Wanda and Thomas R. Martin
Education: It’s the gift that keeps on giving. And – with the establishment of the Martin Scholars Program – Thomas R. Martin and his wife Wanda are guaranteeing that the inaugural class of Martin Scholars will have an impact on generations and generations to come.
Created to inspire future generations of leaders and mentors among outstanding communication majors and minors at the College of Charleston, the Martin Scholars Program provides invaluable networking opportunities for students to meet with leaders in the communication profession. In turn, the Martin Scholars and the outreach they do will build positive awareness of the Department of Communication and the College of Charleston.
Tom Martin, who first became involved with the College when he joined the Department of Communication Advisory Council in 2004, has served as the communication department’s executive-in-residence since 2007, when he retired from his post as senior vice president of corporate relations at ITT Corporation, a global engineering company. Now that he’s in the classroom, his top priorities are improving students’ writing skills and decision-making skills so that they are ready to navigate the real world strategically, ethically and credibly. He also encourages students to focus on giving back, and leads a spring break networking trip for students to Washington, D.C. and New York City.
Read alum Becca Starkes ’16’s account of last year’s trip and the lessons she took away from her meetings with media and communications bigwigs.
And he and Wanda, who serves as a literacy tutor with the Reading Partners at James Simons Elementary, are leading by example. The Martins believe that one of the most important forces shaping a progressive society is the mentoring of future generations by parents, teachers, coaches, employers and others who encourage and inspire great things. By creating the Martin Scholars Program, they hope to inspire the future generation of mentors among today’s outstanding communication students at the College.
In other words, their gift is one that will keep on giving. And that is how you make a real, boundless, impact.
For more inspiration and information, find out why others give and explore ways you can contribute.
Inaugural class of Martin Scholars (l-r) with Tom Martin (center): Nia Strothers, Corey Law, Megan Dunn, Berkeley Fisher, Tom Martin, Amanda Phagan, Chelsea Anderson, Caroline Coyle, Jaquan Leonard.
