Dive Brief:
- Martin University, Indiana’s only predominantly Black institution, will close, according to its board.
- The announcement comes after the private Indianapolis nonprofit said on Dec. 9 it would temporarily cease operations at the end of the year in an effort to find a path toward long-term viability.
- Instead, Martin's trustees are now looking to "wind down operations with dignity, transparency and compassion." The board cited declining enrollment, increasing costs and a growing institutional debt in a Dec. 31 letter published through Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper.
Dive Insight:
Martin's accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission, directed the university to cease operations after it announced the pause, according to university board members. HLC has either sanctioned the university or had it on monitoring status since 2012.
A public disclosure from HLC shows Martin "voluntarily resigned" its accreditation as of Dec. 31.
"Combined with the lack of sufficient operating revenue, Martin has had no choice but to move toward closure," the board said.
Martin has maintained a small student body since its founding in 1977. But like many small private colleges, its enrollment has suffered in recent years.
In fall 2023, just 223 students attended Martin, down nearly 30% from five years prior, according to federal data.
Those students primarily came from backgrounds underrepresented in higher education, a point of pride for Martin. In fall 2023, 74% of its undergraduate students were age 25 or older, and more than 4 out of 5 students were Black or African American. Another 71% received Pell Grants for the 2022-23 academic year, according to the most recent federal data.
But a majority of those who attended Martin, 85%, did not graduate within eight years, according to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
Now the path to a degree becomes less clear for the students who remain.
Martin is in the process of establishing teach-out plans for its students, the board said. HLC has signed off on at least one such agreement with the University of Indianapolis. And nearby Marian University and Indiana Wesleyan University have expressed interest in supporting Martin's students, according to a Dec. 16 email to students obtained by Mirror Indy.
Each of the university's students will receive an individualized support plan, the board said.
The board's Dec. 31 letter marked the end of a short-lived recalibration attempt.
Just days after announcing the initial pause announcement, Martin laid off all of its employees, WISH-TV reported.
“They said they don’t know when they will get us paid," Kory Amyx, Martin's now-former senior financial aide and veteran affairs adviser, told WISH.
The board confirmed when announcing the pause that Martin had no endowment funds. The university's interim president, Felicia Brokaw, went a step further when she reportedly told staff Martin's coffers were completely empty, according to WISH.
"They plan to get us paid, but whether that happens tomorrow, the next day, a month, a year, who knows?” Amyx said.
Martin’s former president, Sean Huddleston, left the university in November after six years in the job. Through his last day, Huddleston had worked to keep the university viable, but nothing sustainable panned out, according to Board Chair Joseph Perkins.
"Over the past several years, university leadership explored a number of different educational models designed to honor the founders’ mission while adapting to the realities of modern higher education," the board said on Dec. 31.
Its members pursued donors, enrollment growth strategies, and partnerships with business, local organizations and other colleges.
"Despite these intensive efforts, none produced the financial or enrollment progress necessary to sustain operations," it said.
The board's closure announcement acknowledged Martin's numerous recent struggles but did not delve into any specifics.
A fiscal 2023 audit found “substantial doubt” about the university's ability to keep operating, citing enrollment challenges, increased borrowing to sustain itself and the “use of restricted funding for operational needs.”
Martin also experienced an extensive cyberattack in 2022 that corrupted its records. The recovery process required considerable time and effort “due to significant turnover and instability in the finance and operation teams,” the 2023 audit found.
