Martin University is pleased to announce it has received a $1 million grant through phase two of Lilly Endowment’s initiative, “Charting the Future for Indiana’s Colleges and Universities.”
With the initiative, Lilly Endowment s making a total of nearly $62 million in grants to Indiana’s 38 accredited colleges and universities. Funds will support a wide array of efforts -- from building new partnerships among colleges and universities plus improving recruitment and retention of students, to strengthening local community engagement and better serving first-generation, African American and Latinx college students.
Martin University will use the grant to launch its new Work College model, called Martin WORKS, help fund its Center for Racial Equity and Inclusion -- announced in June – and be applied toward several university technology and operational upgrades.
“We are very honored and grateful to Lilly Endowment for this generous grant that will help us be better engaged with our students and our community,” said Dr. Sean Huddleston, President of Martin University. “We are excited to have the major funding for our newest initiative Martin WORKS, which will allow us to provide our students with paid internships and other career development experiences with employers in our area while they are earning their degrees. Employers will help us prepare our students to be ready for full-time employment in their chosen fields of study upon graduation, while also benefiting from a more diverse and inclusive talent pool to enhance their workforce.”
Lilly Endowment launched its “Charting the Future” initiative in late 2019 and Martin University was the recipient of a $100,000 planning grant at that time. This implementation grant was awarded under the second phase of the initiative. In this phase, Lilly Endowment invited proposals that present promising strategies that will result in economies of scale and other cost efficiencies to enhance the viability and financial condition of the institutions and prepare graduates for rewarding employment and to live engaged and meaningful lives, especially in Indiana. Grants under a third phase, which is competitive, will be awarded in 2021. Those grants will support collaborative efforts that seek to have large-scale impact on the ability of higher education institutions in Indiana to fulfill their educational missions.
“These are challenging times for colleges and universities, made more so because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher education leaders recognize that they have to adapt to the changing demographics of undergraduate students, the importance of technology in education and the ever-growing need for students to be career-ready upon graduation,” said Ted Maple, Lilly Endowment’s Vice President for Education.
Martin University is Indiana’s only Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) of higher education. It was recently ranked among the top 100 colleges and universities by U.S. News and World Report in two categories: Best Midwest Regional Colleges and Top Performers on Social Mobility for Midwest Regional Colleges – a first for the university.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. While those gifts remain the financial bedrock of the Endowment, the Endowment is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion and maintains a special commitment to its hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Martin University's mission is to provide excellence in educating and developing traditional and non-traditional students in an inclusive, supportive, and healthy collegiate environment.