Get To Know Your Department: Michael Martin Edition
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| Credit to Bloomsburg University Faculty Page |
Of all the possible jobs he could end up in, Michael Martin never thought he would be a professor. For his undergraduate studies, he received his bachelors’ degree in History and Humanities from Dana College in Nebraska in 1983. After this, he was on track to become a parish pastor. But obviously, life had other plans. He left the clergy roster to go back to school and get his doctorate at Michigan Technological University in Houghton in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, which boasts one of the top five rhetoric programs in the country. He also received an invitation to do his Ph.D. in Theology at Princeton but turned it down. After earning his doctorate in 2003, he taught as an assistant professor of Technical Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Stout for six years, before receiving a job as an assistant professor and director of the Digital Rhetoric and Professional Writing Program in 2009. Dr. Michael Martin is now the full-time associate professor of Professional and Technical Writing Program in the English major here at Bloomsburg University.
While the good doctor is clearly accomplished academically, his
passion for helping his students succeed is equal to his skill in rhetoric and
writing. Dr. Martin strives to be there for every individual student that he
has, no matter the issue. But during my interview with him, he told me that he
had to grow into that role. He explained about the first teaching job he had at the University of Wisconsin being a huge learning curve for himself personally. He
told me that through that job, he gained the understanding that being
understanding and flexible towards students didn’t mean lowering his standards;
it was merely finding the balance of challenging the student to develop their
skills while being understanding of circumstances.
On an average day, you can find Dr. Martin juggling his
classes, both upper level, and GEP classes, helping high school seniors create
resumes and cover letters, advising his student advisees, and overseeing the English
Department’s internships, all while making time for not just current students,
but alumni as well. Dr. Martin expressed that, “We need to continue to
cultivate our relationships with alumni, even after they’ve gone, so they know
they’re not forgotten.” He makes a point of staying in contact with many of his
former students and alumni as a testament to this belief.
As we finished our interview, I asked Dr. Martin about what
he felt the biggest change was that came with teaching students fully online?
He replied with this, “The biggest difference for us (educators) is to prepare
them for the technologically advanced world that they are going into. We are
trying to navigate it at the same time, so how do we prepare them for a world
that has been turned upside down? We do so by equipping them with the skills
needed to be successful at their jobs when they leave the academic and
transition to into the professional.” This is what the English Department and
Bloomsburg are all about; providing students with the knowledge needed to not
only be successful but to inspire change in the world around them.
