Harold L. Martin Sr. Honored with Peter McPherson Lifetime Achievement Award

ORLANDO, F.L. (Nov. 12, 2024) – Harold L. Martin, Sr., Chancellor Emeritus at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, was honored today with the Peter McPherson Lifetime Achievement Award at the APLU Annual Meeting currently taking place in Orlando. The APLU award recognizes an individual whose career has been dedicated to the service and leadership of public and land-grant universities.

“We’re delighted to recognize Harold Martin with the Peter McPherson Lifetime Achievement Award,” said APLU President Mark Becker. “Throughout his career, he not only led North Carolina A&T State University to new heights, but also championed and strengthened the public universities and HBCUs through his service on behalf of the community.”

Throughout an extraordinary career, Dr. Martin demonstrated an exceptional dedication to advancing student success, research and discovery, and community and economic engagement.

Under Dr. Martin’s visionary leadership, North Carolina A&T solidified its position as America’s top educator of African American STEM graduates. During his fifteen-year tenure – which at the time made him the longest actively serving HBCU or University of North Carolina System leader — the university experienced remarkable growth, with enrollment increasing from 10,613 to 13,885 students in 2023.

It became nation’s largest HBCU in 2014, a position it has held every year since, and today finds itself on the cusp of attaining R1-Very High Research Activity status in the Carnegie Classifications, having exceeded entry criteria during Martin’s final year as chancellor.

Dr. Martin’s exceptional leadership and dedication have been recognized through numerous honors, including the Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s Educational Leader Award, the North Carolina Award – the state’s highest honor, which he will receive later this week – and his service on the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He also served on the APLU Board of Directors as well as the Board for Food and Agricultural Development, an advisory body appointed by the president to help promote food security and economic development in the U.S. and abroad.

To be eligible for the Peter McPherson Lifetime Achievement Award, recipients must have: served as president or chancellor of an APLU institution; have led a career dedicated to the ideals and mission of public higher education/embody the ideals of APLU; and been active in APLU and other higher education leadership communities. Peter McPherson was APLU president from 2006 to September 2022. During his tenure, he expanded membership by dozens of institutions, including allowing members from Canada and Mexico; oversaw the expansion of a sophisticated federal advocacy arm; and more than doubled the size of the association’s staff to work in partnership with member institutions on projects aimed at helping them better serve students, communities, their states, the nation, and the world.