Remembering Dr. Deanna Martin

A Legacy of Learning: Dr. Deanna Martin's Global Impact in Higher Education

It is with deep sadness and humble admiration that the International Center announces the passing of Dr. Deanna Martin, a visionary leader and a pioneering figure in the field of higher education. As the founder of the Supplemental Instruction (SI) model, her innovative approach to collaborative learning has transformed academic support in higher education, improving student retention and success in institutions worldwide.

Dr. Martin’s work cultivated a global network of educators, all committed to fostering student connectedness and academic excellence. Her contributions have left an indelible mark on higher education, and her legacy will continue to inspire educators for generations to come.

To honor Dr. Martin’s profound impact and serve as a lasting tribute to a remarkable life, please leave a comment below sharing the impact Supplemental Instruction (SI) has had on your life.

Free Panel Discussion Webinar

Honoring the Legacy: A Discussion on SI History and Dr. Deanna Martin

Date: Friday, January 24
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM CST
Cost: Free

Although Supplemental Instruction (SI) is now practiced in educational institutions across the world, not many are aware of its beginnings and the person who laid the foundations for what has become a global community. In honor of SI creator Dr. Deanna Martin’s passing, join the International Center for SI for a panel discussion to celebrate the program’s rich history and Dr. Martin’s innovative vision for student success. Panelists will include individuals who played pivotal roles in the early days of SI and were instrumental in establishing the program in their regions.

As panelists share their insights into the challenges and triumphs of implementing SI, their experiences with Dr. Martin’s leadership, and the enduring impact of SI on student success, attendees will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the roots of SI and its continued importance in higher education.

20 Responses

  1. Around 1975, we got a small grant from the Kansas City Foundation for about $7,500 to reduce attrition among first-generation and minority students. During this period, I had a program called “Administrative Interns” to hire graduate students. At one point I had 20 or 25 of these guys and gals. I had more graduate assistants than most of the deans. So, I hired Deanna. She was working on a doctorate. And I remember telling her, this is your salary for two years and your expenses and anything that’s left over you can keep. But we need to find out why so many first-generation college students and minority students, not necessarily the same category, were having difficulty in some of these classes. Go ahead and do your thing, I told her, and figure out what we can do to help these people.

    So a committee was set up, and they started looking at traditional tutorial programs and came to the conclusion that they were expensive and weren’t effective. They didn’t do what they were supposed to do, such as reduce attrition. Somehow somebody had a contact in the dental school who taught a very difficult physiology class that had a very high attrition rate. The UMKC dental school became the pilot program for what turned out to be “Supplemental Instruction.” At the end of the trial, the results were very good, which permitted me to argue with the Chancellor at that time. He was death on remedial stuff. The Chancellor’s attitude was that if you’re good enough to get into the university, we shouldn’t have to remediate you. My argument was that dental students were the product of some of the most highly selective programs in the university, and if these first-year dental students could benefit from it, so could the run-of-the-mill students in the university. I said to the Chancellor that SI is an academic support program that helps students be more successful. That was my argument. At least he didn’t shut the thing down. Deanna then began to look for other willing faculty members, primarily in the College of Arts and Sciences, and we began doing this thing that turned out to be SI. Thus, my role was to be smart enough to hire people like Deanna, give them some money, support them politically, and then get out of the way.

  2. In the early 1990s, during a period of significant transformation in South Africa, Deanna helped the University of Port Elizabeth (now Nelson Mandela University) to establish Si as a critical tool for student academic development. I was fortunate to have been trained by her personally as newly appointed Sociology faculty. Her support and guidance led to a change in my career and the founding of a dedicated national center for Sl in Southern Africa which I headed up with her mentorship. In 1999 the SI program was classified as one of the University’s “Centers of Excellence.” As an International SI Certified Trainer, I offered training and support to tertiary institutions in Southern Africa, and then later in Europe, Australia, and the US.

    Dr. Martin also introduced an adaptation of Sl into the Video Supplemental Instruction (VS) model, to better equip teachers in the classroom. In the mid-90s, the University of Missouri funded the Center for Academic Development to deliver Supplemental Instruction to the all-Black Ethembeni Community College and (mostly white) Port Elizabeth University. Independent researchers concluded that VSI may “have positive implications” in a post-apartheid South Africa that lacked experienced teaching staff for the majority-Black nation. Si’s presence grew into a powerful strategy for transformation in post-apartheid South Africa, becoming a catalyst for change and academic success in a nation in need of both.

