Martin named new Director of Veteran and Military Affairs
Myrna Martin, an Army veteran with a PhD from the University of Oxford, is the new Director of Veteran and Military Affairs. She began in her role June 1.
Martin brings a wealth of professional experience to the role, including serving as an Academic Advisor/Counselor, an Admissions Officer, and an Adjunct Professor at Pikes Peak Community College. She also served as a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Non-Commissioned Officer and Personnel Officer while in the Army.
Most recently, Myrna was a Teaching and Learning Administrator at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, which is an interdisciplinary research institute focusing on the science of cities at University College London.
In addition to her PhD in history from the University of Oxford, Martin has a master’s degree in history from UCCS and a bachelor’s degree in political science and religious studies from Northern Arizona University.
“Having completed my master’s degree in history at UCCS, I know this is an excellent institution, and that the academic opportunities are fantastic,” Martin said. Moving back to Colorado also allowed Martin to be closer to family.
Overall, Martin brings over two decades of combined higher education, business and human resources experience to this role. She has personal experience navigating the complexities of using veteran and spousal benefits in higher education.
Martin described the Director of Veterans and Military Affairs position as “the culmination of all of my experience.”
“I went from being Private Martin, to Sergeant Martin, to Dr. Martin,” she explained. “So not only do I have the experience of having served on active duty, and taking university level classes at that time, I also used my educational benefits to finish my undergraduate degree after leaving active duty. I later pursued my master’s while I was a military spouse and I understand the challenges of that, too. Everything I’ve done in my professional life has prepared me to be in this role.”
Martin is looking forward to working with various departments to support UCCS’ veteran and military-affiliated students, which make up 20% of the student population.
“I’m grateful to have such a fantastic team, and I want to continue to build upon the successes of my predecessors. To maintain what has been accomplished, and then continue to grow and move forward,” Martin said. “My ultimate goal is for UCCS and the way we support our veterans and military-affiliated students to become the gold standard, not just for Colorado, but eventually the nation. For UCCS to have the reputation of being the best of the best.”
In addition to her professional experiences, Martin brings her ability to embrace change and her determination to look for ways to improve.
“Change is the one constant we have: so not being afraid of it, and being willing to embrace it, and follow where it leads, and consistently assess and reassess if we’re staying on track with our ideals and values – that’s an ability I’m proud of,” said Martin. “That’s what we need going forward, and that’s what I want to embody and try to promote.”
“I don’t want any military-affiliated student – veteran, active duty, spouse, dependent, anybody – to think that they can’t accomplish something because of that status, because they can accomplish it exactly because of what these experiences bring,” Martin said. “These students have the determination, the confidence, and the ability to ensure they’re getting what they need from their education to become the person they want to be.”
“I don’t want somebody’s dream to get lost because they think, for some reason, they can’t accomplish it. I want us to provide the support necessary to make their dreams a reality.”