North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University elected a new chancellor on Friday.

James Martin II, the newly elected chancellor, is an accomplished civil engineer who has led engineering and STEM initiatives at three large public research universities.

Martin’s appointment at North Carolina A&T will begin on Aug. 15. He succeeds Harold Martin Sr., who will retire after 15 years as chancellor.

Martin served four years as the U.S. Steel Dean of Engineering in Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. He has decades of experience as an engineering professor, institute director, dean and leader of science initiatives at major public universities, including Clemson University and Virginia Tech.

“During his career, he has promoted academic innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and improved organizational culture. He will now lead the nation’s largest historically Black university on a trajectory to become a top-tier research institution,” said an announcement of his election.

“James Martin is the right leader to engineer North Carolina A&T’s continuing rise,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “He believes in what he calls ‘impatient optimism,’ a productive sense of possibility in what can be achieved when people think across disciplines, feel a sense of shared purpose, and commit to an ambitious vision. It’s exactly the kind of mindset that will help affirm the university’s status as one of the nation’s best research institutions and engines of social mobility.”

As dean at Pittsburgh, he oversaw an engineering program with 2,900 undergraduates, 850 graduate students and 200 faculty. There he raised research dollars by 50 percent, built strategic partnerships with industry and government, and increased diversity, enrollment and graduation rates. Previously, he chaired the civil engineering department at Clemson University and was the founding executive director of Clemson’s Risk Engineering and Systems Analytics Institute (RESA).

“North Carolina A&T is a recognized national leader in harnessing technology and access to learning to unlock human potential,” Martin said. “That’s one of many reasons why it’s so exciting to have been chosen to lead the university at a moment when America is in particular need of the very things that North Carolina A&T does best. Our students, faculty, staff and alumni are on an incredible ascent, having accomplished so much in recent years. I look forward to joining them on that journey and ensuring that we continue to build on A&T’s exceptional momentum as we set ambitious new sights for the months and years ahead.”

His numerous national, state and university awards for research, teaching, scholarship and service include the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Norman Medal, the highest honor for published work in his field. He was also inducted into the Virginia Tech Department of Civil Engineering’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 2015.

“Dr. Martin is an exceptional leader with a strong vision for where we can take our university in the coming years,” said A&T Board of Trustees Chair Kimberly Bullock Gatling. “North Carolina A&T has enjoyed enormous success in recent years, and I have no doubt that Dr. Martin will continue the university’s strong ascent and increase our national presence as a doctoral, research land-grant HBCU.”

“We were fortunate in this national search to draw a very competitive field of applicants and nominees from across the country. It was gratifying to see a certain standard of quality in leadership throughout the field,” said Search Advisory Committee Chair Hilda Pinnix-Ragland, former chair of the A&T Board of Trustees.

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NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — Over 800 new jobs are coming to rural communities across North Carolina.

The state’s Rural Infrastructure Authority (RIA) is an appointed 17-member board that awards Rural, Community Development Block Grants and Utility grant funds.

Governor Roy Cooper announced Thursday the RIA approved 20 grant requests to local governments, which totals over $8 million. This will create 802 jobs, 408 of which were previously announced.

This funding will help with things like repurposing buildings, downtown development and industrial projects. Among the counties receiving funding are Nash, Wayne, Johnston and Franklin.

“Continued investments in building capacity and utility infrastructure are critical for attracting more economic opportunities to rural North Carolina,” Gov. Cooper said. “With these grants, all North Carolinians can access a better quality of life and increased economic prosperity.”

The public investment in these projects will attract more than $474 million in public and private investment.

SEE ALSO | NC economic grants aimed at helping rural communities often go to already booming areas: I-Team

Kendre’ Harrison probably has more collegiate options than any other high school player in America.

The exceptional two-sport athlete out of Reidsville is ranked No. 28 in basketball, and No. 17 in football nationally according to Rivals. He has right around three dozen scholarship offers in both sports.

The North Carolina Basketball program became the latest one on Thursday. It’s appropriate that it occurred during a football event on the UNC campus.

The 6-foot-7 power forward now has hoops offers from Florida State, Georgetown, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Penn State, Texas A&M, and Wake Forest.

We spoke with Harrison a couple of weeks back at the EYBL session in Memphis. At that time he told us that he had been on the campus in Chapel Hill 15 times. Barring another trip in between then and now his offer from Hubert Davis came on visit number 16.

When it came to the Tar Heels’ basketball program Harrison told us last month, “They really like me. I don’t think they offer sophomores like me. I’m always on the football side of UNC. I’m always there. When I do get to talk to the basketball coaches they tell me they like me. They like how I play defense, and how I move around for my size. They just want to get me back on campus for the basketball side.”

We spoke again Thursday evening for a brief time after his big offer from Coach Davis.