Thank You to Campus and Farewell - May 8, 2025

Dear Faculty, Staff and Graduate Assistants,

This will be my final message to campus as Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.  It has been an honor to serve my alma mater in this role and to work with all of you.

Over the past four years, we’ve overcome many challenges together, including navigating the latter half of the Covid-19 pandemic. We also worked on several vital initiatives, including our 150 Forward Strategic Plan and its three pillars of supporting student success, advancing research excellence and ensuring we remain an employer of choice.

During my tenure as Provost, we opened the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, completed the renovation of all floors of Mullins Library, built the School of Art Studio and Design Center, opened the Grady E. Harvell Civil Engineering Research and Education Center, outfitted a clean nano classroom, built an addition to the Biology Greenhouse, and recently celebrated the grand opening of the Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research (I³R).

Many additional facilities are under construction or undergoing renovations and restoration and will open later this year, including the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, the Multi-User Silicon Carbide Research and Fabrication Facility (MUSiC), and the Fine Arts Center.  These new facilities enable us to better support our students by advancing their success, expanding research opportunities, and opening career pathways in emerging fields and technologies.

This remarkable growth during my time as provost is a testament to your dedication to fulfilling our land-grant mission as the state’s flagship university, and I’m proud of all we’ve achieved together. I’ve enjoyed working across the campus, but I’ve also missed teaching and research — the reasons I originally pursued a career in academia. I look forward to returning to the classroom and lab to engage more directly with students.

As a professor, I know the profound impact our faculty, staff and graduate assistants can have on our students’ academic and professional journey.  One of the most rewarding parts of being an educator is having former students express how you were a positive influence on them during their time here.  Sometimes these relationships transition to lifelong mentorship.  As an alumnus of the U of A, I’ve had many professors become my mentors throughout each stage of my career. I cannot overstate the essential role each of you plays in shaping our students’ education and careers.

Although I’m returning to my full-time faculty position in the College of Engineering, I remain dedicated to our institution and all of you. I look forward to working with our incoming provost, Dr. Indrajeet Chaubey, to ensure our students are well-prepared for their lives after the U of A. Dr. Chaubey brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to academic excellence that will serve our campus well, and I know he will build on the strong foundation we built together.

The future of our university is bright, and I’m proud to continue being part of it with you.

Sincerely,

Terry Martin, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Professor of Electrical Engineering