Garrett Evan Miller was named Lee University’s 2026 Charles Paul Conn Award recipient and was recognized for this achievement during the school’s recent Honors Chapel.
 
The CPC Award is given to a Lee senior who demonstrates the greatest promise of achievement in graduate or professional studies. Established in 1996, it is named after Lee’s 16th president. Each department may nominate one student for the award. From these nominees, a winner is selected by a faculty vote.
 
“Garrett came to Lee as a fine musician,” said Dr. Randy Sheeks, dean of the School of Music. “In his time at Lee, he has grown into an outstanding and well-rounded musician. His ferocious appetite for learning will continue to serve him well in graduate school. The School of Music is proud that Garrett is our first winner of this award since its establishment in 1996.”
 
During his time at Lee, Miller was a member of Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society and was recognized in the 2025 Concerto and Aria Competition. He also served as a student accompanist in the School of Music and was an active member of the Lee Singers.
 
He participated in the Lee Honor Choir, Honor Band, and the Tennessee Festival Piano Competition. His cross-cultural experiences include traveling to Japan with Advent Now! in December 2023, and he will travel to New Zealand with the Lee Singers this month.
 
“I am so honored to receive this award and can only thank God for the blessings and opportunities that He has given me,” said Miller. “In these past four years, I have learned so much about living for Christ: serving Him through my relationships with others, committing my work and skills to Him, and always being a student of Him and His beautiful creation. Lee has been a place where my professors and peers constantly push me toward that more fully. I am humbled to receive this honor.”
 
Miller will graduate summa cum laude this month with a Bachelor of Science in music business. He plans to attend the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he will pursue a Master of Music in jazz studies.