Martin University will close at the end of the current semester, the university announced Tuesday, Dec. 9.
In a news release, the university said it would be pausing operations and stopping classes in mid-December, but did not give a date as to when the school might reopen.
In the news release, board of trustees chair Joseph Perkins called on the community to support Martin University financially.
“A primary need of Martin’s is for more community support,” Perkins said in the release. “This includes funding for its vast first-generation college students who are fighting courageously to make a better life for their families.”
Opened in 1977, Martin University is Indiana’s only predominantly Black institution. Its student population is almost entirely Black and caters to older adults who are going back to school.
As of fall 2023, Martin University had 223 students. About 83% of them were Black, and 78% were over the age of 25, according to the most recently available federal data.
How did we get here?
The closure comes after a tumultuous year for the eastside college. Earlier this year, community members and lawmakers raised alarm bells after Gov. Mike Braun’s proposed budget did not include funding for Martin University. Former Gov. Eric Holcomb had given the university $5 million in one-time funding in the 2023-2025 budget cycle.
In response to protests, Braun met with community members and eventually visited Martin, but ultimately, the budget did not include funding for Martin. Braun said in February that the university still had about $1.5 million remaining from the previous grant, and that he’d planned on supporting Martin in creating more workforce-focused degrees and programs.
The university’s president, Sean Huddleston, stepped down at the end of November after six years leading the college. The university had planned to launch a fully online campus early next year.
In at least two recent audit reports, auditors have expressed concern about the university’s ability to remain open due to enrollment and financial challenges.
Martin University’s last day of classes for the fall 2025 semester is Dec. 13.
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Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy and Open Campus.
Are you a Martin University student or alum? Reach out to higher education reporter Claire Rafford at 317-759-0249 or claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org.
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