Mike Singer | Office of Marketing and Communications | (909) 537-8107 | msinger@csusb.edu
As the nation celebrates National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week from Sept. 14-20, Cal State San Bernardino is recognizing leaders whose work exemplifies what it truly means to serve Latino students. Among them is Edna Martinez, associate vice president and administrator in charge of the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, whose career has centered on expanding access, advancing equity and helping students succeed.
Martinez has led the Palm Desert Campus since August 2023, becoming the first Latina to lead the campus in its 40-year history. Her appointment brought her professional journey full circle: A graduate of a Hispanic-Serving Institution herself, Martinez has dedicated more than 20 years to creating stronger educational pathways for Latino, first-generation and other historically underserved students.
Martinez began her college career at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), intending to become a physician. She earned a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences but discovered through her campus involvement that her greater calling was helping students navigate higher education. She went on to earn a master’s degree in educational administration from UTEP and a doctorate in educational leadership from Clemson University, where she became the first Latina student in the university’s Ph.D. in Educational Leadership program.
Before returning to CSUSB in 2023, where she began her academic career as faculty, Martinez served in a variety of capacities in both academic affairs and student affairs at UTEP, shaping student success initiatives. Her early work with the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) at UTEP played a pivotal role in shaping her educational and professional journey. She often reflects on the life-changing impact of CAMP, noting that it “ignited a passion that could not be cultured in a petri dish or inoculated onto a slide,” a passion that continues to drive her mission in higher education.
That philosophy is particularly meaningful at the Palm Desert Campus, where a significant majority of students are Latino and the first in their families to attend college. Martinez makes a point of incorporating Spanish in everyday interactions and conversations with students and families – honoring their cultural and linguistic capital.
During her initial time at CSUSB, Martinez served as associate professor and co-director of the Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership program, focused on preparing equity-minded leaders. She has also made important contributions to the national conversation surrounding Hispanic-Serving Institutions. CSUSB is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), and Martinez’s scholarship and leadership directly support the association’s mission of advancing Hispanic success in higher education. CSUSB has also earned the prestigious Seal of Excelencia certification for 2024-27 from Excelencia in Education – a national certification for colleges and universities that strive to go beyond enrollment and more intentionally serve Latino students to become institutions where Latino, and all, students thrive. It is the culmination of a rigorous assessment process and is valid for three years.
Martinez’s work emphasizes that fulfilling the promise of an HSI requires intentional leadership, equitable representation and institutional policies and practices designed to help Latino students succeed. Her research has focused on issues of access and equity in higher education, with an emphasis on community colleges and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. Her work has been published in The Journal of Higher Education, Community College Review, Studies in Higher Education, New Directions for Community Colleges, the Community College Journal of Research and Practice, the Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership, and the NACADA Journal, among others.
Her impact in the broader HSI space was further recognized when she was selected as one of nine higher education leaders nationwide for Excelencia in Education’s 2025 Policy Fellowship. Through the fellowship, Martinez brought the experiences of Coachella Valley students into national policy discussions, met with federal leaders and helped advance conversations about intentionally serving Latino students. Recognized as one of the first Policy Fellows to publish her work, Martinez will serve as a mentor to the 2026 Excelencia Fellows during the 2026 Invitational Fall Convening in Washington, D.C.
For Martinez, Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week is not a celebration of a federal designation. It is an opportunity to recommit to the work behind the title — building a campus where Latino, and all, students feel seen, supported and empowered to achieve their goals.
About the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus: The CSUSB Palm Desert Campus is dedicated to providing a transformative educational experience in the Coachella Valley. With a focus on academic excellence and community engagement, the campus offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs designed to meet the diverse needs of its students and the region.
For more information about the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, contact Mike Singer in the Office of Marketing and Communications at msinger@csusb.edu or (760) 341-2883, ext. 78107, or visit the PDC website at www.csusb.edu/pdc.