Pedro L. Martinez, a research scholar who served eight years as assistant vice president for academic affairs at William Paterson University of New Jersey has been named WSSU’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, effective Feb. 15.
Martinez is the first Hispanic educator to hold this position since the university’s founding in 1892.
“Dr. Martinez has created innovative, collaborative and technology-driven learning approaches for graduate and undergraduate academic programs that will be very valuable in advancing our university’s strategic initiatives,” Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr., said in announcing the appointment.
Martinez, named Teacher of the Year by the Latin American Student Association in 1982, said “I look forward to helping Chancellor Martin and the WSSU team advance the university’s clear strategic plan to become a nationally recognized center of excellence in health services.”
William Paterson University, founded in 1855, is considerably larger than WSSU. It has 9,110 undergraduates and 1,860 graduate students, 386 full-time faculty members, 32 undergraduate and 19 graduate programs through five colleges, according to the school’s Web site.
By comparison, WSSU has 4,805 undergraduate and graduate students, 40 majors and seven graduate programs, and 200 full-time faculty members.
In addition to serving as assistant vice president for academic affairs at William Paterson, Martinez was also associate dean of graduate studies. Also, he was the school’s primary liaison to educational partners in the region, while running the daily operations of its graduate school.
Throughout much of his career, Martinez has conducted research and published extensively, focusing on diverse educational issues.
Funding sources for his work came a various grants, including the National Institute of Health, public school districts, the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors and the federal government’s Teacher Training Project, among other organizations and programs.
Martinez has participated in several highly selective fellowship programs: the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AACSU) Millennia Program, the Mexican-American Legal Defense Fund, and the Kellogg Foundation.In addition, he developed and taught education courses at the Chicago Urban skills Center of Malcolm X College, Governor State University in College Park, Ill. and Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.
Martinez has served in volunteer leadership roles for several public and non-profit organizations, including the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Committee, The North Haledon (NJ) Public Schools Association, the Chicago public schools and the Illinois State Board of Education, among others.
He earned his doctorate in social foundations from Loyola University in Chicago, as well as master of education and bachelor of arts degrees from Hartford University in Connecticut.
Martinez is married to Mayra Alvarez, an elementary school teacher and school psychologist. They have two children, 13-year-old Karissa and 9-year-old Adriel.