James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal
The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal, formerly known as the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy and simply the Pope Center, is an American conservative nonprofit institute located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Martin Center is one of several public policy centers underwritten by the John William Pope Foundation. The Martin Center changed its name in January 2017 and is named after former North Carolina Governor James G. Martin. The Martin Center has attained the GuideStar Exchange Gold participation level, a symbol of transparency and accountability. History and organization The Martin Center originated in 1996 as a project of the John Locke Foundation (also founded by Art Pope), a nonprofit think tank concerned especially with free markets, limited constitutional government, and personal responsibility. In 2003, the then-Pope Center was incorporated as a separate entity. The president of the Martin Center is Jenna Ashley Robinson. The previous president was Jane S. Shaw, who retired in February 2015. Activities The Martin Center describes its role as a "watchdog" with respect to higher education in the United States in general and the public system in North Carolina in particular. The Martin Center makes available on its website many of the research