Sean Huddleston, president of Martin University, will step down as leader of the eastside college in November.
The school announced Huddleston’s departure on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The announcement did not say what his future plans are, though it said Huddleston’s departure is voluntary.
Huddleston has been president of Martin since 2019, when he succeeded former IPS superintendent Eugene White. Before coming to Martin, Huddleston was vice president and chief equity and inclusion officer at the University of Indianapolis.
Martin University is Indiana’s only predominantly Black institution and primarily serves adult learners. In fall 2023, around 83% of Martin’s students were Black, according to the most recent federal enrollment data.
In his time as president of Martin, Huddleston worked to build partnerships with employers to align the school’s academic programs with job and career opportunities through its workforce initiative, Martin Works, which launched in 2021.
In 2022, Huddleston announced the university would cut tuition and forgive student debt in an effort to encourage adult learners to return to school.
In an interview with Mirror Indy earlier this year, Huddleston called Martin a “communiversity.”
“So we’re part university, part community center,” Huddleston said. “We believe that there is value and importance with that.”
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Q&A: Martin University president says its future ‘is as bright as it always has been’
He also talked about Gov. Braun’s budget and upcoming visit.
Huddleston’s time as president was also marked by several challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent enrollment declines. The university also experienced a data breach in 2022 that affected its ability to fulfill transcript requests over a year later, per WRTV reporting.
A 2023 audit found that there was “substantial doubt about the University’s ability to continue.”
Despite those roadblocks, Huddleston previously told Mirror Indy that “Martin’s future is as bright as it always has been.”
The university made headlines earlier this year when lawmakers and community leaders criticized Gov. Mike Braun for not including a dedicated line of funding for the private university in the state’s 2025-27 budget.
Martin received one-time funding of $5 million in the previous budget cycle from Gov. Eric Holcomb, though Huddleston told Mirror Indy the university had hoped to have conversations about a second round of funding to scale up initiatives to recruit and retain Black students to STEM and education programs.
Though Braun visited Martin University and spoke with Huddleston this spring, the school ultimately did not receive funding in the budget.
Huddleston’s last day as president will be Nov. 28. The school will release details about an interim president and a national search for a new leader in the coming weeks, per the news release.
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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, at 317-759-0249 or on most social media @clairerafford.
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