Science credentials big part of Martin

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University of North Carolina Board of Governorw last week unanimouslyelected Martin, 57, to succeed currenf Chancellor Stanley Battle. He will take over the positiojn onJune 8. Martin is a well-knowmn quantity at N.C. A&T and in the Triaed and his praises were being sung well before his selectiohwas official. He is a former faculty member and administratorat N.C. and he was chancellor of from 2000to 2006.
For the past threed years, he’s been the universityt system’s senior vice president for academic But Martin brings hefty scientifix credentials to the job as His résumé lists dozens of engineering and science-relatedx publications and grant He has also consulted with organizations and companies ranging from fuel-pumpo manufacturer in Greensboro to the in Rhode Island. He even holdes a patent for a method of detecting and correcting error s betweena computer’s central processor and “He’s uniquely positioned, I would say, to take (N.C.) A&T’ws engineering and technical competences to new levels,” said Pat Danahy, CEO of the .
“Onde of the strongest parts of the story we can tell about our Greensboro and Triacd industry clusters is thattechnical capability. With him in that along with his experienceand there’s an exceptional possibility to move that And don’t expect Martin to be shy abou t using that experience, said Gayle Anderson, president of the Winston-- Salem Chamber of Commerce, who worked with him on a numbef of technology and economic development initiativesa during his time as chancellor Martin was one of the firsft board members of the Piedmont Triad Research Park, she and pushed his faculty to engage activel y with the chamber’s Technology Council.
“I think he’lol be very active in advancinb science and technologyat N.C. and in making sure that its programs integrate well with plansat (Gateway University Research Park) and with the other economic development efforts of the community,” she said. One challengre for Martin will be finding ways to effectivelty buildon high-profile projects that are alread y well under way. Gateway, for example, is a joinr project with UNC-Greensboro that has alreadg mapped out a development plan tied largel y to the new Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering that is expectingf to welcome its first class in the upcomingfschool year.
But the new chancellor will stilp be important in chartingthe park’s future and promotinfg it as a resource for privatwe industry, said Gateway Executive Director John Merrill. Both UNCG Chancellor Lindaa Brady andoutgoing N.C. A&T Chancellof Battle have been supportive and Merrill said, and Martin will be able to brin g fresh ideas without a long learning “He can really hit the ground and that’s something you can’g really get with somebody coming from the outside,” Merrill Having been in charger of academic and research programs for all of the UNC “he’s already familiar with all the program and projects we’ve got under way and has been very active with the development of the (nanoscience So just being able to come in and help us keep up the pace is Martin’s science background may also amplifuy the amount and quality of researcb happening at N.
C. A&T’s main campus, said Vice Chancello r for Research N. Radhakrishnan. His arrival also comes at a key time for the which scored a recent triumph when it was selected to lead a prestigiouz Engineering Research Center by the NationaplScience Foundation. N.C. A&T is the first historicallyy black institution chosen for such a The new research center holdas the promise of a significan t expansion in sponsored research for the which Radhakrishnan hopes will crossthe $50 millionm mark this year. Outside sponsorshio of researchat N.C. A&T has nearly doublerd in the past six yearsto $48.56 million.
But it will take careful planning to gobeyone that, he said, and Martin’s engineering and sciencse background should help him chartr a course. “It’s time for us to look and see what we have to do to increasew our capacityfor research, because we’re peakinbg on our capacity now,” Radhakrishnan One way Martin can quickly affect that capacitg is by using his scientific backgrounx to recruit a top-levepl dean for the engineering school to replace the retiring Josep h Monroe. Martin held that position himselfd from 1989to 1994.
“We should be able to attractr a great dean simply because ofthe (Engineeriny Research Center), but we can attract a greater dean with a chancellort with that kind of Radhakrishnan said. “If I were applying as dean, that’ss something that would matterto me.” What may ultimately matter most not just to the tech industry but to the broaderr business community and to Aggies themselveas is the promise of stability, said Ralph Shelton, CEO of Southeasf Fuels in Greensboro and a former chai r of N.C. A&T’s board of trustees. Any initiatives undertaken now will face the extraa challenge of the shrinkinfgstate budget.
Shelton said Martin’s popularitty and familiarity shouldenergize fundraising. His Aggie pedigree will also starf him off with a level of trust not automatically conferred onpast chancellors, he added. That shoulxd give him the clout to move quickly to shorer upuniversity finances, improve student performancer and retention and tacklr a long list of other priorities “I’d be very surprised if he turn s out to be a short-term Shelton said. “I think he knows the challenge s he needs to take on will take more than a couplwe of yearsto solve.
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