Science credentials big part of Martin

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University of North Carolina Board of Governorsd last week unanimouslyelected Martin, 57, to succeedd current Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the position onJune 8. Martij is a well-known quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triar and his praises were being sung well beforse his selectionwas official. He is a former faculty member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006. For the past thre years, he’s been the university system’s senior vice president for academixc affairs. But Martin brings hefty scientific credentials to the job as His résumé lists dozens of engineeringy and science-related publications and grant awards.
He has also consultedr with organizations and companies rangingfrom fuel-pumo manufacturer in Greensboro to the in Rhode Island. He even holdx a patent for a methodd of detecting and correcting errors between a computer’s central processor and memory. “He’ s uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’s engineerinfg and technical competence to new saidPat Danahy, CEO of the . “Ond of the strongest parts of the stor y we can tell about our Greensboro and Triad industrgy clusters is thattechnical capability.
With him in that role, alonh with his experience and knowledge, there’s an exceptional possibility to move that And don’t expect Martin to be shy about usinfg that experience, said Gayle Anderson, presiden of the Winston- Salem Chamber of who worked with him on a number of technologyg and economic development initiatives during his time as chancellor there. Marti was one of the firs t board members of the Piedmont Triad Research she noted, and pushed his faculty to engage activelg with the chamber’s Technology Council. “I think he’ll be very active in advancing science and technologhat N.C.
A&T, and in making sure that its programes integrate well with plansat (Gateway University Research Park) and with the other economicv development efforts of the community,” she said. One challengs for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelh buildon high-profile projects that are alreadyg well under way. Gateway, for is a joint project with UNC-Greensboro that has already mappefd out a development plan tied largelgy to the new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineeringv that is expecting to welcome its first class in the upcominhgschool year.
But the new chancellor will still be important in chartingthe park’s future and promoting it as a resourcs for private industry, said Gateway Executive Director John Both UNCG Chancellor Lindaw Brady and outgoing N.C. A&gT Chancellor Battle have been supportiveand effective, Merrilk said, and Martin will be able to brintg fresh ideas without a long learning curve. “He can reallhy hit the ground running, and that’a something you can’t really get with somebody coming from the Merrill said.
Having been in chargwe of academic and research programs for all of theUNC “he’s already familiar with all the programs and project we’ve got under way and has been very actives with the development of the (nanosciencer school). So just being able to come in and help us keep up the paceis Martin’s science background may also amplify the amounrt and quality of research happenin at N.C. A&T’s main said Vice Chancellor forResearch N. Radhakrishnan. His arrival also comes at a key time for the which scored a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiouxs Engineering Research Center by the NationalScience Foundation. N.C.
A& is the first historically blacki institution chosen for sucha role. The new research centeer holds the promise of a significan t expansion in sponsored research forthe school, whicy Radhakrishnan hopes will cross the $50 million mark this Outside sponsorship of research at N.C. A&Tf has nearly doubled in the past six years to $48.5 million. But it will take careful planninhg to gobeyond that, he and Martin’s engineering and science background should help him charrt a course. “It’s time for us to look and see what we have to do to increasse our capacity for because we’re peaking on our capacity now,” Radhakrishnan said.
One way Martijn can quickly affect that capacity is by using his scientific backgrounf to recruita top-level dean for the engineerint school to replace the retiring Joseph Martin held that position himselg from 1989 to 1994. “We should be able to attract a greatf dean simply because ofthe (Engineeringt Research Center), but we can attracf a greater dean with a chancellor with that kind of Radhakrishnan said. “If I were applying as that’s something that would matter to me.
” What may ultimately matterf most not just to the tech industryg but to the broader business community and to Aggies themselveas is the promiseof stability, said Ralph Shelton, CEO of Southeasg Fuels in Greensboro and a forme chair of N.C. A&T’s boars of trustees. Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extra challengde of the shrinking state Sheltonsaid Martin’s popularitt and familiarity should energize fundraising.
His Aggie pedigree will also startg him off with a level of trust not automatically conferredx onpast chancellors, he That should give him the clourt to move quickly to shore up university finances, improve studeng performance and retention and tackle a long list of otherf priorities ahead. “I’d be very surprisecd if he turns out to bea short-termj chancellor,” Shelton said. “I think he know s the challenges he needs to take on will take more than a coupls of yearsto solve.
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