In The News  NC A&T Board of  Trustees prior to First Regular Schedule Meeting Sept. 27, 2019, without authority to do so approved July 19, 2019 Orientation and Retreat Agenda Action Items  creating alleged Centers of Excellence


Martin Administration claim: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has created three new Centers of Excellence in    cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and entrepreneurship and innovation.  See  North Carolina A&T Creates Three Centers of Excellence; Interim Directors Named.  The centers will provide exemplary leadership in research, academic programming and community outreach, consistent with the university’s land-grant mission. The interim directors will establish interdisciplinary faculty advisory committees and external advisory committees, initiate discussions with business and industry leaders and plans for sustaining the centers for the long term. They will also assist with hiring of permanent directors and initiate strategic planning.  emphasis added .

NC Constitution ARTICLE IX  EDUCATION   Sec. 9. Benefits of public institutions of higher education.
The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.

NC A&T State allocation is 92 Million dollars. The three HBCU Centers  which maybe located off campus projected budget is $10 million per year constituting  11% of the State allocation.
 

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University Board of Trustees held a two day Orientation and Retreat at Graylyn International Conference Center – Winston-Salem, NC  Thursday and Friday July 18-19, 2019.   The Friday, July 19 Agenda included BOT Meeting, Chaired Timothy King which considered Action Item: Policy Approval's), Action Item: Approval to Establish Centers of Excellence, Action Item: Resolution Approval's)* and Discussion Item: Personnel Matter's)*.   Approvals taking place before first regular scheduled on Sept. 27, 2019.  NC A&T Board of  Trustees without authority to approved July 19, 2019 Orientation and Retreat agenda Action Items.  Video
 
NCGS § 116-32. Officers and meetings of the boards of trustees. At the first meeting after June 30 of each year each board of trustees shall elect from its membership a chairman, a vice-chairman and a secretary. Each board of trustees shall hold not less than three regular meetings a year and may hold such additional meetings as may be deemed desirable. (1971, c. 1244, s. 1.)  As well as NC A&T  Bylaws Section IV Officers A. Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary, referencing NCGS § 116-32.   UNC Policy and Code [SECTION 401.OFFICERS.] says "At the first regular meeting after June 30 of each year, each board of trustees shall elect from its membership a chair, a vice chair, and a secretary. [See NCGS. 116-32], clearly indicating the first Board of Trustee Meeting was to take place at the first Regular Board of Trustee Meeting.     Pursuant NC A&T 2019-2022 Meeting Schedule of the Board of Trustees (BOT) posted on the universities' web site.  Friday, September 27, 2019 is the first Regular Schedule Meeting of NCA&T Board of Trustees in which Retreat agenda action items could be legally considered.

Request for comment was made on September 13, 2019 to Todd Simmons Associate Vice Chancellor University Relations and Melissa Holloway Office of Legal Affairs which said:

Pursuant NC A&T 2019-2022 Meeting Schedule of the Board of Trustees (BOT) posted on the universities' web site.   Friday, September 27, 2019 is the first Regular Schedule Meeting of NCA&T Board of  Trustees.  Which is the first regular schedule meeting of NCA&T BOT after June 30th.  Which  pursuant  G.S. § 116-32 and UNC Policy and Code [SECTION 401.OFFICERS.] is the first meeting after June 30th, 2019  NC A&T  BOT could consider items approved at the July retreat.

No reply to requests was received from Simmons and/or Holloway.
 

(The) North Carolina A&T State University diverse national and international Faculty and Staff, cooperative relationships with National and International institutions, Corporations, Government Agencies, other HBCUs, and Alumni network, offers Tomorrow's Technology  &  Innovation Today.
 
NC A&T Created Center of Excellence in cybersecurity in 2009, Center for Advanced Materials in 2002 and Center for Entrepreneurship in 2002 and has established contacts supporting the existing Centers. Martin's proposed Centers will take advantage of high performance computing and visualization resources currently located in Fort IRC, Cherry Hall, and existing faculty.  
 

NSA, N.C. A&T Partnering for a Diverse Workforce

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 23, 2019) -- As a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) with a  focus in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T) has partnered with the National Security Agency (NSA) for over 20 years. To celebrate its partnership, NSA has named N.C. A&T a Featured School.

The Featured School Series highlights colleges and universities that help develop the talent and tools needed to meet national security challenges. The collaboration between NSA and N.C. A&T is being highlighted on NSA.gov, Intelligence Careers.gov and on social media.  N.C. A&T has been a National Center of Excellence (CAE) for eight years, promoting higher education and research in the critical area of cyber defense.

The school is also one of 16 colleges and universities across the country in NSA’s hiring and recruitment Campus Ambassador Program (CAP), which serves to build and strengthen relationships with select universities. Further, N.C. A&T hosted two GenCyber Camps in 2018 sponsored by NSA and the National Science Foundation, providing free summer cybersecurity experiences for students and teachers at the K-12 level.  “Academic partnerships are so vital to national security that NSA invests more than $100 million annually in support of academic partner programs, including educational grants, research and recruitment efforts,” George C. Barnes, deputy director of NSA said.  NSA aims to introduce a new featured school every few months, highlighting schools designated as Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) that have a depth and breadth of engagement with NSA. The series will also have a presence on IntelligenceCareers.gov and will be featured on social media.

