Martin University

Story

Martin University in Indianapolis, Indiana, was founded by Rev. Father Boniface Hardin and Sister Jane Schilling in 1977. The University's original mission to serve low-income, minority, and adult learners has not changed, although students from all backgrounds have always been welcome.Martin University employs a learning method known as andragogy, as opposed to pedagogy, where it involves adult learners in the learning process, encouraging them to bring their life and work experiences into classroom discussions.The original campus was at 35th Street and College Avenue. It moved to its current location on Avondale Place in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood in 1987. Housed initially in a former church and school, the campus grew to include many other structures in the immediate area. A $10 million Educational Center and adjoining Peace Garden opened in the summer of 2001. The brick-and-stone Educational Center contains nine classrooms; faculty and staff offices; an 800-seat Gathertorium; a two-story, glass-and-steel globe; a Frederick Douglass Room; student and staff lounges; and a smoking-cessation center.Martin University offers 14 undergraduate degrees along with two master's degrees. It is the only Predominately Black Institutions (PBI) of higher education in Indiana. It is excluded from the designation Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) because it was founded after the cut off date of 1964.Popular undergraduate degree programs at the university include Accounting, Addiction Counseling, Business Administration, Biology, Chemistry, Early Childhood Education, Environmental Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Criminal Justice and Liberal Arts. Its two graduate degrees are in Urban Ministries and Community Psychology. The university also has special programs in Long-Term Care and Medical Coding. Tuition in 2012–13 was $14,180, although 59% of the student body receive financial aid in the average amount of $2,600.