UNC’s interim leader approved for permanent job

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — After several months of speculation over who would fill the chancellorship at North Carolina’s flagship university, interim leader Lee Roberts has been picked to be the 13th chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Roberts was approved Friday by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The announcement means the end of yet another highly anticipated chancellor search in the state’s public university system, which has filled four other vacancies in the past year.

UNC System President Peter Hans, who was charged with nominating a chancellor pick for the board to vote on, said UNC needs a “set of fresh eyes” to chart the university’s path forward during a turbulent time for higher education. He called Roberts “the right leader for this moment in Carolina’s history.”

“I have a deep respect for those who invite dissenting opinions and make a point of engaging with thoughtful critics, and Roberts has demonstrated that instinct time and again,” Hans said during the meeting.

Roberts was announced as interim chancellor in December after previously serving on the UNC Board of Governors since 2021. His experience has been primarily focused on finance, ranging from his position as the state budget director for former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory to the founder of an investment firm in Raleigh.

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