Alumni Masters

The Alumni Masters Award is given to a Miami University Regionals alumnus who has shown excellence or made significant contributions to their field. Those who have completed a degree that included 20 credit hours or more from Miami Regionals are eligible for this award.

Past Recipients

2018 Recipient

Greta BurkhartGreta Burkhart

Burkhart shared the experiences that took her from Miami Regionals' Hamilton campus to the Arctic wilderness, and describe the beautiful and perilous factors that make the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge one of a kind.

Burkart began her studies at Miami University Hamilton and originally intended to major in art. With the encouragement of some of her professors, she decided to double major in art and biology. Currently, she is the sole aquatic ecologist at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (ANWR) and one of only two aquatic ecologists for all sixteen National Wildlife Refuges throughout Alaska.

After Burkart graduated from Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts as well as a Bachelor of Science in biology, her mentor, Dr. David Berg, pushed her to continue her education. Taking his advice, she moved forward in pursuing graduate school. Dr. Berg introduced her to Dr. Maria Gonzalez, who would ultimately become her master's advisor. Upon completion of her master's in biology from Wright State University, Burkart went on to pursue her Ph.D. in watershed sciences from Utah State University, taking classes in the winter while spending her summers researching in Arctic Alaska.

Upon completion of her doctoral degree, Burkart began working for the Federal Government, where she has worked for the past ten years. In her role at ANWR, she studies the health and sustainability of the aquatic life found in the refuge's 19 million acres of untouched Alaskan wilderness.


2017 Recipient

David TerrillDavid Terrill

Terrill began his studies with Miami Middletown art professors Mike Hieber and Gary Wheeler, both of whom played large roles in his development and ultimate vision to follow his creative path. While a student at the Middletown campus he was commissioned to create pen-and-ink drawings of campus buildings, as well as a composite watercolor of the campus which was featured in MUM's 30th anniversary celebrations.

Terrill's career began with Gibson Greeting Cards in Cincinnati and then moved to Kansas City to work for Hallmark Cards. He then discovered the excitement and energy of the advertising industry. Terrill held creative leadership positions at Barkley and Blacktop Creative. His present position is with C3 Creative Marketing, a marketing and design agency focused on children and families. There, he serves as a creative director.

While in Kansas City, Terrill began teaching courses at the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI), and joined the full-time faculty as an Assistant Professor in the illustration department in 2012. While teaching in KCAI's illustration program, he continues his work with C3 and directs a paid internship program. In addition, he is a managing member of Sublime Apparatus LLC, a creative incubator for discovering and developing new ways to communicate visually.