Martin University in Indianapolis,
Indiana, was founded by Rev. Father Boniface Hardin and Sister
Jane Schilling in 1977. The University's original mission to serve
low-income, minority, and adult learners has not changed, although
students from all backgrounds have always been welcome.
Martin University employs a learning method known as andragogy, as opposed to pedagogy, where it involves adult learners in the
learning process, encouraging them to bring their life and work
experiences into classroom discussions.
The original campus was at 35th Street and College Avenue. It
moved to its current location on Avondale Place in the
Martindale-Brightwood
neighborhood in 1987. Housed initially in a former church and
school, the campus grew to include many other structures in the
immediate area. A $10 million Educational Center and adjoining
Peace Garden opened in the summer of 2001. The brick-and-stone
Educational Center contains nine classrooms; faculty and staff
offices; an 800-seat Gathertorium; a two-story, glass-and-steel
globe; a Frederick Douglass Room; student and staff
lounges; and a smoking-cessation center.
Martin University offers 14 undergraduate degrees along with two
master's degrees. It is the only predominantly African-American
university in Indiana. It is excluded from designation as an
Historically Black College or University (HBCU) because it was
founded after the cut off date of 1964.
Popular undergraduate degree programs at the university include
Accounting, Addiction Counseling, Business Administration, Biology,
Chemistry, Early Childhood Education, Environmental Science,
Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Criminal Justice and
Liberal Arts. Its two graduate degrees are in Urban Ministries and
Community Psychology. The university also has special programs in
Long-Term Care and Medical Coding. Tuition in 2012–13 was
$14,180, although 59% of the student body receive financial aid in
the average amount of $2,600.[2][3][4]