Meet Canadian Studies: Board Member Kirk Miller
Kirk Miller is an architect, developer, and longstanding supporter of the Canadian Studies program. A native of Alberta, Kirk moved to the United States to attend architectural school at UC Berkeley. After graduation, he established a successful architectural career in San Francisco, where he remains involved in regional development conversations and the Bay Area Canadian expatriate community. We talked to Kirk about his history with Canadian Studies and life as a Canadian in California; read the full interview
here.
On his connection to Canada:
My grandparents immigrated to the Canadian prairies when the prairies were still part of the Northwest Territories. My maternal grandparents homesteaded. My paternal grandfather helped build the railroads.
I was raised in Red Deer, Alberta. At 17 years of age, after running out of challenges in Red Deer, I went “East” to the Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean, 25 miles south of Montreal. I also studied political science and sociology at the University of Alberta. Not knowing what I wanted to do, I turned down an offer to pursue graduate studies in poli sci and taught high school for a couple of years. I moved to Quebec City. It was there I was further immersed in French Canadian culture, lived in the Vieux Quartier (within the walls), and studied architecture at Université Laval.
How he came to Berkeley:
Quebec was going through the “Quiet Revolution” while I was at Laval. That caused me to look for a new venue to continue my architectural studies. The UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design had just started a new program where the graduate school offered a professional master’s degree if you had an undergraduate degree in any field.
Coming to Berkeley changed my life. I was forced to think outside the box, or even without a box. Cal was coming off of the Free Speech Movement. It was (and is) a thought leader. The architectural curriculum had a plethora of advanced and thought-provoking courses.
Why he supports Canadian Studies:
I have always been very interested in research (both my wife and brother are academics). Given the depth, breadth, and interdependence of Canada’s relationship with the US, there is an increasing need to study all aspects of the relationship and to strengthen it. The Canadian Studies program is on the right path. Irene Bloemraad {Program Director} and David Stewart {Board Chair} have formed a synergistic leadership unit for the future of the program. Now it is a matter of implementation, and the adjustments that are made during that implementation.