    Through her tireless work and commitment to student-centered learning, Dr. Martin nurtured a global network of educators dedicated to promoting connectedness and excellence in academics. Her contributions are reflected in the lives and careers of the many students and colleagues she empowered. Her kindness, passion, and willingness to share her expertise will be remembered by all who had the privilege to work with her. She truly kindled a flame that will continue to burn brightly in the world of higher education. In 2001, the UMKC Alumni Association awarded Deanna C. Martin the Alumna of the Year award in Education. Dr. Deanna Martin leaves behind an indelible mark on education, inspiring future generations to carry forward her vision for collaboration, connection, and student success.”

  3. For me, the best part about SI, Deanna and Bob was that we were all learning in real time. And and we were allowed to make mistakes, and there were lots of them, you know, but we were able to learn from our mistakes. And with each iteration, we got better and better at figuring out what the important variables were. That’s what actually made a great program. It may have started as an idea, but what allowed it to be expandable was Deanna’s flexibility.

    The key was that Deanna would let us try things, and she would say, here’s the goal here is how much cash you have, and this is the time limit. And we had to show statistically-significant results. I did a lot of statistical analysis, which was ultimately key to getting the US Department of Education to select Supplemental Instruction for national dissemination to colleges and universities.

  4. From 1979 to 1983, I was a very junior administrator at UMKC and had the privilege to work occasionally with Dr Deanna Martin. At the time, Deanna was one of a handful of women on campus who navigated what was the predominantly male world of the university’s administration. As she oversaw the Learning Center, her difference in style compared with her male colleagues was always apparent. Deanna’s meetings were gracious, always informed by both her academic knowledge and her appreciation of the people sitting at her table. Program ideas would often evolve from her interaction with the individuals in the group, rather than be imposed from an abstract model or initiative.

    Over time Deanna and I became personal friends, and I learned some life lessons from her. Hiking in Yosemite, for example, I complained to my friend – a dozen years older – that I simply wasn’t in shape to make it up the steep terrain. Over her shoulder she replied, “This is how you get in shape!” And so it was.

    The global impact of Deanna’s professional work has been well documented, and her curiosity and perceptiveness about ways to help individuals learn continued throughout her career. Even after retirement her interest in innovative learning strategies continued. It was always a privilege to hear her unique perspective on life and learning. I will miss her.

  5. I owe my professional career to Deanna. SI has given me the greatest job satisfaction for 29 years. What has made a lasting impression on me was her kindness, her love for education and students, her contagious and inspirational passion, her ability to mentor people without ever making them feel beneath her. I was a young, barely graduated, employee in 1997 when I first met her and she treated me like an equal who could make a valuable contribution. You cannot fake that type of leadership – it shapes you in ways that you only truly recognise years later. When she shared her vision, you wanted to be by her side and make it happen. Not because of what was in it for you, but because she made you believe in it too. You wanted to be there to make a difference and you knew she would get it done. RIP Deanna. Generations from now students and professionals will still benefit from SI – your legacy lives on. You will be missed dearly but never forgotten. Condolences to Robert and her family.

  6. Deanna was the most inspiring person I have ever met. Her open hand vision to share in stead of hiding has given power to so many people she been involved with around our globe. I´m so grateful for having the opportunity to met and worked togehter with you. You have lighting a light and there are lots of us that will keeping the flame burning

  7. Deanna hired me — somewhat reluctantly — as a favor to her major professor, a friend of mine. Her program was two years old at the time, and I was able to participate in the growth and expansion of Si as it went into the health science schools, into rural high schools, and into programs throughout the U. S. and then the English speaking world. Realizing that she could not maintain continuing oversight and support of programs in foreign sites, Deanna identified individuals who could work as certified trainers in other lands. Among the first were Jenni Wallace (England), Carin Muhr and Leif Bryngfors (Sweden), Ron Gardiner and Sally Rogan (Australia), Glen Jacobs (Grenada), Liesl Nel and Andre Havenga and Paula du Plooy (South Africa). Exporting the video version of SI enabled students in rural high schools to achieve the equivalent of Advanced Placement had been denied them due to lack of teachers with masters’ degrees. Support for medical students nationally and internationally came through the Institute for Professional Preparation which she founded and directed on the UMKC campus along with her work as director of the Center for Academic Development. I was privileged to work with Deanna in all phases of her dynamic career. Her insight into the weakness of academic programs in the U. S. and throughout the world enabled the survival of systems of higher education that had shown themselves to be insensitive to the needs of marginalized populations at home and abroad. I was honored to know her and privileged to love her.

