New Provost a Tested and Proven Leader

Shane Martin, PhD, of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, has been selected as the next provost of Seattle University. Martin currently serves as dean of both the School of Education and Graduate Studies at LMU and will join Seattle U June 18, 2018.

“Shane brings extraordinary experience in higher education, a lifelong commitment to Jesuit values and a vision for moving our university forward to meet the opportunities and challenges before us,” says President Stephen Sundborg, S.J. “He understands keenly both the challenges now confronting all institutions of higher education and how Jesuit colleges and universities, in particular, are uniquely positioned to navigate and thrive in this climate.”

Martin is an educational anthropologist by training and an expert in the areas of intercultural education, cultural diversity and the spectrum of public, charter and Catholic schools. Martin, a product of a Jesuit education, spent 23 years at LMU in various positions and is a tested and proven leader in higher education. Additionally, he has served as chair and a member on many boards, including his current service as a state commissioner to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing, and has led a number of Catholic and Jesuit organizations.

“I am honored and humbled to become the next provost at Seattle University, an institution that has a strong reputation as a premier university in the Northwest and is poised to rise to greater heights,” Martin says. “I look forward to working in partnership with the Seattle University students, faculty, staff and alumni who are making a difference throughout the greater Seattle region, the United States and the world.”

The provost serves as the university’s chief academic officer and is a champion for academic excellence. The provost ensures that all graduate and undergraduate students experience a challenging and rewarding education consistent with the university’s mission. Reporting to the president, this person is responsible for academic planning and budgeting; recruitment and development of deans; providing support to the teaching, research and service activities of the faculty; engaging faculty in shared governance; program development and promotion; and recruitment of a talented and diverse student body.