Homage to Dr. Rubén Martinez: A Dedicated Leader, Scholar, and Mentor at JSRI
From 2007 to 2021, Dr. Rubén Martinez, Professor of Sociology, served as Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute at Michigan State University, from which he will retire in October of 2022. Prior to coming to Michigan State, he worked at institutions in Texas and Colorado, where he gained significant experience in administration and community engagement from his time at the University of Southern Colorado-Pueblo, Colorado University-Colorado Springs, and University of Texas at San Antonio. This rich experience and knowledge are what make him an excellent leader. In addition to his administrative leadership, he also has excelled in the academic sphere. He has many publications in the areas of neoliberalism, Latinos, diversity leadership in higher education, institutional and societal change, education and ethno-racial minorities, youth development, Latino labor and entrepreneurship, and environmental justice. He is also the editor of Latinos in the United States book series in the Michigan State University Press, through which he has produced 15 volumes and counting to increase our knowledge on Latinos in the United States. His own books include: as co-author Chicanos in Higher Education (1993), Diversity Leadership in Higher Education (2007), and A Brief History of Cristo Rey Church in Lansing, MI (2012); one edited volume, Latinos in the Midwest (2011); and two co-edited volumes: Latino College Presidents: In Their Own Words (2013) and Occupational Health Disparities among Racial and Ethnic Minorities: Formulating Research Needs and Directions (2017). These are just some highlighted works from Dr. Martinez as it would take several pages to do all his accomplishments justice.
Beyond his tenure at MSU, Dr. Martinez has also focused on improving the status of Latinos in the Midwest through his service. He has been a part of several task forces at MSU to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion, but he has also done this at the state level here in Michigan. He, along with many others, was part of the founding of the Michigan Association for Latinx in Higher Education (MALHE), an organization aimed at improving the conditions and opportunities of Latinos in higher education in Michigan. He was able to bring together Black and Latino faculty, community leaders, students, and many others to work collaboratively toward an organization North Star Alliance for Justice aimed at harnessing the collective power of communities of color in Michigan to promote a more inclusive society. The mission of the NSAJ is:
“… a collaborative of organizations and individuals committed to the pursuit of freedom, independence, prosperity, and equal rights for communities of black and brown people with histories of enslavement, territorial theft, genocide, racial and ethnic victimization, and government repression. We advocate targeted measures to make whole the black and brown communities in the state of Michigan.”
This is just one of the many examples of Dr. Martinez’s commitment to improving the conditions of Latinos in Michigan, the Midwest, and the nation. As such, Dr. Martinez will be missed, and it will be very difficult to fill his shoes as he has left an everlasting mark on the Julian Samora Research Institute. Le brindamos la mejor de la suerte en esta nueva etapa de su vida.
Mentorship Anecodotes
During his time at MSU, Dr. Martinez worked with many scholars at the institute, such as research faculty, research assistants, and postdoctoral scholars. To these individuals he was not just a director, but also a mentor and friend. Thus, we include some recent scholars in this tribute to share a few words of what Dr. Martinez’s mentorship and guidance meant to each of them.
Yoshira Donaji Macía Mejía
I would like to continue this homage to Dr. Martinez by saying that his experience in academia as well as his own personal experiences and most of all his patience is what makes him not only an exemplary academic and leader, but also mentor. I echo what other colleagues have said about Dr. Martinez and will add that upon starting my postdoc here at MSU, I not only felt welcomed by him, but he took the time out of this busy schedule to get to know me, which is imperative for a good mentoring relationship. I learned from him what being a great mentor is and that mentoring is a relationship, which takes great care and time to cultivate. Mentoring is also about allowing your mentee to have the freedom to pursue what best suits their needs and not to push your own views or thoughts on them. A mentor also guides those they are mentoring, something that Dr. Martinez is well versed in, which allows them to grow. This is something I take with me in my future career endeavors.
