James Byard/Washington University)
Andrew D. Martin, dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan, has been appointed chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis, effective June 1, 2019, according to Craig D. Schnuck, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees and chairman emeritus of Schnuck Markets Inc.
Martin was elected by a unanimous vote at a special meeting of the Board held today at the university. He will succeed Mark S. Wrighton, who has served as chancellor since 1995 and announced last year his intention to conclude his term in 2019.
“After a comprehensive global search that produced a slate of highly qualified final candidates, I can say with confidence that we have found the ideal person to pick up the mantle of leadership at Washington University,” said Schnuck, who served as chair of the 20-member chancellor search committee.
“Andrew Martin possesses all of the qualities we were looking for in our next chancellor. He is not only a respected and capable administrator and a highly regarded academic, he also has a keen understanding of Washington University’s character, its strengths and the opportunities for growth that lie before us in the years and decades to come. Importantly, he also has a proven record of success in areas of the highest strategic priority for the university: Increasing diversity in every form and improving access to higher education for all qualified students, enhancing academic enrichment, setting students on a path for a lifetime of success, and ensuring the continued investment of the resources necessary to support the long-term goals of the institution.
“I am extraordinarily grateful to the members of the search committee, who left no stone unturned in identifying the absolute best leaders in higher education to consider for this critical position. With such an exceptional candidate pool, our decision was certainly not easy, but ultimately, it was clear. I could not be more pleased with the outcome of the committee’s hard work,” he said.
Martin, 45, earned his doctorate in political science from Washington University in 1998, and was a member of the university’s faculty for 14 years, most recently serving as the Charles Nagel Chair of Constitutional Law and Political Science. He served as founding director of the Center for Empirical Research in the Law from 2006 to 2014, as chair of the Department of Political Science in Arts & Sciences from 2007 to 2011, and as vice dean in the School of Law from 2012 to 2014, when he left to assume his current role at Michigan.
“It is an honor and a privilege to return to Washington University as its next chancellor,” Martin said. “I am the scholar, educator and academic leader that I am today because of my experience at the university and in St. Louis, and it is the realization of a dream to be coming back to the institution and the city that have meant so much to me and my family.
“Washington University has emerged as an internationally renowned institution due to the transformative leadership of its last two chancellors,” he said, referring to Wrighton and Chancellor Emeritus William H. Danforth, who served as the university’s 13th chancellor from 1971 to 1995. “In assuming this role, I will be standing on the shoulders of giants. At the highest level, my goals as chancellor will be to empower faculty to achieve their greatest potential in scholarship and education, to strengthen all academic programs, to be a tireless advocate for the university, to recruit the most talented students — regardless of their previous educational opportunities — and to dramatically increase funded research. I also am deeply committed to strengthening the university’s role in the St. Louis region, building upon our partnerships and contributions as an employer, a driver of innovation and an economic engine for the St. Louis region. I am eager to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”
In his current role, Martin serves as the chief academic, administrative and financial officer of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, the largest college at the University of Michigan, comprising more than 19,500 students, 1,200 instructional faculty and 2,000 staff members, with an annual budget exceeding $800 million and an endowment of over $1.1 billion.
His highest priorities have included bolstering academic excellence; a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion; increased access; experiential learning opportunities; and ensuring that students use their liberal arts education and experience as a springboard for success, particularly through the LSA Opportunity Hub, an initiative dedicated to pairing students’ individual skills with real-life experience, strategic advising and connections between their education and their goals.
In addition to his role as dean, Martin also serves as a member of the Michigan faculty in the departments of Political Science and of Statistics.
“Andrew understands the critical importance of the educated individual and the value of ‘living the liberal arts,’ having a diverse campus community, and maintaining our financial integrity. He will move us forward across all disciplines, from medicine to the humanities and everything in between,” said Barbara Schaps Thomas, retired senior vice president and chief financial officer for HBO Sports, a member of the Board of Trustees and the search committee, and chair of the Arts & Sciences National Council. “Andrew will work to improve and broaden the academic standing of the university, support and enhance the already impressive accomplishments of our faculty, and deepen and strengthen our ties to the greater St. Louis community. I am very excited for our future.”
“I have known and worked with Andrew for many years and am certain that he will be an outstanding chancellor,” said Provost Holden Thorp. “He is a highly effective administrator, brilliant scholar and a very good friend and colleague. We are fortunate to draw him back to the university. As soon as we knew that Andrew was the selected candidate to be recommended to the full Board, he and I started to think through all of the great work we could do together and the new things we can accomplish in moving the university forward. We have many shared priorities. This is going to be a great era at Washington University and I am proud to be working with Andrew to realize our greatest potential.”
A 1994 graduate of the College of William & Mary with a degree in mathematics and government, Martin is the author of one book, “An Introduction to Empirical Legal Research,” which he co-authored with Lee Epstein, the Ethan A.H. Shepley Distinguished University Professor at Washington University. He has published numerous scholarly articles and book chapters, and has received research funding from organizations including the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
Among his many honors and awards, Martin received the Lasting Contribution Award from the Law & Courts section of the American Political Science Association in 2016 for an article he co-authored, and he was recognized in 2013 with a Distinguished Faculty Award from the Washington University Alumni Board of Governors. He has also received awards from the Society for Political Methodology and Washington University’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. He has served as a reviewer for numerous scholarly journals and has been a member of or held leadership roles at such organizations as the Big Ten Academic Alliance of Liberal Arts and Science Deans, the Society for Political Methodology, the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy at the University of Southern California, and the Association of American Law Schools.
“It has been an honor to serve this university and the extraordinary people who make it a truly special place — our students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends,” said Chancellor Wrighton. “Andrew Martin is a highly accomplished scholar, an outstanding academic leader and administrator, and a distinguished alumnus of Washington University. Andrew will be an exceptional leader for our community. It is indeed a pleasure to welcome him home to Washington University.”
Martin and his wife, Stephanie S. Martin, are the parents of a 10-year-old daughter, Olive.
An opportunity for faculty and staff to meet Martin will be planned at the university for later this month, and a similar event for students will take place at the start of the academic year this fall.