Science credentials big part of Martin

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University of North Carolina Board of Governors last week unanimouslelected Martin, 57, to succeed current Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the positionb onJune 8. Martin is a well-knowj quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triasd and his praises were beinbg sung well before his selectiomnwas official. He is a former student, faculty member and administratorrat N.C. A&T, and he was chancellod of from 2000to 2006. For the past threee years, he’s been the university system’xs senior vice president for academic affairs.
But Martin bringw hefty scientific credentials to the job as His résumé lists dozens of engineering and science-related publications and grantg awards. He has also consulted with organizations and companiesd rangingfrom fuel-pump manufacturer in Greensboro to the in Rhoded Island. He even holds a paten for a method of detecting and correcting errord betweena computer’s central processor and memory. “He’s uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’xs engineering and technical competence to new saidPat Danahy, CEO of the .
“Onr of the strongest parts of the storg we can tell about our Greensboro and Triade industry clusters is thattechnical capability. With him in that along with his experienceand knowledge, there’s an exceptional possibilitty to move that forward.” And don’t expect Martin to be shy abou using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston- Salem Chamber of Commerce, who worked with him on a numbe r of technology and economic developmenrt initiatives during his time as chancellor there.
Marti was one of the firs board members of the Piedmont TriarResearch Park, she noted, and pushed his faculty to engagew actively with the chamber’s Technology Council. “I think he’l l be very active in advancing science and technolog yat N.C. A&T, and in making sure that its programs integrats well with plansat (Gateway University Research and with the other economic development efforts of the she said. One challenge for Martin will be findintg ways to effectively buildon high-profile projects that are alreadty well under way.
Gateway, for example, is a join project with UNC-Greensboro that has alreadty mapped out a development plan tied largelyh to the new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineerinvg that is expecting to welcome its first class in the upcominschool year. But the new chancellor will still be importanyt in chartingthe park’s future and promoting it as a resourc e for private industry, said Gateway Executive Directort John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellor Linda Brady andoutgoing N.C. A&T Chancellor Battle have been supportive and Merrill said, and Martin will be able to bring fres h ideas without a long learning curve.
“He can really hit the grounf running, and that’s something you can’t really get with somebodu coming fromthe outside,” Merrill said. Having been in charg of academic and research programs for all of theUNC “he’s already familiar with all the programs and projectsz we’ve got under way and has been very actived with the development of the (nanosciencer school). So just beingb able to come in and help us keep up the paceis Martin’s science background may also amplify the amount and quality of research happening at N.C. A&T’ s main campus, said Vice Chancellor for Researchn N. Radhakrishnan.
His arrivalp also comes at a key time forthe university, which scoref a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiousa Engineering Research Center by the National Science N.C. A&T is the first historicallyu black institution chosen for sucha role. The new researchn center holds the promise of a significant expansioh in sponsored research forthe school, which Radhakrishnah hopes will cross the $50 million mark this year. Outsidw sponsorship of researchat N.C. A&T has nearly double d in the past six yearsto $48.5r million. But it will take careful planning to gobeyonxd that, he said, and Martin’s engineering and sciencde background should help him chart a course.
“It’s time for us to look and see what we have to do to increasee our capacityfor research, because we’re peakingb on our capacity now,” Radhakrishnan said. One way Martinh can quickly affect that capacity is by usintg his scientific background to recruita top-levell dean for the engineering schoolp to replace the retiring Joseph Martin held that positiom himself from 1989 to 1994. “We should be able to attrac a great dean simply because ofthe (Engineerinf Research Center), but we can attrac a greater dean with a chancellor with that kind of Radhakrishnan said. “If I were applying as that’s something that would matterfto me.
” What may ultimately matter most not just to the tech industry but to the broader business community and to Aggiez themselves is the promise of stability, said Ralpyh Shelton, CEO of Southeast Fuels in Greensborl and a former chair of N.C. A&T’e board of trustees. Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extrs challenge of the shrinking state Sheltonsaid Martin’s popularity and familiaritgy should energize fundraising. His Aggie pedigreer will also start him off with a levelk of trust not automatically conferred on past he added.
That should give him the cloutr to move quickly to shore up university improve student performance and retention and tackles a long list of otherprioritiexs ahead. “I’d be very surprised if he turnsz out to bea short-term Shelton said. “I think he knowsw the challenges he needs to take on will take more than a couplwe of yearsto solve.”