Susan Work Martin

Susan Work Martin (born October 24, 1950) is an American academic administrator who was most recently the interim president of San José State University. Previously, Martin served as president of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan from 2008 to 2015. She was the first female president in the university’s 160-year history. She held a simultaneous appointment as Professor of Accounting in the College of Business during her tenure at Eastern.

Early life Born and raised in Croswell, Michigan, Susan Work grew up on a dairy farm and attended classes at a one-room schoolhouse with two outhouses and no running water. She received a B.S. degree in Public Speaking from Central Michigan University in 1971, before earning an M.B.A. (1976) in business administration and a Ph.D. (1988) in Accounting from Michigan State University. Martin was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority at Central Michigan University from 1967-71.

Past Positions Martin began her career as a secretary in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Texas at Austin. From there Martin moved back to Michigan working at Michigan State University and then worked in state government for four years as Assistant Auditor General. She was appointed by Michigan Governors William Milliken and James Blanchard to serve as Deputy State Treasurer for local government and by Governor Blanchard as Commissioner of Revenue.

Martin then went back to higher education working 18 years from 2006-2008. Board of Directors, Ann Arbor SPARK; Chair, State of Michigan Hospital Finance Authority, member of IRS Commissioner’s Internal Revenue Service Advisory Committee (2002–2004), Appointed member of Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (1998-2000); and member of Tax Executive Committee (1997-2000)

In her first year as president of EMU, Martin attended a Harvard seminar for new university presidents and attended professional development activities every three months.

In 2012, she was selected by the Michigan Business & Professional Association for the distinguished leadership award in education during the organization’s annual Women and Leadership in Workplace Conference. She also oversaw Eastern’s participation in the project “Lead the Way” to train middle- and high-school teachers how to teach a rigorous STEM curriculum in Michigan Schools.

In January 2013, Martin was re-appointed to the Michigan Education Trust board of directors by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. This marks Martin’s second three-year term on the board. in September 2014 with Steve Dobson, retired president and CEO of Dobson-McOmber Insurance. In 2014, she was honored by the Ypsilanti/Willow Run Branch of the NAACP with the Josephine Ruffin Honorary Civil Rights Award of Distinction for her “dedicated service in education.” According to Shoshana DeMaria, the NAACP Ypsilanti/Willow Run Branch president, the award recognizes “her focus on ‘Education First,’ keeping tuition affordable, increasing enrollment and making students, families, alumni, faculty and staff feel secure, confident and empowered.”

On Thursday, November 20, 2008, Martin was formally inaugurated as the 22nd president of EMU in a ceremony at Pease Auditorium in front of approximately 1,000 attendees. Her initial appointment was for three years, and she received a two-year contract extension in 2010 and another two-year extension in 2013 continuing her contract through July 7, 2015. In 2014, the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents unanimously approved another one-year extension to July 7, 2016. At the completion of her contract, her tenure makes her the longest serving president at Eastern since William Shelton who served 11 years from 1989-2000.

Although her presidency has not been without conflict, Martin has been "seen by many as a stabilizing force on the Ypsilanti campus" In several past years, Martin has returned her pay raises to support the University. The initiative became known as “0,0,0” and was enacted with the goal of boosting enrollment and positively affecting the university’s revenues, offsetting a 3.1 percent education funding cut by the Michigan Legislature.

The 2010 freeze marked the first time in 30 years the university did not increase tuition costs, after the university made one of the lowest increases among Michigan’s 15 public universities with a 3.8 percent increase in 2009.

A 3.65 percent increase was approved in 2011 and a 3.95 percent increase in 2012. The increase was said to strike a balance between affordability and the ability to continue investments in the university’s residence halls, since the university had invested $20 million over five years in its residence halls and dining areas. The 2014-2015 allocation is an increase of 8.9 percent over the previous year’s financial aid budget. in Eastern’s history in April 2010, with a public phase lasting three years.

Enrollment When Martin took over leadership of EMU, student enrollment was at 21,972. set in 1999 for all-time high number of incoming freshman. The university housed more than 4,000 students on campus that year, up from 3,240 in 2010 and more than they had housed since 2003. That fall, the university had more than 12,000 applications submitted. The goal of the program is to improve services and processes that can help minority male students graduate and prepare students to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. The program became one of six accredited physician’s assistant programs in Michigan. The university partnered with nearby St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital to provide clinical rotations for experience with real-world scenarios. combining courses from two existing programs: Electronic Media & Film Studies and Journalism. The program was designed to cross train students to understand and operate in both print and video reporting, while reducing redundancies for students who major in one program and minor in the other. ) classroom building on Eastern’s campus, which accommodates 10,000 students and 300 faculty.

All of the offices and classrooms were moved from the building to other campus locations rather than using a phased construction plan, resulting in a $3 million dollar savings and reduced construction time. The 2009-2011 renovation is the first time the building received updates since it was built in 1969, In December 2010, a $90 million science complex upgrade was unveiled, featuring a spherical planetarium suspended five stories above an open atrium area in an 80,000 square-foot laboratory, classroom and office addition to the campus’ Mark Jefferson Science Building. He was selected because of his background as a “leading communications executive in the region,” which included seven years as an executive vice president with a Southfield, Michigan public relations firm, following his role as a news director for WXYZ-TV in Detroit. She was the first new general counsel named to oversee legal affairs in 20 years.

