Martin University trustees announce college will close permanently

Three weeks after announcing a “pause in operations,” Martin University’s board of trustees announced in a letter published in the Indianapolis Recorder that the college is closing its doors for good.

Effective Dec. 31, Martin University voluntarily gave up its accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission. Accreditation is the process of evaluating a university for both quality of education and management. In addition, losing accreditation means Martin as a university is now ineligible for federal financial aid.

According to the letter, published Dec. 31, the Higher Learning Commission directed Martin to cease operations after the university initially announced the temporary pause in mid-December. The Higher Learning Commission did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.

Because of that directive and a lack of funds, “Martin has had no choice but to move toward closure,” the letter states, in part.

This move comes after a tumultuous month for the eastside college. Founded in 1977, it was Indiana’s only predominantly Black university. On Dec. 9, Martin’s board of trustees announced it would “temporarily pause” operations due to financial problems and low enrollment.The university did not announce a reopening date. Less than a week later, on Dec. 15 the university terminated nearly all its staff, saying it could not pay them.

In response, members of the alumni association, led by association president Dwight McGill, called for the removal of board chair Joseph Perkins at a Dec. 17 news conference.

In the letter published in the Recorder, the trustees said they recognize the grief Martin’s closure has caused but called for “civility in both public and private discourse.”

“Personal attacks do not honor Martin’s mission or legacy,” the letter said, in part. “The decision to close the university was made by the full Board of Trustees, collectively. The board chair and executive committee have led with integrity under extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and unfair targeting of any one individual must stop.”

While Perkins was not specifically named, the letter’s request for civility appears to be referencing alumni’s calls for him to resign.

Perkins and interim president Felicia Brokaw could not be reached by phone and did not respond to Mirror Indy’s emailed questions, including why the university initially announced a pause and moved to close and why the university is continuing to accept donations.

“Let us be clear: nothing would bring the board greater satisfaction than preserving the founders’ vision and legacy,” the letter said, in part. “Even as we wind down operations, we remain open to supporters who are willing and able to assist in meaningful ways — financially and through enrollment — consistent with the fiduciary responsibilities we hold.”

Martin University students have previously been directed to transfer schools to complete their education. UIndy and Marian University have both committed to match Martin’s tuition rates to allow Martin students to finish their degrees, according to a document sent to students and obtained by Mirror Indy.

As for finances, the letter published in the Recorder said that Martin University is working “to honor our financial commitments to the greatest extent possible.”

That means that the university will start selling off assets, according to the letter, though it did not specify which ones.

Brokaw and Perkins did not respond to Mirror Indy’s questions about whether this includes selling the university’s campus in Martindale-Brightwood. The property’s total value, according to property tax records, is about $13.1 million.