news-record.com

Dr. Harold Martin
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
University of North Carolina General Administration
P.O. Box 2688
Chapel Hill, N.C. 27515-2688

Dr. Martin:

I know this letter may be presumptuous. But I have heard your name mentioned so often and so favorably over the years — especially now — that I could not resist writing.

I don’t expect a busy man such as yourself to respond in any formal way, and I would be pleased if you would simply think about the proposal that follows.

As you know, N.C. A&T is about to begin the search for a new chancellor. It needs a CEO who has a clear understanding of, and appreciation for, teaching and research.

Someone whose credibility with deans, department heads and, most of all, professors and students, would be unquestioned.

Someone who can help A&T grow and adapt in a challenging economy that places an increasing demand on higher education.

Someone who can navigate the prickly politics of academia, especially at A&T, where cherished, old traditions and new ideas sometimes clash noisily. And where, with the right leadership, neither has to thrive at the exclusion of the other.

Someone who recognizes A&T’s critical value to the local and state economies as a center of thinking and innovation; as a major employer; as a campus especially known for its science, engineering and technology programs.

Yes, I know the search committee just held its first meeting with your boss, UNC President Erskine Bowles, only two days ago. And I know other strong candidates may emerge.

But this is an especially crucial time in A&T’s history. It will have seen four chancellors in four years when the successor to Stanley Battle is hired.

It needs vision, focus and a steady hand at the helm.

And your background uniquely qualifies you for the job.

You came to your present post from the chancellorship of Winston-Salem State University, where, by all accounts, you did an excellent job.

You led WSSU’s elevation from a baccalaureate to a master’s institution. Enrollment there doubled on your watch.

You sweated the small stuff.

I recall visiting WSSU during your tenure and a faculty member sharing how thrilled she was that you took such an interest in her professional development. Your encouragement helped convince her to pursue a doctorate.

You were deeply involved in the Winston-Salem community, most significantly in its burgeoning biotechnology industry.

When rumors (that were, alas, untrue) wafted through the Twin City that you were leaving for A&T in 2004, the Winston-Salem Journal all but begged you to stay, and encouraged the community to let you “feel the love.”

Before Winston-Salem State, of course, you made your mark at A&T, as vice chancellor of academic affairs, dean of the formidable College of Engineering and, before that, chairman of electrical engineering.

Your academic bona fides are, well, beyond bona fide: a doctorate from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from A&T. And your bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering ... also from A&T.

Obviously, President Bowles saw the same thing in you that many others see, and that’s why you’ve worked directly for him since 2006.

You are a heavy hitter in higher education’s corporate office in North Carolina.

You advise President Bowles and the Board of Governors on academic matters. You lead long-range academic planning for the whole UNC system.

You have already served as a chancellor, so it’s possible you may feel you’ve been there and done that.

I know you were a candidate to be chancellor of A&T before and saw the job go instead to Jim Renick. But maybe that wasn’t the ideal time for you and A&T, and maybe now is.

And remember, you are an Aggie. A&T nurtured you and started you on your path to academic and professional success. You know the magic of an Aggie homecoming. You also know the flammable politics and delicate tensions at a place like A&T.

Most importantly, you know that, for all of its accomplishments, A&T is only a fraction of what it can be.

You work in Chapel Hill, so you are well aware that its new chancellor, Holden Thorp, now leads the campus where he once enrolled as a wide-eyed freshman. That familiarity has informed his leadership and allowed him to leverage experience and relationships.

You may want to stay put for now. Your boss may want you to stay. He needs people like you in these extraordinary times.

But so does A&T.