Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation)

To schedule an interview, please contact Jason S. Ordaz, Chief Communications Officer, at communications@iaia.edu.

Dr. Robert Martin (Cherokee Nation), President of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA)—the University for Indigenous Creative Excellence—in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has announced his retirement. To have an orderly transition, he will step down from the President’s office in July 2025, after the Spring Semester.

“It is with pride and a deep sense of accomplishment that I have submitted my request to retire from my position as President of IAIA, effective in July 2025,” Dr. Martin stated.

“I can think of no more fitting institution from which to end my over 40-year career in Indigenous higher education than the Institute of American Indian Arts. Over the past six decades, IAIA’s influence on the Indigenous world has been monumental,” said Dr. Martin. “The boundaries were limitless. Our students learned to develop their creative style without being bound by tradition or history. What I’ve admired most during my tenure is observing the evolution of student creativity and seeing how they take risks and manifest leadership qualities while advancing their practice. They have helped make IAIA the preeminent Tribal University in the nation.”

Dr. Martin has been the President of IAIA since 2007. He has overseen unprecedented growth at the University, founded in 1962 by Lloyd Kiva New (Cherokee Nation), Dr. George Boyce, and others.

Patsy Phillips (Cherokee Nation), Director of the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA), has been at IAIA for 16 years and credits Dr. Martin’s leadership with transforming it into a world-class university.

“I have worked with Dr. Martin as the director of the IAIA Museum since 2008 and have seen how important the IAIA mission is to him,” Phillips said. “He deeply cares for the students, the university, and the museum, and under his leadership, the school is financially stable, the campus has grown, and new academic programs have advanced. The IAIA community and the community at large will miss him when he retires.”

During Dr. Martin’s tenure and under his leadership at IAIA, a BFA in Performing Arts and graduate programs in Creative Writing, Studio Arts, and Cultural Administration were established; five new buildings were constructed, and Family Housing was added. In addition, grant funding and private sector funding was increased, including eight million in unrestricted funds from McKenzie Scott.

Under Dr. Robert Martin’s tenure, student scholarships increased exponentially. In addition, important corporate partnerships with Disney, AMC, Ralph Lauren, The Jane Goodall Institute (JCI), and other major cultural and business institutions were forged.

Loren Kieve (Cherokee), immediate past chair of the board of trustees, remarked on Dr. Martin’s time at IAIA: “I was part of the team on the board that hired Bob Martin eighteen years ago, and have seen first-hand his leadership, and vision for the Institute become a reality. Its success and growth over these years is a visible testament to Bob’s careful, collegial guidance. We wish him and his wife of thirty-seven years, Luci Tapahonso (Navajo), professor emerita of English literature at the University of New Mexico and inaugural Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation, Godspeed and a well-deserved retirement.”

“I have had the privilege of witnessing Dr. Robert Martin champion Indigenous education initiatives both across the nation and internationally,” said Beverly Morris (Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska) Institute of American Indian Arts Board of Trustees, Chairperson.

“Under his visionary leadership, the Institute of American Indian Arts has developed a world-class campus that significantly enhances the experience and quality of life for students, faculty, and staff alike. During his tenure, the IAIA has expanded its academic offerings, now providing three Master of Fine Arts degree programs that foster the advancement of arts and cultural development within the Indigenous community. While Dr. Martin’s many accomplishments are noteworthy, his foremost priority has always been the success and well-being of the students at the Institute of American Indian Arts.”

Dr. Robert Martin became President of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) on July 1, 2007. Prior to joining the IAIA community, he was the Associate Head of the American Indian Studies program at the University of Arizona. Dr. Martin also served as President of Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) for eight years where, under his leadership, a successful two-year resistance was mobilized by students and the community to keep the college open after the US Interior Department proposed its closure. He also expanded SIPI’s mission and programs to include associate degrees and increased enrollment.

Dr. Martin also served as President of Haskell Indian Nations University for ten years where the school transitioned from a junior college to a university offering baccalaureate programs, and Tohono O’odham Community College (TOCC) in Sells, Arizona for four years. During his tenure, TOCC was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and designated as a 1994 Land-Grant Institution by the US Congress.

Dr. Martin is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. He received his Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Kansas and his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Appalachian State University.

He serves on the boards of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, Lensic Performing Arts Center, and the Higher Learning Commission—a regional accreditor for colleges and universities. Dr. Martin was awarded the Liberty Bell Award by the Douglas County (Kansas) Bar Association, bestowed on Law Day USA to recognize individual contributions to human rights. He also was awarded an honorary doctorate from Baker University, and in 2010, he received the Tribal College President of the Year Award.

In the fall of 2024, Dr. Martin received a National Humanities Medal (2022) in a ceremony with President Joseph R. Biden at the White House. On November 17, Mayor Alan Webber of Santa Fe declared “Dr. Robert Martin Day.”

“I am honored to have served as president of four Tribal colleges in 40 years. It has been a blessing, as I have had ample opportunities to improve higher education for our people,” Dr. Martin said.

The IAIA Board of Trustees will lead the search process for the next president of the Institute of American Indian Arts.