New provost and vice president of the university Kim Schatzel was selected in 2011, effective Jan. 3, 2012 to streamline the school’s advising system and increase exposure to EMU’s graduate programs, among other leadership roles. She was selected for her background as a business manager and entrepreneurial spirit He was selected for a successful tenure at Syracuse, being part of a 180-67 overall record, and his ability to recruit talented players.

Robert Heighes was named police chief for EMU in April 2012, after serving as interim police chief following the death of Police Chief Greg O’Dell in December 2012. His selection was based upon his 28 years of service to the department and his role as interim chief in three separate terms. She is the first female to hold the position at Eastern and one of only six female athletic directors in the NCAA Division I athletics. He is responsible for oversight of the Office of the Controller, the Budget Office, Student Business Services, the Purchasing Department and Business Systems Support. a newly created position. In the position, Turner was charged with consolidating functions and increasing the responsiveness of HR. recruited from Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. The position oversees non-academic and co-curricular student experiences, including residential life and housing, student well-being, new student orientation and campus life, student conduct, international student services, diversity and community involvement and the Children’s Institute. He was selected for his more than 17 years of experience in legislative, public policy, community relations and governments affairs for both public and private entities.

Public Safety Awareness Soon after joining in EMU, Martin worked with then-Police Chief Greg O’Dell to develop new protocols to stay informed about any safety issues on campus, including making herself available for late-night calls to be briefed on campus incidents.

She authorized the addition of three officers to the crime response unit to help prevent and solve crimes at EMU, despite limited resources and budgets. At that time, the university reassessed the equipment and its maintenance and worked to improve its safety infrastructure and enhance its equipment. It also was announced that the university would participate in the newly formed Eastern Washtenaw Safety Alliance law enforcement alliance. The building was purchased from Ypsilanti Public Schools in 2009 for $2.2 million, with the help of an anonymous donation of $1.2 million to supplement the purchase, renovations and first year of operation. Resources include: support groups, educational workshops, child care and counseling, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, recreational therapy, music therapy, social work services, counseling, diagnostic services, psychology, academic tutoring, therapeutic social skills, play groups and summer camp opportunities.

A new location for The Digital Inclusion store, known as DI, was launched in November 2013, providing computer hardware and software training and operated by the Business Side of Youth, which seeks to reduce the technology gap in low income areas of Washtenaw county.

DI has three main goals: to provide low-cost technology to the community and teach them how to use it, youth training to repair and refurbish technology and training experience for students. Full-time Eastern Michigan University employees were offered a forgivable loan of $7,500 to assist in purchasing a home in Ypsilanti. providing life skills training to area residents with the help of a grant from the Kresge Foundation. The mandatory program provides assistance to 200 adults and children who live in the 70 subsidized units of the complex. Recertification occurs every 10 years, following a rigorous year-long self-study involving more than 50 people and focused on governance and commitment to: rules and compliance, academic integrity, gender equity, diversity and student athlete well-being. Following the conference they attended an alumni reception, after which Martin met at a bar both of whom left amidst controversy.

According to emails they exchanged the next day, in which they apologized to each other, Martin thought Ferens said "John Fallon is my man" —a comment to which she was sensitive because Fallon had recently been hired by Ball State University, Ferens subsequently characterized the issue as "a little miscommunication" and "a moment of intensity in a conversation" about the mascot change.

In a formal response to the Board of Regents, Martin defended her character:

I consider myself a 'hands-on' President even to the point of jumping onto the marching band platform when appropriate, rappelling 60 feet down Roosevelt Hall, being on call 24/7 with the Department of Public Safety and insisting on being informed about every serious incident on campus. I could not perform these duties and handle the rigors of this position if I had a serious health issue of any type as suggested by the May 17, letter. I will continue to devote my entire time and energy to the goals and metrics we have set to make Eastern thrive and grow. I am deeply committed to this University. I love Eastern and "bleed green".

Following the 2012 incident, Martin stated that although she did not believe she had an alcohol problem, she would receive counseling as recommended by the Board of Regents. She also announced she would donate her 2012 raise, $8,764, to on-campus alcohol education.

President of San Jose State University On July 16, 2015, California State University chancellor Timothy P. White hired Martin to serve as interim president of San Jose State University following the resignation of Mohammad Qayoumi. Martin will assume her duties on August 18, 2015, while the university system conducts a national search for a long-term successor to Qayoumi.

Recent Publications Bruce Bublitz, Susan Martin; "The Incorporation of Managerial Accounting Concepts into Governmental Organizations: The Case of Public Universities", Journal of Governmental Financial Management, Winter 2007, Vol 56, No. 4, pp. 48–62

“Low Supply and High Demand for USA Accounting graduates due to Enron and Sarbanes-Oxley Act”, IV International Scientific Conference, Accounting and Control Development in Context of European Integration, May 19–20, 2005, Kramatorsk, Ukraine.

Certifications Certified Public Accountant, November 1978 Certified Management Accountant, October 1979 Certified Internal Auditor, September 1979 Certified Government Financial Manager, November 1996