CHAPEL HILL – Coppin State President Stanley Battle was named Friday as the new chancellor of North Carolina A&T during the November UNC Board of Governors meeting. His appointment is effective July 1.
Battle was unanimously approved to lead the Greensboro school just five months after former North Carolina A&T Chancellor Jim Renick resigned to become senior vice president for programs and research for the American Council on Education. Former Fayetteville State chancellor and North Carolina Community College System president Lloyd Hackney will continue to serve as interim chancellor.
Battle said the appointment was “humbling.” He added that his top objective was to make North Carolina A&T “the best institution in the country.”
“The most important objective is to get to know the campus,” Battle said.
While at Coppin State, which is part of the University System of Maryland, Battle was influential in creating initiatives aimed at improving the school’s operational budget as well as educational opportunities for students. Battle is credited with increasing Coppin State’s budget by more than 50 percent between the 2004 and 2005-06 fiscal years. Private gifts also increased during his time at Coppin State.
Battle led an initiative at Coppin State to take over a struggling Baltimore elementary, Rosemont Elementary. It is now considered as one of the best in Baltimore, according to his Coppin State biography. He also helped to launch the Academic Enrichment Academy, which worked to enhance student potential in the classroom.
Battle previously served as vice chancellor of student and multicultural affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He earned a bachelor’s in sociology from Springfield College in 1973, a master’s in social work from the University of Connecticut in 1975, and a master’s in public health from the University of Pittsburgh in 1979. Battle also received a Ph.D. from Pittsburgh in 1980.
According to North Carolina A&T Board of Trustees Chairwoman Dr. Velma Speight-Buford Battle was one of four candidates brought to Greensboro for interviews and a tour of campus.
UNC President Erskine Bowles said Battle fulfills the search committee’s charge to find the best candidate available.
“Stanley Battle is absolutely passionate about the power of higher education to change lives for the better, and I am convinced he has the ability, desire, energy, and vision to take NC A&T to the next level,” Bowles said.
Board of Governors Chairman Jim Phillips, a Greensboro resident, said Battle would be a great addition to a school he said has “amazing potential.”
“North Carolina A&T is the single greatest asset Greensboro possesses when it comes to economic development,” Phillips said.