  8. I was an SI leader from 1980-82. Armco Steel laid me off from their Kansas City works in the summer of 1980, and I enrolled at UMKC as a full-time student on the “GI Bill.” For me, SI was a opportunity to learn, grow, and contribute to others as I completed my undergraduate degree. Deanna Martin had established the first SI program several years before my arrival on campus. The genius of Deanna’s peer-based study program is to help students teach themselves by interpreting lessons to each other. Although the initial SI funding sought to reduce the attrition of students from Kansas City’s east side, my SI sessions were diverse and majority white, but the students were disproportionately from working class high schools and backgrounds. SI sessions at that time also attracted higher performing students who wanted to cement a high grade and who learned to explain what they know for the benefit of their fellow students and for themselves.

    Sal Kahn describes some of the problems with our educational system in his book “One World Schoolhouse.” In it, he observes that siblings have traditionally taught their sisters and brothers. But we separate siblings in classrooms and replace their function with a teacher at the front of the classroom as the figure of authority. I think of Supplemental Instruction as a means to reintroduce the practice of sisters and brothers teaching each other to overcome some of the shortcomings of our school systems today.

  9. Thank you Dr. Martin for this program. I attended sessions and later became an SI Leader. I am grateful and proud to contribute to this program for the past 3 semesters. It gave me a place to overcome collaboration anxiety and make connections while in college. SI has given me a space to be involved and contribute to campus life when I was initially anxious to find a place I could fit. Rest in peace

  10. Thank you Dr. Martin, for helping my students succeed – but more than, for making me a better instructor – no, a better educator, in every sense of the word. You changed learning for many, including this old chemistry teacher. And for that I am eternally grateful. I will continue to promote your work and its benefits for as long as I am in education and I am certain your work will continue to enlighten for decades to come.

  11. SI has changed my life. When I first learned about it, I knew that I wanted to be involved. I became part of a team that developed an SI program on our campus (MavPASS). It very quickly grew and has had a major impact on the thousands of students it has served as well as on the lives of those who are blessed enough to be a part of delivering this amazing service to students. Thank you Deanna–for changing my life and the lives of SO many students!

  12. What a blessing to be able to say that your work literally changed the world of higher education?!? It was my pleasure to meet Deana Martin at one of many International SI Conferences over the course of my career. She was thoughtful and humble, interested in talking about the importance of the work, and I was honored to have even a few minutes of her time.

    Becoming an SI Leader quite literally changed the path of my professional life. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that and for her work.

  13. While I never had the privilege of meeting Dr. Martin personally, know that she has had an impact on thousands of students and professionals all over the world. In addition to helping countless students better understand content in their courses, she has created a program model that helps students gain confidence, develop growth mindsets, and leadership abilities that extend beyond the classroom. Few people have the kind of impact Dr. Martin has had, and her memory will live on in every student who is helped by SI.

  14. Dr. Deanna Martin has left a widespread and significant impact on the landscape of higher education and academic success for college students globally. While I never met Dr. Martin, her impact on me personally and throughout my career trajectory is critical.

    We can continuously speak highly about the impact of Supplemental Instruction on academic success, exam scores, DFW rates, and retention rates. However, to me, the most important impact that SI has had on my life is community. As a former SI Leader, the connections I built on my college campus through my role empowered me to become a more confident and empathetic individual. I was constantly inspired by the students I worked with to be a better leader. I have maintained so many wonderful friendships with my former SI students and former coworkers in the SI Program. Now, as a Program Coordinator, it brings me great joy to see the connections our SI Leaders make with each other and with their students. Lastly, with my work in the International Center, I have built priceless connections with SI Colleagues around the glob who continue to inspire me as a professional. Thank you, Deanna, for your legacy of community, collaboration, and student success.

