Dr. James Martin voted Professor of the Year

     Dr. James Martin, chair of Campbell University’s Department of Government, History and Justice was named Professor of the Year by the Campbell University student body on Thursday, April 21. Presented by the Student Government Association, the award is the highest student honor bestowed on a professor.
     “I am most honored by this award,” Martin said. “I like to think that high expectations along with persistence and altruism contribute to good teaching. Campbell with its emphasis on quality instruction allows a professor to hone his or her pedagogical skills.”
     An associate professor of history and department chair, Martin is a native of Homestead, Pa. He graduated cum laude from Duke University and received a master’s degree from East Carolina University. Martin went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Emory University. Before coming to Campbell in 1991, he taught social studies and coached at James Kenan High School in Warsaw, N.C. Martin also served as an adjunct professor at Mount Olive College and at Sampson Community College. In addition to Western Civilization, Martin has taught courses on East Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, modern Germany, South Asia and Southeast Asia, among others.
     Martin has interests in both ethno history and social studies education. He joined scholars from around the state to participate in a symposium in connection with a special exhibit on North Carolina’s Jewish heritage titled, “Migrations: Jewish Settlers of Eastern North Carolina,” at locations in both Tarboro and Fayetteville. He has also presented papers on the Jewish settlers of North Carolina at numerous conferences and symposiums and is currently writing a book on the subject titled, “Small Town Jews in North Carolina.” His article, “Expectations of Postsecondary History Instructors in North Carolina and California,” was published in The History Teacher, a professional journal published by the Society of History Education. Martin was awarded a Director’s Fellowship by the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives in Cincinnati in 2004.

Bulletin 0101-4/22/05