Gaston’s Fourth President: Joseph Mills
When Joseph Mills became Gaston College’s fourth president in July 1975, he was promoted from his position as vice president.
A University of Kentucky graduate, Mills became an educator after working for four radio stations and two television stations.
Also a writer for the U.K. college newspaper, Mills taught high school English while earning his Master’s from Morehead State. He later worked at Oklahoma State, Miami of Ohio and the West Virginia Institute of Technology before coming to Gaston College in 1971.
His predecessor, Woodrow Sugg, appealed unsuccessfully to legislators for more funding before he left Mills, his former academic dean and vice president, in charge of the school. This decrease in state funding meant he battled severe budget constraints during his tenure. However, several positive advancements occurred for the College during his time as president.
In Mills’ first month on the job, the College broke ground on the Myers Student Services Center that would later open in 1977. His tenure also saw the trustees authorize a study on the feasibility of establishing an FM radio station on campus. WSGE-FM 91.7 joined the airwaves in 1980, which led to the College hiring its first broadcasting instructor, Ken Quick.
An interesting side note about his tenure is that one of the most popular teachers in Gaston College history, Helen Rhyne Marvin, the school’s head of the Social Science Department, ran and won the 1976 election for N.C. state senator. She remained in office until 1992.
After serving as president for more than four years, Mills resigned in 1979 to take an administrative post at Miami University in Ohio.
In a Gastonia Gazette newspaper column written during his time as President, Mills offered this opinion of the school:
“Gaston College, we’re young and restless and growing and spirited, and we realize that the future of so many young people lies in our hands. In Gaston County and in North Carolina, nobody does it better, and in that spirit, we look optimistically to the future for the comprehensive community college.”