‘This is accountability’: Martin University alumni call for new leadership

More than two dozen Martin University students and alumni gathered Wednesday, Dec. 17, to call for new leadership after the eastside college announced its closure.

Dwight McGill, president of the Martin University Alumni Association, said the group wants board of trustees Chairman Joseph Perkins to resign.

McGill said Perkins has not been transparent with students, staff and alumni about Martin’s financial situation. He said the alumni association met with interim President Felicia Brokaw Dec. 16 and provided her with a letter asking for Perkins’ resignation.

“Everything starts from somewhere, and Joe has to take accountability for something,” McGill said. “Someone has to be accountable for — right now — the pause of Martin University.”

Perkins could not be reached for comment in time for the publication of this story.

In response to the alumni association’s call for Perkins’ resignation, Martin University released a statement saying that Perkins’ role as chair is a volunteer position and that the board of trustees has “sole governance authority at the university.”

“He serves at the board’s discretion,” the statement read, in part. “It was the board that decided to pause the university’s operations based on financial and student enrollment challenges … The board is exploring ways to continue Martin’s mission of providing education to an underrepresented population.”
 

In a staff meeting Dec. 8, Perkins told employees that the board “does not make this decision lightly” and has explored options for keeping the university afloat, including soliciting donations from wealthy donors and “alignment” with other institutions.

“We have done all of these steps,” Perkins said, according to an audio recording of the meeting obtained by Mirror Indy, “and now the world has just kind of caught up to us.”

Martin announced Dec. 9 that the board had voted to “pause operations” at the eastside college due to low enrollment and financial issues. Less than a week later, the university laid off nearly all its staff without paying them for hours already worked.

Rep. John Bartlett, D-Indianapolis, was among the students and alumni gathered to support Martin and call for change on the board.

Bartlett, a Martin grad, told Mirror Indy that he’d like to see the $5 million one-time funding Martin received in 2023 reinstated. But given that it’s not a budget year, Bartlett said he planned to speak with his colleagues on the House Ways and Means Committee about ways the state could financially support Martin and keep the school afloat.

“We just cannot lose Martin,” Bartlett said. “Martin is ours, and we have to save it.”
 

What alumni are saying

Alumni said Wednesday that the move to close Martin with no plans to reopen came as a huge shock and that they do not trust that current leadership has the university’s best interests at heart.

“This is accountability,” said alumni association parliamentarian Nickesha Williams. “Martin has to answer from within as to what has happened.”

It’s unclear what will happen to Martin. In the Dec. 8 meeting, Brokaw told staff the university’s board of trustees is “exploring a range of options” for Martin’s future.

Despite Martin’s financial situation, alumni are not giving up on the university.

“We’re demanding new leadership — leadership that looks to go forward, not to go to the graveyard,” alumni association Vice President Denell Howard said. “This is not a eulogy. This is a celebration of what it has been and what will be.”
 

Alumni who spoke, including Howard, were also quick to point out that Martin University is still an accredited institution, meaning it’s been approved by an evaluator as meeting basic educational standards.

Martin is listed as an accredited university on the Higher Learning Commission’s website as of Wednesday, Dec. 17. The Higher Learning Commission is the organization that evaluates Martin and many other Indiana colleges.

But that accreditation could go away soon. In a Dec. 15 staff meeting, Brokaw said that the university’s accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, does not allow for temporary pauses.

“When we stop teaching classes this spring,” Brokaw said in a recording of the meeting obtained by Mirror Indy, “we will stop with our accreditation.”
 

If and when Martin decides to reopen, Brokaw told staff, it would once again have to seek accreditation, meaning it will have to undergo an evaluation to ensure it’s up to standard.

A representative from the Higher Learning Commission did not respond to Mirror Indy’s request for comment in time for the publication of this story.

Are you a Martin University student, alum or staff member? Mirror Indy wants to hear from you. Reach out to higher education reporter Claire Rafford at 317-759-0249 or claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org.

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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire by email claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org, on most social media @clairerafford or on Signal 317-759-0429.