 
Completive Edge North Carolina A&T State University is again expanding its graduate-level cybersecurity program.  David Arneke
Job opportunities are abundant; the White House cites estimates of the demand for cybersecurity workers growing 12 times faster than the overall job market. N.C. A&T will work with 12 other historically black colleges and universities and two national laboratories to dramatically grow the workforce of professionals, researchers and academics prepared to lead the nation’s defense against cyber attacks.   The project will be funded by the federal Cybersecurity Workforce Pipeline Consortium, a program to spark interest in cybersecurity in students from elementary school to graduate school. The $25 million, five-year program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy  and its National Nuclear Security
 
 
Administration.     A&T will be involved at the master’s and doctorate levels. Graduates from the other colleges and universities will study and conduct research at A&T. Research will focus on cyber-identity protection and privacy in addition to cybersecurity in general.
 
College of Engineering at N.C. A&T to Offer Free Cybersecurity Camp; Enrollment Open Now
 
Tonya Dixon

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 3, 2019) –The College of Engineering at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University will host two sessions of its free GenCyber Summer Camp, July 22–26 and July 29–Aug. 2, 2019, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  The day camp is open to rising eighth through 12th grade students. Campers will learn cryptography, network security and digital forensics through hands-on activities, as well as correct and safe online behavior and cybersecurity ethics.

Summer Camps at N.C. A&T Provide Enrichment Opportunities for Local Students
Tonya Dixon

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (May 31, 2019) – Students of all ages will participate in hands-on, summer enrichment camps at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University July 8 – Aug. 2, 2019. Each camp will run from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday.  From Paul Robeson Theatre to Science Xploration to Cadets That Code, multiple camps will be offered to provide enrichment activities and interdisciplinary learning in science and technology, the arts, mathematics and much more.
 
Cross Campus Collaboration Nets N.C. A&T $7.5 Million Contract with U.S.Dept. of Labor
 Joy Cook
The Division of Research and Economic Development (DORED) at North Carolina A&T State University in conjunction with Lead Principal Investigator Dr. Cameron Seay, in the College of Science and Technology, has secured a federal contract through the U.S. Department of Labor.  The five-year contract, with a value of $7.5 million, will be utilized to increase the numbers of underrepresented minorities and women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) related fields. The contract will focus specifically on information technology as it relates to talent development for mainframe computers, on which the global economy depends. The term “mainframe computer” is usually associated with the IBM Corporation. With the advent and wide availability of micro-computing in the 1980s and beyond, mainframes were targeted for extinction because of their immense size and cost. While smaller computers with tremendous power have indeed revolutionized information technology, the heaviest input/output functions such as transaction processing, airline reservations and cellular signal routing are still left to the heavy lifters: mainframe computers. Although these big workhorses still play a vital role in the technology spectrum, the United States.
 
"The goal isn't to expand mankind's body of knowledge so much as it is to expand the local economy." "Its [UNCG] historically strong programs in music, education and nursing are not the kinds of programs that spin off research and development or software companies to fuel high tech economies "
 
Rewinding to 1991-92, at bequest of UNC Board of Governors NC Legislature enacted NC GA § 116‑252. Piedmont Triad Graduate Engineering Program in support faculty and graduate students involved in engineering at the campuses of The University of North Carolina.  In doing so UNC Board of Governors rejected a $20 Million dollar NCA&T/UNC-G Engineering and Science Research Center; "but that center [Piedmont Triad Engineering  Research Center]  contains no role for  UNCG, which had hoped to get several doctoral level  programs out of a joint engineering and science research center with A&T";
Reported in the Media
: "UNCG/A&T proposal had won the enthusiastic  endorsement of top  Greensboro business leaders.  Acting through the Greensboro Development Corp., they last year commissioned a $300,000 study  to determine what areas of research  at UNCG/A&T  center could engage in to the benefit of the Triad economy and its  industries"; and I'm [banker E.S. ``Jim'' Melvin, chairman of the Greensboro Development Corp convinced it  [Research Center] is the thing to do, but we've got to work through the university system, build the case for it and get it high on the
board's priority list. That's going to take some time.'' reported Jack Scism
 TRIAD SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTER: VIABLE DREAM OR PIE IN THE SKY? , JACK SCISM, Greensboro News & Record - Monday, July 20, 1992 . (emphasis added)
 
 
Union Square Campus, Inc. called for relocating State funding programs from State owned facilities to Union Square Campus leased facilities.
 
Notwithstanding Union Square Campus, Inc. (Landlord) and NCA&T and UNC-G (Tennant) leases were not approved by the State Property Office nor pursuant UNC President delegated authority. Public Record documents implicate University Chancellors claimed to be duly authorized to execute leases on behalf of the corporation - the catalyst for fraudulent conveyance of land, improvements, loans, and lease fees to Union Square Campus, Inc..  
 
