Shadi S. Martin
Vice Provost for International Education, Dean of Graduate School & Chief International Officer - The University of Alabama at BirminghamDr. Shadi S. Martin is the Vice Provost for Graduate and International Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She is also the university’s Chief International Officer and Dean of the Graduate School, which serves more than 8,000 graduate students and post-doctoral scholars.
She leads the UAB Office of Global Engagement, which strives to expand the global diversity of UAB’s student body and provides opportunities for international teaching, research and service.
Dr. Martin has extensive experience in an international academic environment. She has worked with the World Health Organization in Europe and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the Middle East, and she was a Fulbright Scholar in Damascus, Syria.
At UAB, she has been instrumental in uniting the Graduate School and International Education, thereby emphasizing the global focus of the institution. She is passionate about shaping the future of the new Graduate and Global Engagement Office.
“This generation of students inspires me. They are more focused on using what they learn to make a positive difference in the world than on the material aspects — higher pay, title, and status. They believe that education and technology can be used as a force to make the world a better place. They believe we can, and should, do better. They inspire me. I love being in higher ed leadership when the students are the driving force behind promoting justice and good in the world. They are leading the way to a better world.”
A strong advocate of equitable opportunities, benefits and treatment for all students, Dr. Martin is committed to empowering students to seek leadership opportunities and play key decision-making roles in various capacities on and off campus.
In her message to international students, particularly girls and women, she says: “In many ways, my life is no different from that of many other immigrant children. My parents left everything behind in search of a better life for their children. I still feel the intense pressure I have always felt to succeed to assure my parents' sacrifices had not been in vain. Because of these pressures, many young immigrant women and international students struggle with decision-making - they want so much to do right by their families, peers, teachers etc. that they sometimes become paralyzed when it comes to decision-making.
“My advice to international students is this: don’t be afraid of making the wrong decision. Make a decision - and then MAKE it the right decision. You are in control of your life. Don’t beat yourself up looking back on all the what-ifs. Move forward and turn every decision even the bad ones into the right decision with your actions and attitude. You will look back and realize you did well - by everyone - even you!”
Dr. Martin received her master’s degree and her doctorate in social work from the University of Utah, where she also earned master’s degrees in public administration, health services administration and political science. She is the founding dean of the University of Nevada, Reno School of Social Work. Before that she was the graduate program director and an associate professor in the School of Social Work at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
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