UNC System appoints ‘energetic, clear-eyed’ Lee Roberts as UNC-Chapel Hill’s 13th chancellor

Nearly eight months after being named interim chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina Board of Governors announced on Friday that Lee Roberts will stay at the helm and officially become the 13th chancellor for the state’s flagship university.

“During his time as interim chancellor, Roberts has shown a willingness to listen, to learn, to approach difficult moments with humility,” said UNC System President Peter Hans in nominating Roberts to the position.

Roberts, who addressed university leaders and the public Friday afternoon, said there was “no higher calling” than supporting the university’s mission.

“I’m here to listen and to learn, to partner with you, and do what I can do to build on our 230-year history of excellence and service,” Roberts said.

While the search committee heard from more than 3,000 students, faculty and alumni in conducting its national search, Hans said that the next chancellor at Carolina must be someone who supports and welcomes many different interests and ideas.

“Someone who isn’t troubled by the often intense debate about this university’s future. Someone who understands that public scrutiny is a sign of devotion. Someone who isn’t afraid to make hard decisions, defend this institution’s core values and own the responsibilities of public leadership,” said Hans in his praise of Roberts.

Hans said he was especially impressed that when pro-Palestinian demonstrations erupted on the Chapel Hill campus last spring, Roberts avoided invitations to appear in the national spotlight to “score points in partisan news outlets.”

It was those protests, and the optics of protecting and rehanging an American flag outside the South Building, that prompted many conservative voices to back Roberts in the full-time position.

On Friday, U.S. Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) praised the appointment calling Roberts a phenomenal choice.

“He has already proven remarkable leadership and integrity during his tenure as interim chancellor, and I am excited to see him build on UNC-Chapel Hill’s well-earned reputation as one of our nation’s finest public universities,” said Tillis.

Hans said Roberts has consistently defended the academic freedom of faculty members and the rights of students at a time in which higher education is facing wide-ranging and complex issues.

“We must maintain public confidence at a time of deepening skepticism and rising polarization. We must make far-reaching decisions about the best way to support core disciplines while exploring emerging fields of knowledge,” Hans reminded the board of governors in making his own case for Roberts.

Background in finance, budget seen as a plus

Roberts, a former state budget director in the administration of former North Carolina Republican governor Pat McCrory, replaced Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz in February 2023, as Guskiewicz departed to become the president of Michigan State University.

Roberts has a background in finance, while his predecessor Guskiewicz was a neuroscientist with extensive research experience.

UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer said Roberts’ background would benefit the university well into the future.

“He served as a member of the UNC Board of Governors and as the chair of its budget committee. He has held positions on the State Board of Community Colleges, North Carolina’s Banking Commission and the Board of Visitors at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where for the last five years he taught public budgeting to graduate students. Chancellor Roberts has also served as a board member at the Golden LEAF Foundation,” said Preyer in a statement.

Hans also praised Roberts’ business acumen, saying that the next leader at UNC Chapel Hill must “deliver on the promise of operational excellence that matches Carolina’s academic prowess.”

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is ranked No. 4 in Princeton Review’s annual list of best public universities for the value.

For more background on how the search unfolded, see the timeline below:

Nov. 16, 2023: Kevin Guskiewicz, chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, says in a statement he is “weighing” the decision of whether to become the next president of Michigan State University, after being named as the sole candidate.

Dec. 8, 2023: Guskiewicz is named president-elect in East Lansing by the MSU Board of Trustees. He leaves a role in North Carolina he began as interim in February 2019.

Dec. 15, 2023: UNC-Chapel Hill names Lee Roberts — a state budget director under former Gov. Pat McCrory, private investment manager and Duke University alumnus — as interim chancellor. Roberts receives $684,053 as an annual base salary in the interim role. He pledges to operate in a “nonpartisan way” amid criticisms from Gov. Roy Cooper and others about the Board of Governors’ legislative appointees.

“To be effective in this role, you need to be able to work with Republicans and Democrats and independents and everybody else,” Roberts said. “That’s what I’ve done in my past roles.”

Feb. 12, 2024: Hans names 13 people to the university’s search committee, including five campus leaders, three trustees, two members of the Board of Governors and himself.

March 21: The search committee meets for the first time, kicking off the search for the next permanent chancellor. A top staffer for Hans announces plans to hold two rounds of “listening sessions” for public input on the search — in the spring and fall semesters.

April: Student group TransparUNCy begins holding “teach-ins” on campus, examining the politics of the university and its governance, as criticism of Roberts begins to mount among some students. In a letter to The Daily Tar Heel newspaper, more than 500 students call for university administrators to be present at one of the forums.

The search committee begins holding listening sessions for faculty, staff, graduate students, undergraduate students and alumni.

April 17: A Board of Governors committee initially proposes repealing and replacing the university system’s diversity, equity and inclusion policy.

April 30: Amid continued pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus, Roberts accompanies law enforcement to rehang an American flag at Polk Place after it was temporarily replaced by protesters with a Palestinian flag. National TV outlets and photojournalists captured protesters throwing water at Roberts and officers.

May 14: The UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees votes to strike $2.3 million from next year’s budget allocated for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

July 24: University officials backtrack on a pledge and cancel listening sessions for the fall semester. Cristy Page, chair of the search committee, says the committee received enough input between its spring forums and an online survey.

Aug. 5: The search committee presents a list of three unranked finalists to the Board of Trustees during a special meeting.

“Each candidate shares the high aspirations for what our university is and what it can become,” Page said. “Each has thoughtful ideas for how to continue and expand on Carolina’s unparalleled legacy. We are confident that our next chancellor is in this group of candidates, and I look forward to discussing them with you.”

Aug. 9: The UNC Board of Governors selects Lee Roberts to serve as the 13th chancellor at UNC-Chapel Hill.