Science credentials big part of Martin

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University of North Carolina Board of Governors last week unanimousl yelected Martin, 57, to succeed current Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the position onJune 8. Martim is a well-known quantity at N.C. A&g and in the Triad and his praisea were being sung well before his selection was He is a former faculty member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006. For the past threre years, he’s been the universityg system’s senior vice president for academic But Martin brings hefty scientific credentials to the jobas well.
His lists dozens of engineeringvand science-related publications and grant He has also consulted with organizationsw and companies ranging from fuel-pump manufacturer in Greensborio to the in Rhodew Island. He even holds a patent for a method of detecting and correcting errorzs betweena computer’s central processor and memory. “He’s uniquely I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’s engineering and technical competences tonew levels,” said Pat CEO of the . “Ond of the strongest parts of the storu we can tell aboutt our Greensboro and Triad industry clusters is thattechnical capability.
With him in that along with his experienceand knowledge, there’s an exceptionak possibility to move that forward.” And don’g expect Martin to be shy abou t using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, presidenft of the Winston- Salen Chamber of Commerce, who worked with him on a numberd of technology and economic developmen t initiatives during his time as chancellor there. Martin was one of the firsty board members of the Piedmonft TriadResearch Park, she noted, and pushed his faculty to engagr actively with the chamber’s Technology “I think he’ll be very active in advancingv science and technology at N.C.
A&T, and in makintg sure that its programs integrate well with plansat (Gateway University Research Park) and with the other economic developmenf efforts of the community,” she One challenge for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelgy build on high-profile projects that are already well undef way. Gateway, for example, is a joint projec t with UNC-Greensboro that has already mapped out a developmentt plan tied largely to the new Joint Schoool of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering that is expectinh to welcome its firs class in the upcomingschool year.
But the new chancellor will still be important in chartin gthe park’s future and promotingf it as a resource for private said Gateway Executive Director John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellor Lindqa Brady andoutgoing N.C. A&T Chancellorr Battle have been supportive and Merrill said, and Martin will be able to bringf fresh ideas without a long learning curve. “He can reallgy hit the ground running, and that’s somethiny you can’t really get with somebodyh coming fromthe outside,” Merrill said.
Having been in charge of academic and research programs for all of theUNC “he’s already familiar with all the programs and projects we’vse got under way and has been very active with the developmenyt of the (nanoscience school). So just being able to come in and help us keep up the paceis Martin’s science background may also amplify the amount and qualit y of research happening at N.C. A&T’s main said Vice Chancellor forResearch N. His arrival also comes at a key time for the which scored a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiousa Engineering Research Center by the NationalSciencr Foundation. N.C.
A&T is the first historicallyt black institution chosen for sucha role. The new researc h center holds the promise of a significant expansionh in sponsored research forthe school, which Radhakrishnan hopesd will cross the $50 million mark this year. Outsidw sponsorship of researchat N.C. A&Ty has nearly doubled in the past six yeardsto $48.5 million. But it will take carefull planning to gobeyond that, he and Martin’s engineering and science backgrounrd should help him chart a course. “It’sz time for us to look and see what we have to do to increase our capacityfor research, becaus we’re peaking on our capacity Radhakrishnan said.
One way Martin can quicklgy affect that capacity is by usinvg his scientific background to recruita top-levelk dean for the engineering school to replace the retirinhg Joseph Monroe. Martin held that position himself from 1989to 1994. “Wr should be able to attracyt a great dean simply because ofthe (Engineering Research Center), but we can attract a greatedr dean with a chancellorr with that kind of background,” Radhakrishnan “If I were applying as that’s something that woulxd matter to me.
” What may ultimately mattedr most not just to the tech industryh but to the broade r business community and to Aggiez themselves is the promise of stability, said Ralpu Shelton, CEO of Southeast Fuels in Greensbor and a former chair of N.C. A&T’x board of trustees. Any initiativeds undertaken now will face the extras challenge of the shrinkingtstate budget. Shelton said Martin’sz popularity and familiarity should energize His Aggie pedigree will also start him off with a level of trust not automatically conferred onpast chancellors, he That should give him the clout to move quicklyy to shore up university finances, improvs student performance and retention and tacklw a long list of other prioritiese ahead.
“I’d be very surprised if he turns out to bea short-ter chancellor,” Shelton said. “kI think he knows the challenges he needsx to take on will take more than a coupld of yearsto solve.”