SAN JOSE — The new temporary head of San Jose State comes to her new job with a sharp reprimand on file from her former university bosses regarding alcohol-related incidents, the result of a hostile exchange at an alumni cocktail party.

Susan Martin, 64, who was president of Eastern Michigan University at the time of the April 2012 argument, said Friday that it boiled down to “one profane word spoken with a glass of wine in my hand,” but also acknowledged a prior drunken-driving incident.

But while EMU faculty sing Martin’s praises, her appointment has left some at San Jose State wondering why in-house contenders were passed over for an outsider with potentially troubling history.

CSU officials put out a release on Thursday announcing Martin’s appointment and praising her planning and capital project prowess. They reiterated Friday that she is the “right leader at the right time” for SJSU, but did not comment on whether local candidates were pursued.

“CSU presidents not only need to be capable academic and administrative leaders but they also need to be extraordinary communicators and collaborators, who lead advocacy, partnership development and fund-raising efforts for their campuses,” said Chancellor Timothy P. White in a statement. “Dr. Martin is exceptional in each of these areas.”

Martin was selected to the post after President Mohammad Qayoumi announced he would be leaving SJSU to take a government position in Afghanistan.

Martin declined to further detail the incident. News reports at the time held that the exchange that led to the reprimand was over an EMU graduate referring to the school mascot as the Hurons — an Indian tribal name that was deemed inappropriate and changed to the Eagles in 1991.

Martin said that the matter was quickly resolved and she remains close friends with the target of her ire, but it spurred regents to write a letter to Martin warning about behavior “inappropriate for your position” that “reflected poorly on the University and you as its President.”

It goes on encourage then-president Martin to seek counseling and refers to “prior incidents discussed with you,” and added any repeated incidents would result in a recommendation of termination.

“I didn’t agree with what the letter said then, and I don’t agree with it now,” Martin said on Friday.

She said there are no previous incidents, and the board was possibly referring to a 2005 driving-while-impaired infraction that happened before she took office in 2008. She said that was an isolated incident and she does not, and did not, have a drinking problem.

“I think it’s part of the past, and my track record shows I’ve been an extremely active, extremely accessible president,” Martin said.

Faculty at the Eastern Michigan University reached on Friday defended Martin, and she left amid tearful accolades last spring, vowing to return after a year hiatus to teach classes. Before she took the reins at EMU, the school was wracked with a scandalous dorm homicide, and previous presidents had a reputation of being either non-present or dishonest about university spending as the campus deteriorated. It went through four presidents in seven years, and enrollment was lackluster.

Under Martin’s watch, capital projects improved the grounds, and the reputation of the school soared along with enrollment.

“That restoration gives me a sense of pride,” Martin said. “We really changed the momentum on campus. We have a new science complex, even the grass is greener now. EMU is quite a turnaround story.”

Bert Greene, president of EMU’s emeritus faculty association said the atmosphere is like “night and day” and that students at sporting events would chant “Su-san Mar-tin” when she walked by. He added that in numerous contacts off-campus, he never saw any indication of an alcohol problem.

“Obviously one function of the president is to get out and socialize,” Greene said. “I’ve been to a great many social events with Susan — she entertains frequently. I have never seen nor heard her in any condition I’d begin to describe as underwater.”

In Martin’s response to the reprimand, she acknowledges that she “lost my temper with an alumni when our discussion turned to a particularly sad time in Eastern’s history.”

She goes on to say it was a misunderstanding, but considers her “sharp and angry response to be unpresidential.”

But Martin said the SJSU community should take stock of her record of hard work and dedication to students. She said they’ll frequently see her around SJSU and she’s eager to learn more about the diverse community and campus culture.

Jessica Alexander, an EMU professor and director of the Office of Academic Service-Learning, dismissed the 2012 incident as “a tussle with the board,” and added her former boss will soon prove to be an asset at SJSU.

“She was our first woman president, and for a lot of women here is was really good to have a strong woman at the helm,” Alexander said. “Ultimately she stabled a really shaky ship.”

Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.