List of leaders of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
The leader of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, referred to as the chancellor, is the chief executive officer of the university. The chancellor is recommended by the university's board of trustees and selected by the president of the University of North Carolina and the board of governors. The chancellor reports to the board of trustees for the operation and management of the university.
In 1971, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation bringing all 16 public institutions that confer bachelor degrees into the University of North Carolina System. As a result, the university became a constituent institution and Lewis Carnegie Dowdy, the college's sixth president, was reappointed as the college's first chancellor in July 1972.
There have been six presidents and seven chancellors in the university's history. John Oliver Crosby was elected as the first president of the "Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race" on May 25, 1892. The twelfth, and current, Chancellor of North Carolina A&T is Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr. Elected May 22, 2009, Martin is the first alumnus of the university to hold the position.
List of presidents and chancellors
| Number | Name | Tenure | Life | Notes and events |
| 1 | John Oliver Crosby | 1892–1896 | First President of the college, designed the first buildings on the permanent campus in Greensboro, created the first two academic departments: the departments of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. | |
| 2 | James Benson Dudley | 1896–1925 | 1859–1925 | Restructured the college's curriculum to prepare students for jobs that were currently available; created the teaching department and summer school. |
| 3 | Ferdinand Douglass Bluford | 1925–1955 | 1882–1955 | Headed the college for 30 years, serving longer than any president or chancellor in the school's history, raised the college rating From "D" class to "A", Created the Graduate School and the Schools of Colleges and Schools of [North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University#College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences|Agriculture], Education, General Studies, Engineering, and Nursing were established as well as the Technical Institute. |
| 4 | Warmoth Thomas Gibbs | 1956–1960 | 1892–1955 | College became accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges; published the first written account of the college's history. |
| 5 | Samuel DeWitt Proctor | 1960–1964 | 1921–1997 | President during the Greensboro Sit-Ins of the 1960s. |
| 6 | Lewis Carneige Dowdy | 1964–1972 | 1917–2000 | College experienced one of its greatest periods of growth, in academics, athletics, capital improvements, research funding, grants, and external financial support; Reorganized, and created new, academic departments such as the Schools of Education, Colleges and Schools of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University#Willie A. Deese [College of Business and Economics|Business and Economics] and the College of Arts and Sciences. |
| – | Lewis Carnegie Dowdy | 1972–1980 | 1917–2000 | Reappointed as the N.C. A&T's first chancellor when the university became a constituent of the University of North Carolina in 1972. |
| 7 | Cleon Franklin Thompson Jr. | 1980–1981 | 1931-2024 | Interim chancellor 1980–1981. |
| 8 | Edward Bernard Fort | 1981–1999 | Guided the university to national prominence as a leader in engineering and technology education; initiated more than thirty new academic programs; awarded the first Ph.D.s in mechanical and electrical engineering; completed more than $50 million in new construction and nearly $30 million in facility renovations; expanded enrollment, increased the globalization of the campus; established the Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center. | |
| 9 | James Carmichael Renick | 1999–2006 | 1948-2021 | University experienced record enrollment; new campus infrastructure added to the physical plant; established a $100 million capital campaign. |
| 10 | Lloyd Vincent "Vic" Hackley | 2006–2007 | Interim Chancellor 2006–2007. | |
| 11 | Stanley Fred Battle | 2007–2009 | Re-centered the university's academic excellence by enrolling the finest freshman class in 25 years; university was the first HBCU to receive the prestigious Engineering Research Center grant awarded by the National Science Foundation; Established the first Wall Street trading room at a HBCU; College of Engineering ranked top 25 in the nation. | |
| 12 | Harold Lee Martin, Sr.† | 2009–2024 | The first alumnus appointed as chancellor, he transformed A&T into one of America's fastest-growing doctoral research universities with a 246% increase in applications, made it the nation's largest HBCU, and boosted its endowment to a record $202 million. Significantly improved A&T's enrollment and academic performance, research funding rose by 138% to $147.4 million, and its economic impact on the piedmont triad region grew from $978 million to $2.4 billion. Developed key facilities, including the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering & the Harold L. Martin Sr. Engineering Research and Innovation complex. | |
| 13 | James R. Martin II | 2024–present |