There’s a joke that’s been going around the campus of Oakland University for the last 30 years.

“They say that if I bleed,” said Jean Ann Miller, director of OU’s Center for Student Activities, “I bleed black and gold.”

A hefty claim indeed, but if anyone is qualified to have Golden Grizzly blood running through their veins, it’s Miller.

As an undergrad, Miller worked in the CSA — the same office in which she holds a position now. But before things came full circle, she enjoyed a fulfilling 15-year career in the residence halls.

“I’ve lived in every residence hall in some capacity, other than Oak View, as a student or a staff member,” Miller said.

Miller climbed the ranks, moving from Hall Director all the way up to Assistant Director of Residency Programs, and forged relationships that have carried through her entire career at OU.

After the residency halls, Miller pursued her current position in the CSA, one that she had aspired towards since she worked an on-campus job in the very same office as a student.

As director of student activities, Miller oversees the larger student events on campus, including Welcome Week, Homecoming and the upcoming International Night.

“(The CSA) has an awesome, awesome staff,” Miller said, adding that while she handles the intricacies of coordinating OU’s more popular and attended activities, each member of her team handles different aspects of all that the CSA has to offer.

“The women help to make the office the success that it is,” Miller said.

In addition to being director of the CSA, Miller is also a professor on campus, teaching at least one course per semester in either communication, health sciences, sociology or anthropology.

“I love working with students and helping them to develop personally and professionally,” Miller said of the unique experiences she is able to share with students.

Having experience in many aspects of campus life, Miller is able to create unique bonds both in the classroom and in the CSA.

“I get to interact with students from another perspective,” she said. “It’s heartwarming and gratifying.”

“OU is my home away from home,” Miller said, and she cherishes each and every one of the friendships she has created throughout her ever-evolving career.

Although Miller loves to spend time on campus, life at home is just as gratifying.

“We’re a small family,” she said of her mother, brother, sister, nephew and two nieces. “We’re supportive of each other.”

Miller is actively involved in attending the pom competitions of her nieces. She also enjoys art and craft fairs in her spare time, having recently attended the “Doers and Makers” one in Davisburg.

“I love the blending of old and new,” Miller said of the craft fair’s wares.

Having the job of her dreams with a tight-knit, supportive family by her side, Miller summed it up in a sentence.

“I’ve had a very blessed life in association with OU … it’s been the best. I don’t know if I can describe it any better than that,” she said.

Miller said that OU has been a very significant part of her life and that she wouldn’t trade it for the world. In fact, she’s even thinking about adding another accomplishment to her OU resume: getting her Ph.D.

“He was a medical doctor,” Miller said of her late father. “And one day I’d like to have that ‘doctor’ in front of my name, too.”

Although she’s not quite sure which area of study she’d like to pursue, she’s contemplating counseling and higher education. But regardless of where her studies take her, Miller would love to carry on her father’s legacy, and there’s no guessing when it comes to which university Miller would turn to.