Susan 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.

Martin was a member of Sigma Kappa sorority at Central Michigan University from 1967-71.

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 at Grand Valley State University as Master of Science in Taxation Program Coordinator; Director, International Business Programs; Chair, Accounting and Taxation Department; Professor of Accounting and Taxation; Assistant & Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs; Special Assistant to the Provost; and Executive Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs.

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.

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" at a time when the university had four presidents in five years, and scandals forced her two immediate predecessors from office.

Reflecting on her oversight to date, EMU has seen enrollment increases, new campus buildings and new faculty hires.

Martin has served in various positions such as Board of Directors, St. Joseph Mercy Health System; 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.

Lastly, before coming to Eastern, Martin served as provost & vice-chancellor of academic affairs at the University of Michigan–Dearborn from 2006-2008.

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.

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.

During a press conference and reception on May 14, 2008 announcing her appointment as EMU President, Martin revealed she had started the EMU Excellence Fund.

As reported on Focus EMU, "Martin cast the first $10,000 and enthusiastically urged everyone present to contribute at least $1 to the fund, an action that drew applause."

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.

According to AnnArbor.com, "Martin's personnel file, obtained though a FOIA request, reveals that her support among the board appears to have grown from 2008 to 2011."

That same year, under Martin’s leadership at EMU, the university was selected for the 10th consecutive year by The Princeton Review as one of the nation’s “Best in the Midwest” for tuition and education.

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.

When her contract was extended in 2010, then-Chair of the Board of Regents Roy Wilbanks said in a press release, “President Martin has led Eastern and provided EMU with a stability unmatched during this decade.

Martin’s compensation was increased in 2011 by nearly $25,000, with performance bonuses of up to $17,500, which placed her salary in the mid-range of Michigan’s 15 public universities.

It’s been a time of significant growth in terms of enrollment and facilities...despite a challenging economy.” In a December 15, 2011 review, regent Beth Fitzsimmons wrote, "For the past decade I have never seen such positive discussion about and support for EMU."

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.

In January 2013, Martin was re-appointed to the Michigan Education Trust board of directors by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

The 9-person committee is housed within the Michigan Department of Treasury and acts as an advisory board for the Michigan Education Savings Program, which is a tax-deferred savings and investment account available to families saving for college.

This marks Martin’s second three-year term on the board.

When her contract was renewed in 2013, the EMU Board of Regents chairwoman Francine Parker described Martin as having the board’s full support.

Her renewed contract in 2013 increased her annual salary by 2.7 percent to $300,000.

Martin was named co-chair of the United Way of Washtenaw County’s 2014 fundraising campaign to raise $6 million 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.”

When her contract was renewed in 2014, the extension included a $40,000 raise, bringing her annual salary to $340,000.

In several past years, Martin has returned her pay raises to support the University.

At the time of her 2014 contract extension, The Detroit News summarized her tenure as one “marked by enrollment gains, a successful fundraising campaign and several building projects...and [that] led the state in tuition restraint.”

Her term expires December 31, 2015.

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.