UPDATE: The Board of Governors confirmed Dr. Martin’s appointment on March 30 contingent upon BOG receipt of an amended employment agreement
The search ended Tuesday, Feb. 28 as the FGCU Board of Trustees selected Dr. Michael Martin as the university’s president-elect.
Although contingent on successful negotiation of an employment contract, and confirmation by the Florida Board of Governors, Martin will step into his new leadership role as the university’s fourth president July 1, after President Wilson G. Bradshaw’s retirement June 30. The Board of Trustees made the selection following a nationwide search and after interviewing four finalists advanced by a Presidential Search Advisory Committee that included trustees, students, faculty and staff members.
Following the announcement, Martin said, “It’s not about another job. This is about another adventure.” He added that he expects to “cling to what is already being done well and build on that (so that FGCU becomes) a place that is literally known around the globe.”
Both Trustee Chair Dudley Goodlette and Presidential Search Advisory Committee Chair Ken Smith expressed great appreciation for the tremendous participation throughout the search process by the university’s students, faculty, staff and community partners.
Martin is Chancellor Emeritus and Senior Fellow of the Colorado State University System, where he presided over three campuses from 2012 to 2015. He has more than four decades of experience in public higher-education institutions across the nation, including the University of Florida.
Martin was Chancellor at Louisiana State University from 2008 to 2012, President at New Mexico State University from 2004 to 2008 and Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Florida from 1998 to 2004.
Between 1992 and 1998, Martin held several posts at the University of Minnesota, including Vice President for Agriculture Policy, Dean of the College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Agriculture and Professor in the Department of Applied Economics. From 1977 to 1992, he served in a number of academic and administrative roles at Oregon State University. Previous faculty appointments included the University of Hawaii, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Mankato State College (now Minnesota State University).
Martin earned a Ph.D. in Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota in 1977 and Master of Arts in Economics and Bachelor of Science in Business/Economics degrees at Mankato State College in 1971 and 1969, respectively. He has published research extensively and specializes in topics such as marketing, international trade and public policy related to economics, transportation and business logistics.