Our Coalition hopes that Lee Roberts will be the right leader at the right time for the University of North Carolina.
We are cautiously optimistic that our new chancellor will protect against interference by legislators and trustees that has eroded UNC’s academic excellence, integrity and independence.
His selection had been widely expected since April, when he was endorsed by two powerful legislators: Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore. They praised his handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
Their statements and the accelerated search process concern many people on campus and in our coalition.
But Roberts’ strong political support may give him the standing to resist outside interference. In his first media interview this week, he said his experience working with state leaders will be “useful and relevant.”
He has pledged publicly to be independent and nonpartisan. He has reiterated that intention in private conversations. He pushed back in May when some trustees targeted long-time Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham.
Roberts has the backing of UNC System President Peter Hans, who in January sent the Board of Trustees a letter cautioning them to, as one trustee put it, “stay in our lanes.” Hans reminded trustees that their role is to be advisers and advocates for the university, not to run it.
Read our article about Hans’ memo: https://coalitionforcarolinafoundation.org/2024/03/
Roberts: Ties With State Leaders “Useful”
On Monday, his first day as chancellor, Roberts was interviewed by Korie Dean of The News & Observer. She wrote:
“Roberts said his experience working with state leaders will be ‘useful and relevant, both in budget discussions with the General Assembly and more broadly’.”
In the interview, Roberts also talked about the future of DEI programs, campus protests and his relationship with the Board of Trustees.
Read the full story: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article290974235.html#storylink=cpy
Holden Thorp: Roberts is “Best Choice”
Holden Thorp, who was chancellor from 2008 to 2013, wrote on Facebook this weekend:
“In the current era of higher education, Lee Harriss Roberts is the best choice to lead UNC now. Traditional academics (including me) have tried to serve in the role the last 14 years and gotten our souls crushed by trying to adapt our academic values to the demands of the current moment. Lee has the skills needed to navigate these situations. For those who think this is a political takeover, maybe best to remember that the political takeover happened in 2010 (I oughta know).
“My quote: ‘That’s a hard job…. He has many of the tools you need to do it. The fact that I might disagree with him about policy on one thing or another, well, these things have been hashed out in North Carolina for the last 15 years and it’s clear where it’s going, and I think he’ll do a great job of leading the university in this environment’.”
President Hans’ Statement
UNC President Hans, who selected Roberts from four candidates identified by the search committee and recommended by the Board of Trustees, said in his announcement:
“Every era is unique in its challenges and the possibilities it presents, and as a result, every chancellor search is different. We have found the right leader for this moment in Carolina’s history because the questions facing public higher education are wide ranging, enormously complex and likely to become magnified in the years ahead.”
He added, “Leadership in Chapel Hill is not for the faint of heart.”
In the UNC System’s news release, Hans said:
“When I appointed Lee Roberts as interim chancellor, I said that Carolina would benefit from his calm, steady and focused leadership, and it has. He has a deep respect for the university’s traditions and excellence, but also a conviction that Carolina has room to grow and improve. He is someone with the right combination of reverence for this university’s history and restless aspirations for its next chapter.”
Read the news release: https://www.northcarolina.edu/news/lee-h-roberts-elected-chancellor-of-the-university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/
The Accelerated Search Process
The N&O reported last week:
“Originally expected to conclude near the end of the year, the search sped up considerably in recent days, with Roberts being named just over a week after an undisclosed number of candidates completed interviews with the search committee and four days after the campus Board of Trustees submitted finalists to Hans.
“The accelerated timeline meant students and other campus community members were given fewer chances to weigh-in on the search than the committee originally announced, leaving some students to feel that their voices went unheard during the process.”
Full story: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article290888149.html
Why was the process sped up? Apparently, UNC System leaders wanted a permanent chancellor in place before students return this week – and before there are more protests.
Roberts’ Eight Months as Interim Chancellor
In The Assembly, “What Lee Roberts’ Interim Months Tell Us About How He’ll Lead UNC-Chapel Hill,” Erin Gretzinger quoted both criticism and praise for the new chancellor:
“Roberts has extensive political connections from his time as state budget chief under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, but critics have noted his lack of significant academic experience and that much of his previous work was in behind-the-scenes finance roles. An alumnus of Duke and Georgetown universities, Roberts had no UNC System ties before his appointment to the Board of Governors in 2021.
“Still, in his semester as chancellor, Roberts secured support from conservative governing board members and politicians—and even impressed and surprised some skeptics.
“Faculty who spoke with The Assembly, including leaders who’ve worked with Roberts directly and others watching from a distance, conceded that he’s shown chops for managing the complex constituencies of higher education and a willingness to listen, even when he might not like what he hears.”
Read the full article: https://www.theassemblync.com/education/higher-education/lee-roberts-chancellor-search-unc-chapel-hill/
UNC’s Fourth Chancellor Since 2008
UNC has had 13 chancellors in the almost 80 years since World War II. Roberts is the fourth in the 16 years since 2008.
The turnover has come since Republicans took control of the General Assembly – and appointments to the Board of Governors and Board Trustees – in 2010.
Since then, there have been three chancellors. Thorp stepped down in 2013. The next two were forced out: Carol Folt in 2019 and Kevin Guskiewicz last year.
A history of UNC Chancellors: https://alumni.unc.edu/history-of-the-chancellorship/