Union Square Campus is a key initiative of Opportunity Greensboro, a working group of leaders from Greensboro businesses, foundations and higher education institutions. This (alleged) national model of collaboration is identifying and acting on opportunities to transform our wealth of educational assets into economic success—creating for Greensboro a competitive advantage for business growth.  [1]   The proposed campus is designed to drive economic and workforce development for a knowledge based, global economy.   [2] The presence of a downtown university campus provides a vehicle to spur additional economic growth in the way of housing, retail stores and other opportunities . [3]  Training and education for healthcare professions – primarily nursing -- will comprise the first phase of Union Square Campus, with these initial key stakeholder/tenants: UNCG, NCA&T, GTCC, and Cone Health (Cardiovascular Physician Management Company, Inc. …) [4]  Union Square Campus, Inc. called for relocating State funding programs from State owned facilities to Union Square Campus leased facilities.  
 
 

N.C. A&T Scores Big with Union Square Partnership

The greater Greensboro community has anxiously awaited the opening of the Union Square Campus for several years. The ribbon cutting ceremony finally arrived on Friday, Aug. 5 and no other entity was as excited or proud as North Carolina A&T State University.  As one of the campus’ inaugural and pioneering tenants, along with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Guilford Technical Community College, and Cone Health, N.C. A&T will house its accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science in Nursing Completion entry programs, emphasis added.  

Notwithstanding Union Square Campus, Inc. (Landlord) and NCA&T and UNC-G (Tennant) leases were not approved by the State Property Office or pursuant President Delegated authority. Public Record documents indicate University Chancellors claimed to be duly authorized to execute leases on behalf of the corporation - the catalyst for fraudulent conveyance of land, improvements, loans, and lease fees to Union Square Campus, Inc..   Union Square    Video
 

 

Ask UNC Board of Governors, NCA&T Chancellor Harold Martin, NC A&T Board of Trustees where are NC A&T Nanoscience MS. and Ph.D. degrees.  "UNCG and NC A&T are partners. UNCG is offering graduate degrees in nanoscience; A&T will eventually offer degrees in nanoengineering."
 
 
May 2007 UNC Board of Governors established alleged Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, at bogus NC A&T / UNCG Joint Millennial campus Gateway University Research Park,  to off (a) joint interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree and (a) joint professional science master's degree.     In order for UNC-G to offer Nanoscience degrees it must access NC A&T academic circular and research [Although the degree is in Nanoscience (and does not include Nanoengineering), students will be given the opportunity to take relevant courses at the School of Engineering at North Carolina A&T University and will be able to work on collaborative projects with faculty in the school of Engineering- request to plan Ph.D. in Nanoscience. The University of North Carolina Board of Governors approved establishment of the MS in Nanoscience on November 13, 2009, and establishment of the PhD program in Nanoscience on January 8, 2010, excluding NC A&T. December 9, 2009 UNC Graduate Council recommends authorization of the joint PhD, Dr. James Sadler Associate Vice President for Academic Planning University of North Carolina Chronology. 
 
 
UNC Greensboro (UNCG) has been awarded a two-year National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of $499,912 to build the The Gate City Research Network (GCRN); a high-speed research data network that will both connect UNC Greensboro and NC A&T  with each other and enable faster, easier sharing of research with scientists around the world. 
 
NC A&T is connect to the North Carolina Education and Research Network (NC-REN) dedicated to  high speed traffic and research data.   NC A&T has two Cray Super Computers. They are like air craft carriers - we have two of them.
 

NC A&T  is ranked third in sponsored research in the UNC System since 2005 and is connect to North Carolina A&T State University increased sponsored program funding by 22% over the past five fiscal years, reaching a total of $64.3M in FY2018.

Included in this record-setting achievement is funding for five research centers totaling $11.3M. Two of the centers are housed in the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences ($4.9M), two in the College of Engineering ($5.0M), and one in the College of Business and Economics ($1.4M).

UNCG has been last in Sponsored Research among Doctorial Granting Institutions for the past five years. Source  UNC BOG Sponsored Research Report Jan 2019. Source UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA RESEARCH AND SPONSORED PROGRAMS REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT Fiscal Year 2018 March 21, 2019 .


Added N.C. A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr., “This is an exciting opportunity for researchers at N.C. A&T, UNCG and their collaborators from around the globe. My expectation is that this new data network will assist our researchers in strengthening existing partnerships and creating new partnerships that will produce innovative solutions to some of the world’s persistent challenges.”
UNCG’s Jeff Whitworth, associate vice chancellor and chief infrastructure architect, served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for this grant, with co-principal Investigators Shyam Aravamudhan, associate professor, N.C. A&T; Geoff Starnes, associate vice chancellor of information technology and deputy chief information officer, N.C. A&T; and Daniel Todd, director, Triad Mass Spectrometry Facility.   

Ask Harold "HN" Martin why is he connecting A&T research to UNC Greensboro's Gate City Network?

 
Harold 'HN' Martin and NC A&T Board of Trustees , in town on Thursday and out of town of Friday four times a year,  referred to on the university website as  leaders  may bring little to nothing to the table except for transferring NCA&T education and research assets as Collaborators with cross-town HWI UNC Greensboro and Greensboro Business organizations.