Educator Cindy Martin Joins Mississippi College Faculty

MC education professor Cindy Martin

Teaching at Mississippi College is an answer to prayer for Cindy Martin.

“I love the Christian atmosphere and the feeling of family at MC,” Cindy says. “I am thrilled to be back home.”

In August, the Mississippian is among three new professors in the School of Education. The Clinton resident brings strong credentials as an outstanding educator in Central Mississippi.

“We are delighted to welcome Cindy Martin to Mississippi College,” says School of Education Dean Cindy Melton.

Spanning three decades, her service includes roles in the Clinton Public School District as a teacher and administrator. Dr. Martin will teach MC undergraduates and graduate students at her alma mater.

While full-time teachers, Cindy and her husband, Tim, advanced their classroom skills as Mississippi College graduate students. The Martins also raised a family in Clinton. The superintendent of the Clinton district, Dr. Martin earned multiple MC degrees.

Pivoting to her new role as a professor is Cindy Martin’s latest career move. She retired as the principal at Gary Road Elementary in Hinds County in 2014. It capped off 28 years as an educator in Mississippi public schools. She later worked as director of the Millsaps College Principals Institute in Jackson.

It’s a case of loving life growing up in a family committed to education. Her father, the late Dr. William Dodson, served 18 years as superintendent of Pearl public schools. Her mother, Nancey Dodson, worked as a Greenville teacher and Pearl Junior High librarian. She taught in Tunica and Indianola, too.

“Having parents who were educators, I know the importance of education and I truly enjoy helping others be successful,” Cindy Martin says.

As Mississippi College enters its 195^th academic year, Dr. Martin is familiar with the Clinton campus. She taught classes as an adjunct instructor for more than a decade.

As a professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Leadership, Cindy is happy to get to know her new students in Lowrey Hall classrooms. After being away from campus since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students returned for classes August 17.

“I am honored to have been called here to serve with other Christians promoting the cause of Christ and academic excellence.”

Growing up in Greenville, the Delta native is a 1982 Greenville High graduate. After attending Hinds Community College, Cindy transferred to Mississippi State University to receive an undergraduate degree in math education.

Her first assignment was at Columbia High in Marion County where she taught Algebra and Geometry. Her next stop, in 1989, was as a Clinton Junior High math teacher. “The teacher friends I made and the experiences I had there were beyond compare,” Cindy Martin said. “Once I moved to Clinton, I didn’t want to live anywhere else. Clinton people take care of each other no matter what.”

Cindy and Tim Martin passed along their passion for education to their children. Their daughter, Lindsey, is in her fourth year as a fifth-grade teacher in Brandon. She’s a graduate student in MC’s educational leadership program.

Their oldest daughter, Sara, studied biology at MC and enrolled in medical school at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She’s a doctor in residency at UMMC. Their son, Hunter, is a junior at Mississippi State University. The biochemistry major plans to enter the medical field.

During Cindy Martin’s career, she worked as an administrator at Clinton Junior High and Clinton Park Elementary. She obtained her master’s in educational leadership at Mississippi College in 1994 and a doctorate at Belhaven University.

Working in the midst of a pandemic will bring challenges at MC. But Cindy Martin turns to her faith for answers. She seeks guidance from 2 Timothy 1:7. “As Christians in Christ, “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”