AC’s Erin Martin Leads Academic Support Focused on Student Success

Helping students succeed means more than getting them through a difficult class. For Erin Martin, it means giving them the confidence to ask questions, the skills to solve problems and the support to keep moving forward.

Martin, executive director of Student Learning Support at Amarillo College, received an Academic Affairs Excellence Award this year in recognition of her commitment to excellence in her work and her contributions to the college.

The awards recognize employees in areas across the Academic Affairs division for excellence in job performance, service to the college, collegiality and professional growth.

Martin’s work reflects that commitment through her leadership of AC’s tutoring services, her support for colleagues and her focus on helping students become independent, confident learners.

She supports eight tutoring supervisors across four campuses and a team of approximately 80 to 90 tutors who help students navigate challenging coursework.

Martin knows the value of that support firsthand. She worked as a writing tutor during her undergraduate program at WTAMU, and later supervised the Amarillo College Writers’ Corner before moving into her current leadership role.

“Tutoring was my first job in the world of higher education, so it is very near and dear to me,” Martin said.

Today, she helps guide tutoring services in mathematics, science, writing and other subjects, while supporting initiatives that extend academic assistance to more students, including Smart Start, TSI support for prison education, and dual-credit support. 

For Martin, one of the clearest signs that tutoring is working is seeing students return.

She said students who seek help in one semester and return for assistance with another class the following semester demonstrate that they have found a place where they can ask questions, build relationships and receive guidance without fear of judgment.

“Asking for help is inherently vulnerable,” Martin said. “The goal is to see students again and again across their courses, to watch them improve with each visit, and give them the tools to do so.”

That philosophy shapes the work of the tutors Martin supports. While repeat visits are encouraged, the goal is for tutors to help students develop the skills and confidence to work through challenges independently, gradually changing the nature of the tutoring centers from a student's lifeline to a supportive component of their success at AC.

Martin said she is especially impressed by students who begin their college journeys as tutoring clients and later become tutors themselves. Faculty members often recommend high-performing students for tutoring positions, and the Student Learning Support team also looks for students who have demonstrated significant academic growth.

Those students can then use their experiences to help others.

“Tutors come to us not just with content knowledge, but with effective communication skills; they know how to differentiate their approach to meet the needs of our students,” Martin said. “They're able to change their communication style to match the person in front of them. I believe that practice builds the foundation for a successful career after exiting the college tutoring environment.”

Edie Carter, executive dean of STEM and Academic Success, said Martin combines firsthand teaching experience with a broader vision for academic support.

“Her strength is bringing together the heart of a teacher and the vision of an executive leader,” Carter said.

Reem Witherspoon, AC’s assistant director of Student Learning Support, said Martin’s leadership style gives team members the independence to do their jobs while making sure they have support when they need it.

Witherspoon also praised Martin’s commitment to students and her potential to help guide the college into the future.

As experienced employees approach retirement, Witherspoon said, leaders such as Martin will help carry Amarillo College forward. She sees Martin as someone who will continue to care about the institution, advocate for its students and work to make the college better.

For Martin, the recognition was meaningful not only as an individual honor, but also as an acknowledgment of the team behind her work.

“Having this team around me who not only has this very clear goal and objective every day but also has the skill and the spirit to do it and do it well is exciting for our students and academic community to see and engage with,” Martin said.

She emphasized that the work is a collective effort, made possible by the supervisors and tutors who show up each day to support students.

Ultimately, Martin’s approach to academic support comes full circle: Students who learn to seek help gain the confidence to succeed, and some eventually become the people helping the next student find their way.

At Amarillo College, that cycle of learning, growth and giving back is at the heart of the work Martin and her team do every day.