students.

[4] Miller set the tone for his presidency by addressing the Florida faculty, saying he would be satisfied with "nothing less than a great university, second to none in the land.

[7] Miller's administration managed the increase in the size of the student body from approximately 8,700 to over 12,000 in six years,[3][8] and oversaw the transition of the formerly all-male institution into a coeducational university.

[12] As part of the centennial, the university began construction of Century Tower, the iconic landmark of the Gainesville campus.

[16] On the day of his on-campus funeral service, the university canceled classes and closed all university offices, and over 10,000 people attended the funeral, including the acting governor, the governor-elect, three former governors, the state board of education and all members of the Board of Control under whom Miller had served.

[18] The College of Medicine, whose planning and development was Miller's major accomplishment as president, opened in 1956[19] and graduated its first students in 1960.

[10][20] Today, the Miller Health Science Center encompasses six separate academic colleges, enrolls over 6,500 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, and employs over 1,200 residents.