Mills Named Lewis Scholar-in-Residence

Jessica Mills, an instructor of education at Walters State, will be a Scholar-in-Residence at the C.S. Lewis Study Centre near Oxford, England this summer.

Mills Named C.S. Lewis Scholar-in-Residence

A Walters State faculty member is traveling to Oxford, England, to participate in the C. S. Lewis Scholars-in-Residence Program in June.

Jessica Mills, instructor of education, will be living in Lewis’ home while studying at the C.S. Lewis Study Centre and visiting nearby Oxford University. Lewis, a British author and scholar, lived in the Kilns from 1930 until his death in 1963 at age 64. His works include “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “The Screwtape Letters” and “Mere Christianity.” 

“I am looking forward to using the same desk where Lewis wrote ‘The Chronicles of Narnia,” Mills said. “I want to sit where he gathered with J.R.R. Tolkien and other writers and just immerse myself in a place with so much history,” Mills said. 

The trip is seven days and Mills plans to make use of every possible moment. Her focus will be what motivates students to complete their college program. Mills, a graduate student at ETSU, will be working on a literature review for her academic studies. She also hopes to complete a written summary for year two of Walters State’s “Reimagining the Community College,” a grant the college received form the Tennessee Board of Regents. 

Mills said she first dived into Lewis’ writings after the sudden and tragic death of her son, Noah, in 2012 at the age of 10. 

“The transparency in his writings on his gradual conversion from atheism to Christianity particularly intrigues me. I read everything I could find. My husband, Marc, then made it his mission to take me to the Kilns to bring life to what had been such a comfort,” Mills said.

Her husband, Dr. Marc McClure, was a professor of history at Walters State. He also died unexpectantly in 2020 due to heart complications. Returning to The Kilns now has a different, yet important meaning. 

“When I first learned of the Scholar in Residence program, it seemed to be more of a fit for Marc. Now, I know it is right for me. I feel like I am taking a part of my past and integrating it with the new path in life I have made for myself,” she said.

Mills plans to share her experience with students when she returns.

 “I want to encourage students to look for opportunities for travel and to chase their own personal and professional growth,” Mills said.