UNC System taps Lee Roberts to lead Chapel Hill
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Photo: Courtesy of John Hansen Photography
UNC System President Peter Hans tapped Board of Governors member Lee Roberts to be UNC-Chapel Hill's interim chancellor, the system announced Friday.
Driving the news: The announcement comes just one week after UNC Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced that he would leave the university to serve as president of Michigan State University. His last day is Jan. 12.
Why it matters: Roberts, the son of the late journalist Cokie Roberts, will take the helm of a university that has been embroiled in controversy and political tension in recent years.
The intrigue: Roberts served as Republican Pat McCrory's state budget director between 2014 and 2016. He holds degrees from Duke and Georgetown Universities, and has been an instructor at Duke.
- He's served on the Board of Governors since 2021, but he has no experience in university administration, the News & Observer notes.
- Rather Roberts' experience lies in the private sector. He co-founded private investment firm SharpVue Capital in 2016, where he now serves as managing partner and leads the company's real estate investment effort.
In an interview with the News & Observer, Roberts said skills he's gleaned from working in the private sector emulate "what the best chancellors do."
- "I think to be effective in this role, you need to be able to work with Republicans and Democrats and independents and everybody else," he told the N&O. "And I think that's what I've done in my past roles."
What's next: A search for a permanent replacement for the chancellor's role will launch in the coming months, the system said in a release Friday.