LAKELAND — Jeremy P. Martin, a 6-foot-5 former college basketball player, stood on the court Friday afternoon at Florida Southern College’s Jenkins Field House, his red tie matching the gym's dominant color and the letters on all the championship banners.
Florida Southern introduced Martin on Friday as its next president. He will succeed Anne B. Kerr, who announced in February that she would retire after 20 years as leader of the private, liberal arts school. Kerr, FSC’s only female president, will continue in her role until Martin takes over on Aug. 1.
Martin will become the 18th president of Florida Southern, founded in 1883 in Orlando and based in Lakeland since 1922. Every president since 1914 has remained in the position for at least a decade.
At 44, Martin will be the college’s youngest president since Ludd Spivey, who was 38 when he assumed the role in 1925.
"I'm grateful to you for entrusting me with the responsibility to care for and lead this marvelous college, a responsibility to this campus and community that I fully embrace," Martin said at the ceremony, attended by faculty, staff members and college supporters.
Martin described a statement posted on a wall at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, his employer since 2008. It reads, "Take care of the college."
"I will take care of Florida Southern," he pledged.
Martin has held various roles of increasing authority the College of William & Mary. In his current role as vice president for strategy and innovation, he oversaw the launches of several initiatives aimed at improving student retention and academic performance and aligning the school’s enrollment, marketing and communications strategies, Florida Southern said in a news release.
Sensing positive omens
Martin said he had noticed a series of favorable coincidences during his time in Lakeland, leading up to Friday's introduction. Two days earlier, he said, he was eating lunch at Lone Palm Golf Club with Robert L. Fryer Jr., chair of the presidential search committee, and Barney Barnett, a retired Publix executive and also a member of the committee.
Barnett pointed out a painting on the wall beside them, a depiction of the 16th hole of the Golden Horseshoe Golf Course in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, his current home.
"There have been any number of coincidences like that that you simply cannot explain, but every one of them confirmed that our steps were ordered to bring us here," Martin said. "Throughout the search my wife, Tia, and I have increasingly found that Florida Southern became our dream. As engaged as we've been in Williamsburg, our sense of calling here has only continued to grow."
Martin said that Tia had been forced to miss Friday's event as she returned to Virginia for the graduation of students in an English as a Second Language program she teaches at an elementary school. Martin said he and his wife eagerly anticipated moving to Lakeland with their two children.
Martin is no stranger to the city. His maternal grandparents retired to Lakeland, and he recalled spending a week here at age 12. His "poppy," who operated a golf club workshop, took young Martin out to play 18 holes at the Cleveland Heights Golf Course.
Fryer introduced Martin at Friday's ceremony, as Kerr sat nearby, wearing her signature red dress. Fryer said the 13-member search committee had voted unanimously to select Martin.
“With a background in academic administration and a proven track record of enhancing the student experience and institutional growth, Dr. Martin is uniquely qualified to lead our college into a new era of excellence,” Fryer said in a news release. “We are excited to welcome Dr. Martin and his family to FSC and look forward to working with him as he guides us forward.”
The College of William & Mary, which now has about 9,500 students, is the country’s second-oldest institution of higher learning, founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William II and Queen Mary II, when Virginia remained a British colony. Its former students include three presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Tyler.
In his first positions at William & Mary, Martin served graduate assistantships in the School of Education, the athletic department, the provost’s office, the president’s office and the Office of the Dean of Students.
He became assistant to the president and the provost in 2012, holding that role for five years before being named associate provost, according to a William & Mary news release. Martin was promoted in 2019 to chief of staff, responsible for leading communication between the president and university leaders.
Martin served as a facilitating member of the school’s executive leadership team and a directing member of the president’s cabinet.
William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe promoted Martin in 2022 to vice president for strategy and innovation. In that role, he oversaw the admission, marketing and communications offices while directing the school’s enterprise development strategy and management. Martin had performed those duties in an interim role for months.
Martin graduated magna cum laude in 2001 with an undergraduate degree in business administration and communication from Houghton College (now Houghton University) in upstate New York. He played on the school’s NAIA basketball team, which struggled to a 10-97 record during his four seasons.
Martin received a master of science degree from Georgia State University, adding a doctorate in educational policy, planning and leadership from William & Mary in 2012 and a master of business administration degree from the school in 2017.
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While pursuing his doctorate, Martin co-authored a paper that analyzed the performance of presidents at William & Mary and Washington & Lee University during the Reconstruction era in Virginia.
Background in athletics
Martin began his career as an assistant women's basketball coach and assistant sports information director at Emory University in Atlanta. He then spent seven years coaching at Gordon College in Massachusetts. While earning his doctorate at William & Mary, he served as a graduate assistant for academic support services in the school’s athletic department.
He took over as interim athletic director in 2020, after the resignation of Samantha Huge, holding that role for a year. Martin stepped in as William & Mary had announced plans to eliminate several sports amid financial troubles. Upon his recommendation, the school retained the sports, stemming off a threatened federal lawsuit over Title IX requirements.
During that period, Martin led a fundraising campaign for athletics that generated $57.4 million, the news release said.
Florida Southern appointed a search committee chaired by Fryer, a 1970 graduate and a retired banker. The committee included retired Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw, prominent lawyer Bob Puterbaugh and Jason Rodda, CEO and president of Rodda Construction. The school hired the consulting firm Academic Search to help coordinate the process.
Florida Southern’s board of trustees has announced plans to appoint Kerr as president emerita upon her retirement.
Martin paid tribute to Kerr, describing her accomplishments at the school as "simply remarkable."
Before the ceremony, Martin worked his way around the gym, shaking hands with members of the facilities department.
"It is a delight to be among you," Martin told the audience. "I can't wait to get to know you even better."
Florida Southern has more than 3,300 students and 149 full-time faculty, according to its website. The school reports a 58% acceptance rate on approximately 11,000 annual applications.
The college offers more than 70 academic programs in six schools, including the newly announced School of Architecture, which will begin offering classes next year. The college has added several academic programs during Kerr’s tenure, opening the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
