Matthew Martens will serve as provost and chief academic officer for the University of Missouri, according to an MU news release Monday.
Martens has served as interim provost since February, after former Provost Latha Ramchand became chancellor of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (soon to become Indiana University Indianapolis).
Martens was selected in a national search in which four finalists emerged. The other three were Mark Button, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Sara Sanders, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Iowa, and Cynthia Young, dean of Clemson University’s College of Science.
Martins has served as associate and senior vice provost since 2016. According to the release, he will continue to lead the MizzouForward initiative, a $1.5 billion investment in faculty and research. During his tenure in the Office of the Provost, the six-year graduation rate increased from 68% to 76%, and annual research expenditures increased by almost $200 million, according to the release.
He has a doctorate in educational and counseling psychology from MU and has pursued research in the health psychology of adults and adolescents. He has written more than 125 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, according to the news release.
In an email to faculty from University of Missouri President Mun Choi, called Martens “a talented, dedicated and effective leader who cares deeply about the University of Missouri.”
Martens’ annual salary will be $450,000, according to MU spokesperson Christopher Ave.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve as provost at an institution that I care so deeply about,” Martens said in the release. “It is an honor of a lifetime.”
