Remembering a champion of lifelong learning
Dean Emeritus Howard Martin
Dean and Professor Emeritus Howard Martin died on September 29, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with kidney disease. Martin’s 42-year career at the university included 22 years of teaching and research as well as 20 years as a dean in continuing studies, pioneering the Division of Continuing Studies (DCS) unit on campus.
Former UW–Madison Chancellor John D. Wiley called Martin a national leader in continuing education and summer sessions, saying upon his retirement in 2007, “As our senior dean, Howard has led a variety of efforts to expand access to UW–Madison for nontraditional students, working professionals, seniors and Wisconsin citizens of all ages. His leadership strengthened our relationship with UW-Extension and made UW–Madison summer sessions a destination for learners from around the world.”
Martin was born on May 26, 1941, in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. Raised during the hardships of World War II, his family shares that “he met life’s early challenges with vigor, resilience and determination – a spirit that defined him and carried through to his final days.”
Driven by a desire for growth and learning, Martin left his humble beginnings of a small row house in Doncaster in 1961 to attend the University of Durham. His desire to travel and love of academics earned him a university exchange scholarship to the U.S. Since the scholarship did not cover all travel expenses, he took a job as a canoe instructor at Camp Kokosing in Vermont, where he met his wife, Cathie.
Martin dated Cathie while studying at DePauw University, and they were married in September 1964. Soon after, the couple returned to England so he could complete his degree at Durham. They later settled in Madison, where Martin earned his Ph.D. in Middle Low German and Old Norse. He followed that with 22 years of teaching undergraduate, graduate and noncredit students; and research on Scandinavian and German languages and traditions. Because of his strong connections with the Department of Scandinavian Studies, Martin served for many years as a member of the executive committee in the department.
In 1987, Martin was hired as the dean of the Division of Outreach, a unit that eventually merged with the Summer Sessions & Inter-college programs unit and became the Division of Continuing Studies in 1994. In addition, the Program Information Office, the Adult Career and Educational Counseling Center, the UW Connections Program and the Capstone Certificate program were absorbed and expanded in DCS under Martin’s watch.
During Martin’s tenure as dean, he was also the chief campus liaison for the annual agreement with UW-Extension, which at that time supported nearly 400 Madison-based faculty and staff in serving Wisconsin people and communities.
Martin played a key role in forwarding the Wisconsin Idea and advancing lifelong learning. Under his tenure at DCS, the division evolved to serve a variety of nontraditional audiences, from summer session (now Summer Term) students to senior guest auditors and the first class of students in the award-winning UW Odyssey Project. He also created the Wisconsin Alumni Lifelong Learning initiative in partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Association, expanding continuing education programs to UW graduates. Martin retired from the university in 2007.
While achieving academic success, Martin made a lasting mark on his community through his connection to England and love of football (soccer in the U.S.). In 1977, he and Cathie placed an ad in the Oregon Observer (in Oregon, Wisconsin) inviting children to play pick-up soccer – an invitation that drew 40 kids and led to the founding of the Oregon Soccer Club, which now serves over 900 players. Martin was also a long-serving board member of the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association.
He and Cathie traveled extensively, often using their home in England as a launching point for trips all over Europe and to South Africa. Despite his illness, he made the journey back to the UK and enjoyed a final pint at his favorite pub.
Martin was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Cathie; and his sister, Janet Martin. He is survived by his children, Ellen (Marty) Smith, Ian (Holli) Martin and Nicholas (Gail) Martin; his grandchildren, Alexander, Ian, Catherine, Aidian, Alley, Taylor and London; and his siblings Jackie (Ian) Staniforth and Keith (BJ) Martin. In Martin’s memory, his family asks that friends please thank a caregiver, nurse, doctor and/or hospice care worker.
With thanks and condolences to Howard Martin’s family, this article uses information from his obituary.
This post was written by Lisa Bauer.
