Earl F. “Marty” Martin was in town Monday so Drake University could announce his appointment as the private Des Moines university’s 13th president.

For Martin, 53, who appears to be fit, it was a sprint through receptions and media interviews before a late flight back to Spokane, Wash. Martin is executive vice president of Gonzaga University, where Drake men’s basketball Coach Ray Giacoletti once served as an assistant coach. After attending a meeting or two in Spokane, Martin will fly to Florida later this week for the meeting of the Drake University board of trustees.

I had brief one-on-one chat with Martin at Old Main a few hours before his flight Monday. Here’s some of what I learned.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:
Martin, who takes the new job July 1, hailed the existing collaboration among local business groups, individual businesses and Drake. Martin took time in addressing hundreds of well-wishers at the official announcement in Cowles Library Monday morning to praise the likes of Meredith Corp. and Principal Financial Group Inc. for their support of Drake, its fundraising, and initiatives.

It may not have been the boldest of moves to pat Principal on the back considering the chairman of the Drake board of trustees, Larry Zimpleman, happens to be chairman and CEO of Principal.

But Martin clearly knows the protocols of higher education. He plans to be a player in the business world.

“Economic development is on my radar in a big way,” he said. “I want to be useful where I can be useful. You are not going to have a great city without a great university, and you won’t have a great university without a great city. It’s early, but I can say I don’t see Drake’s role becoming smaller. Drake already is an importer of talent. Most Drake students come from outside Iowa, but the majority of them choose to stay here when they graduate.”

STEM & FUNDRAISING:
Martin expects Drake to remain a strong player in economic development circles, and he’s thrilled the university embarked on both a $200 million fundraising campaign and the development of a $65 million STEM campus and six new degree programs in key areas.

“It’s brilliant that the university has set down this path,” he said. “Data analytics and occupational therapy are two of the fastest-growing fields in the country. Drake is responding to the market.”

POWER OF LIBERAL ARTS:
“You gain the capacity for life-long learning,” Martin said. “When has that been more relevant than today? The world changes so fast, you have to learn to keep up. You learn to have critical, independent thinking.  “You become an empathetic innovator. Maybe you are working on an app, or a dam. You are thinking about the project, but you also thinking about the impact on the individual, the community and the environment. 

“We need the brilliance of actuarial scientists and philosophers. We need the brilliance of pharmacists and historians. We need the brilliance of biologists and artists.”

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE AT GONZAGA:
Martin has led a task force that spent three years addressing excessive force allegations against the Spokane Police Department.  “We really changed the game there,” he said. “There is a trust developing that wasn’t there before.

Martin also has served as vice chair of the Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County. That panel doles out $1.3 million in sales taxes per year to improve access to health care and to encourage research that leads to commercial ventures and economic development.  Some of the work has been with Washington State University on improvements in the pharmacy field, a mainstay at Drake.

“That’s the type of thing I will be looking for here,” Martin said of the grants leveraging economic development.

WORLD VIEW:
Drake’s strong internships and study-abroad offerings, and its hundreds of international students, reinforce the school’s important global outlook, Martin said. So does The Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship at Drake, he added.

PAY:
Larry Zimpleman, chairman of the Drake board of trustees, declined to disclose contract terms for Martin, other than to say he would be compensated using an approach similar to Drake’s handling of Maxwell’s employment. Maxwell earned more than $500,000.

THE AUDIENCE
Hundreds showed up for the announcement Monday in the Reading Room of Cowles Library. Among them were Greater Des Moines Partnership execs Jay Byers and Eugene Meyer.

EARL “MARTY” MARTIN
Age: 53
Position: Executive vice president, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Wash., since July 2010. President-to-be Drake University. Formerly: Dean, Gonzaga School of Law.
Education: Master of laws degree, Yale University; law degree, bachelor’s degree in communications, University of Kentucky.
Family: Wife, Laura Martin; sons, Cade, 18, and Case, 16, 
Military: Spent three years in England and three years in Germany with the U.S. Air Force.Begins job: July 1
Musical skills: None
Sports skills: Self-described mediocre golfer, plays tennis on occasion

Here’s what some leaders in Iowa and Washington said about Martin in statements released by Drake:

“I am delighted by the choice of Marty Martin to succeed me in this wonderful job as the president of Drake University. Marty is a proven leader with the experience, expertise and vision to lead Drake to even greater levels of distinction. With Marty’s leadership, Drake’s students, faculty and staff will continue to enhance the university’s already strong academic and financial position and focus on our core commitment to provide an exceptional learning environment; to strengthen connections with the local and global community and fulfill the university’s social compact; and to serve as a national model for excellence in higher education.”
 – David Maxwell, president of Drake University

“Mr. Martin is an extraordinarily talented higher education leader and administrator. During his years at Gonzaga, he has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the improvement and success of the university, with significant and long-lasting results. He strives tirelessly to support the mission of the institution he serves, and it has been a privilege to have Executive Vice President Martin as an important member of my senior leadership team. I am certain he will be a great president for Drake. I wish both him and the Drake University community much success as he prepares to assume the role this summer.”
 – Thayne McCulloh, president of Gonzaga University

“Marty Martin recognizes that to be an outstanding leader, you have to have a complete view of an organization. He has brought a balanced scorecard approach to the development of Gonzaga’s long-term strategic plan: He understands not just academics but student life, finance and budgeting, community engagement, and the importance of measuring the success of those strategies. He’s committed to embracing the culture of an organization while bringing new and clear thinking to enhance efficiency and value.”
 – Scott L. Morris, chairman, president and CEO of Avista Corp./Vice chair, Gonzaga University board of trustees

“Marty is energetic, enthusiastic, inclusive, the consummate professional, and a real strategic visionary. He has had experiences throughout his career that have prepared him very well to take on this next role. While dean of the law school, he brought a dedication to excellence and a plan for how the school could continue to provide excellent legal education in a challenging market, with recruitment outreach to the international community and others. I was confident in his abilities when Gonzaga smartly promoted him to universitywide administration as executive vice president, and I know this next step forward takes him exactly where he should be.”
 – Mary E. Fairhurst, Washington State Supreme Court justice, former chair, Gonzaga University School of Law Board of Advisors, former member, Gonzaga University Board of Regents

 “Drake University is getting a tremendous leader with an amazing ability to build community and facilitate a dialogue in the toughest of situations. One of his greatest gifts to the Spokane community is the work he did as chair of a volunteer commission that took a deep, candid look at the perception and actions of the Spokane Police Department. His work during a very emotional time in our community helped us develop the road map for re-engineering the department and rebuilding our relationship with the citizens of Spokane. We are grateful for Marty’s support and leadership in building a safer, stronger, smarter Spokane. Drake University will be in good hands.”
 – David A. Condon, mayor of Spokane, Wash.