Building Capacity: Presidential Honors
Dr. Robert M. Martin International Entrepreneurial Program
Bio:
Dr. Robert “Bob” Martin is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. His academic credentials include a baccalaureate degree, and a master of arts in sociology from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. Dr. Martin also holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Kansas.
He has served as a professor at Bluefield State College in West Virginia, Fayetteville State College in North Carolina, and as the Associate Head of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Dr. Martin was selected to the Department of the Interior Senior Executive Development Program, and has participated in the Carnegie-Mellon University H. John Heinz II School of Public Policy and Management Program. He is an Advisory Board Member of the Tribal College Journal, and serves on the Commission on Minorities in Higher Education.
His first Tribal College and University Presidential appointment was at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in New Mexico. Upon arrival to the Institute’s campus Dr. Martin was greeted with a program review noting eminent closure of the Institute. He successfully led the Institute through the review, and guided the academic environment to the development of associate of arts and sciences degrees. Dr. Martin’s knowledge and expertise in Indian Education guided Haskell’s transition from a junior college to a baccalaureate degree offering institution. Upon his departure from the Haskell, Dr. Martin chose to assume his role in academe by accepting a teaching position at the University of Arizona. It was not long before he came out of retirement to assume his third appointment as President at Tohono O’odham Community College in Arizona. He became the first American Indian President to lead the college. His presence at Tohono O’odham was instrumental in the college’s formative development. Dr. Martin eventually left Arizona to become the current President of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is married to Lucy Tapahonso, a professor at the University of Arizona in American Indian Studies, and English.
The Dr. Robert M. Martin International Entrepreneurial Program is a comprehensive program created to globalize Haskell Indian Nations University. There are three elements to the Martin Program; co-curricular exchange between Tribal Colleges and Universities, study abroad initiatives, and a service learning/field school outreach projects. The objective for participants in the Martin Program is capacity building. Ultimately the goal for our participants is to utilize their expertise in their work with Indian communities, especially in which they are members of, as well as enhance their own personal portfolio.
