Martha E. Church (1931 – January 27, 2019 ) was an American geographer, professor, and college president.[1] She was the first female president of Hood College.[2][3]
Early life
Church was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[4] She was the daughter of Eleanor Boyer and Walter H. Church.[5][6] Her father was a civil engineer and the superintendent of construction for Duquesne Light.[6] Her mother was the president of Wellesley College's Alumnae Association.[3][7] Her family were Presbyterians.[3]
Church became president of Hood College on August 1, 1975, and served in this capacity through June 30, 1995.[2][4][8][13] Under her leadership there, the college's endowment grew from $3 million to $39 million.[3] In total, the five-year fundraising campaign raised $47 million.[3] She also added several buildings to the campus, including the Beneficial-Hodson Library and Information Technology Center, the Hodson Science link, the Joseph A. Pastore Facilities Center, and the Lawrence Marx Jr., Resource Management Center.[2]
Church received a distinguished teacher award at Wilson College.[10] In June 1971, she received an honorary doctor of science degree from Lake Erie College.[5]
Before her retirement in 1995, the road leading to Alumni Hall on the college campus was named Martha E. Church Drive.[4][3] Hood College also gave her an honorary doctorate in 1995 and named her president emeritus.[4][15] It also commissioned a portrait of Church that hangs in the lobby of Alumni Hall and a bust of Church that is displayed in its Beneficial-Hodson Library.[4] In addition, the faculty of Hood College endowed a scholarship in her name.[4]
After her death, Hood College named the Martha E. Church Center for Community & Civic Engagement in her honor.[1]
"The Dwindling Enrollment Pool: Issues and Opportunities." in Students and Their Institutions. Washington, D.C.: American Council on Education, 1978.
"Potential Impact of Recent National Reports on Preservice Art Education". in The Preservice Challenge: Discipline-Based Art Education and Recent Reports on Higher Education: Seminar Proceedings, August 8–15, 1987 Snowbird, Utah a National Invitational Seminar. Oxford University Press, 1988, p. 102.
"Preparing the next Generation of Academic Leaders". with Brown, David G., Richard E. Chait et al. Liberal Education vol. 76, no. 1 (1990): 32.
"A Model of Sophomore Community Service". University-Community Partnerships: Current Practices. United States. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Office of Policy Development and Research. Office of University Partnerships, 1995. p. 9–10.
"A View From One Presidential Office." in Against the Tide Career Paths of Women Leaders in American and British Higher Education. Karen Doyle Walton, editor. Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation, 1996. ISBN9780873674904