I was able to grow into the scholar I am today because he gave me the academic freedom to pursue projects I was genuinely interested in and helped me sharpen my research and teaching skills. He would push me and encourage me to think big and theoretically. All these skills have helped me to mature as a scholar and to develop the confidence to be vocal and challenge issues I would never have before. While, I have always been told that you cannot have everything in a mentor and that you need different mentors. I will say that to some extent this is true, but Dr. Martinez has been the well-rounded mentor that I needed and for that I am grateful.
Juan D. Coronado
In August 2015, I arrived in Michigan to work as a postdoctoral scholar at JSRI. For the next four years, I shadowed and learned much from Dr. Martinez. Being housed in University Outreach and Engagement, JSRI worked extensively to address the needs of the Latino Community in the greater Lansing area, in Michigan, and in the Nation. Under Dr. Martinez’s direction, faculty at JSRI produced research and scholarship on Latinos with the aspirations of improving the lives of those marginalized. Needless to say, the tasks at hand required dedication and time. It became normal to work over twelve hours a day as Dr. Martinez’s multidimensional approach called for total commitment. The man literally works every hour that he is awake, and his work ethic motivated the rest of the unit to work harder.
I quickly realized that Dr. Martinez was one of leading scholars in Michigan as we traveled the state in his quest to inform the public, government officials, and other scholars on the living situation of Latinos. The settings for his talks were extremely diverse, from university settings to government buildings, to local restaurants, but the message was always serious and influential. Pretty soon, he had me presenting in these circles as well which grew my experience as a young scholar.
One of Dr. Martinez’s most prized projects became Éxito Educativo, a pathway to college program that he spearheaded. We cofacilitated the program in Lansing Schools empowering Latino families interested in sending their children to college. The program has since grown to several other locations throughout Michigan and has garnered interest in other states as well.
As a scholar, Dr. Martinez holds a book series with Michigan State University Press, Latinos in the United States Series. Almost twenty volumes have been published, including mine “I’m Not Gonna Die in this Damn Place:” Manliness, Identity, and Survival, of the Mexican American Vietnam Prisoner of War. Collectively, we also Co-edited a journal issue of Diálogo, Latinas and Latinos in the Midwest: Historic and Contemporary Issues.
The experience working with Dr. Martinez prepared me for my first tenure-track job, a position I currently hold at Central Connecticut State University. Yet, his mentorship has challenged me beyond the academic setting and has inspired me to create a better world for all. Dr. Rubén Martinez is a true representation of a scholar activist and the work throughout his career is testament of his noble dedication to the sustainment of Latinos in higher education and for the improved living conditions of all.
Richard Cruz Dávila
I first met Dr. Martinez in July of 2016 at the summit, “The Mass Media and Latinos: Overrepresentation and Underrepresentation,” sponsored by JSRI, the MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences, and the Michigan Alliance for Latinos Moving toward Advancement. I had defended my doctoral dissertation in the spring of that year and was serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA member, working to build capacity for local organizations involved in President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and reached out to Dr. Martinez in relation to that work. He invited me to the summit and afterward invited me and my supervisor to join a group that would eventually become the task force behind the Black/ Brown Dialogues summit series, hosted by JSRI and African American and African Studies. After a task force meeting in the summer of 2017, when my term of service as a VISTA had ended and I had yet to find an academic appointment, Dr. Martinez offered me the chance to work for JSRI as a research assistant.
Since joining JSRI, Dr. Martinez has actively supported my research and offered many opportunities for professional development. Through bi-weekly manuscript meetings with JSRI faculty, Dr. Martinez fostered a space to collectively think through ideas and work past barriers, helping me to get two articles published in academic journals. Further, my ongoing research on Texas-Mexican music in Michigan and the Midwest evolved from his suggestion of a topic for my first lead article in NEXO. JSRI has since financially supported numerous presentations of my research at professional conferences, research travel, and obtaining permissions to quote song lyrics in publications. Dr. Martinez has also encouraged and supported my participation in professional development activities and has created many opportunities for me to expand my professional network. His support has been instrumental as I work to make a name for myself as a scholar.