  15. Although I never had a chance to meet Dr. Martin, I’m so grateful for her life’s work to develop and disseminate the Supplemental Instruction model she founded. When I describe SI to people in my non-work life, almost invariably they tell me, “I wish we had a service like that when I was in school!” It’s tempting to think that SI would have been discovered at some point by someone else, but I could imagine a scenario where it could have gone very differently: the model could have been trademarked, standardized, controlled, and monetized. I’m glad that Dr. Martin so generously shared knowledge about SI for free, helped many schools start their own SI programs, and supported the networks within and across regions. As a result, SI is very adaptable to fit a wide variety of institutional contexts.

    That SI sits at the confluence of social justice and academic support is not an accident; it is the design of a wise woman who came up with an innovative response to meet a community need. We will honour her memory by innovating academic support and sharing our knowledge generously, in the spirit of Dr. Martin.

  16. I am deeply grateful for Dr. Deanna Martin and Supplemental Instruction (SI). Without SI, I might not have finished college—not because of my grades, but because I lacked a sense of community on campus and often felt lost and alone.

    SI gave me a place to belong and a way to give back. Being an SI Leader defined my college experience, and I can’t imagine where my life would be without a program that champions collaboration, interaction, and empowers everyday students to support one another. I am truly honored to carry on Dr. Martin’s legacy by expanding this impactful model and supporting the incredible community it fosters.

  17. I had the pleasure of first meeting Deanna at the very first International SI/PASS Conference I attended in 2004 in Boston. Deanna was already retired at that point but she had been asked to deliver the Welcome Address on the opening evening. I was struck by how inspiring she was and her passion and enthusiasm for both the Conference attendees in the ballroom and the global PASS community was very evident. I had the pleasure of meeting Deanna at subsequent International Conferences and CT meetings and of hosting Deanna and Robert at our Australian Conference in 2009. Being involved with this amazing program developed and fostered by Deanna changed my professional working life and took me in new and inspiring directions. Deanna’s work, immense enthusiasm and unwavering commitment leaves an immeasurable legacy for generations of students and staff and her passion and generosity in sharing her knowledge will be very fondly remembered.

  18. My SI journey began years ago as an undergraduate SI Leader. I never imagined that one experience would literally change my life. Not only did serving as an SI Leader alter my education trajectory but also helped me discover my calling in academic support. Through SI, I am continually challenged to step out of my comfort zone, to get comfortable being uncomfortable, and to keep growing through reflection. Now, as an SI Supervisor, I have the privilege to pay it forward by fostering academic and leadership development in my student SI Leaders. Their growth personally and professionally is a constant reminder of the transformative power of SI. I am eternally grateful to Dr. Deanna Martin for creating this impactful academic support program, the SI lessons I have learned, and the incredibly SI connections I have made. It truly is an honor to be a part of the SI family.

  19. I feel a great sense of loss in hearing this news. Like many, she has had a profound impact on my academic and professional journey in many ways. During my undergraduate degree SI/PASS was my lifeline, helping me navigate the complexities of my studies, and as a PASS leader, I was able to support my peers in much the same way. The experience not only shaped my leadership skills but also inspired my passion for student success, which carried forward into my former role as a PASS Coordinator. Now as a CT and after all these years, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the further development and success of the PASS program. One of the many beautiful legacies of Deanna’s work is the ripple effect – its ability to inspire growth, development, and positive change in the lives of students and educators alike.
    Her work has truly set the foundation for a model that continues to help students worldwide. Deanna’s vision extended beyond her own institution and touched countless lives across the globe. Deanna’s legacy in higher education will continue to resonate for generations. Her approach is a testament to her dedication to academic equity and excellence. I owe much of my own academic and professional development to the pathways she created. Her impact on my life and the lives of so many others is truly immeasurable.

  20. Serving as a Supplemental Instruction leader greatly impacted my college experience. It allowed me to build transferable skills that extend well beyond the role of a college student. It also enabled me to build stronger connections with both faculty and the students who regularly attended my Spanish SI sessions. As a Spanish double major, leading those sessions helped me reinforce the course content each week.

    I am eternally grateful for the academic support program that Dr. Deanna Martin created. It provided so many other students like myself the opportunity to make an impact on our fellow students’ academic journeys in our own ways, while also giving us a sense of pride as we continued a legacy that has spanned decades and was founded out of a necessity to provide equitable experiences for all students, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.

    Thank you, Dr. Deanna Martin, for inspiring so many to continue this important work and for personally motivating me to share the significance of programs like Supplemental Instruction. I’m certain that we will see another 50 years of success as your legacy lives on.

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