Lee Roberts elected as next UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor
Chancellor Lee Roberts gave an interview in his South Building office on Friday, Jan. 12, 2024.
Lee Roberts, UNC’s acting interim chancellor, was elected to fulfill the permanent chancellor position by the UNC Board of Governors with a unanimous vote in a Friday special meeting. Hans named Roberts as the University’s interim chancellor in December after former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz stepped down to lead Michigan State University.
Hans addressed the BOG Friday morning, giving an address about his choice of Roberts, saying that when he first appointed Roberts as interim chancellor, he said that UNC would benefit from “calm, steady [and] focused leadership.”
“[Roberts] has been willing to make tough decisions under immense pressure and to stand behind the core principles of this place, even when it's difficult,” Hans said. “He has consistently defended the academic freedom of faculty, the rights of students and the interests of the institution in meeting its educational mission, as all of you know quite well, chancellors don't get to make easy calls.”
The BOG voted on and elected UNC System President Peter Hans’ nominated finalist, Roberts, after three or more candidates were sent to him from the UNC Board of Trustees, meeting to discuss the search on Aug. 5.
Samuel Scarborough, an organizer with the Southern Student Action Coalition, said on Aug. 7 that he would not be surprised if Roberts was selected.
“We condemn the selection of Lee Roberts as permanent chancellor, and condemn the entire chancellor search process,” Scarborough said.
The selection process
Hans originally announced the UNC Chancellor Search Advisory Committee on Feb. 12, which was chaired by Dr. Cristy Page, executive dean of the UNC School of Medicine and chief academic officer of UNC Health. Hans, under UNC System policy, was a voting member of the committee.
Members of the committee included Hans, Page, two members of the BOG, three members of the BOT, Chair of the Faculty Beth Moracco, Chair of the Employee Forum Katie Musgrove, Student Body President Christopher Everett, President of the UNC General Alumni Association Veronica Mora Flaspoehler, Chancellor of UNC Greensboro Frank Gilliam and UNC alumnus and partner at Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard Jim Phillips Jr. There was notably no graduate student representation on the committee.
In early April, the advisory committee held two days of listening forums at UNC for students to share their perspectives and concerns, with the only attendees from the committee being Phillips and Everett.
Page announced in July that the second round of stakeholder group listening sessions, originally scheduled for the fall, would no longer be held, saying that the committee did not think there was added value in repeating the process. Page added that information from a survey sent out last spring was helpful.
The committee also hired search advisory firm Parker Executive Search, specializing in high-level positions at universities, athletics departments, sports businesses and private companies.
The SSAC, a student organization at UNC, shared a post on their Instagram account including information about the search company, questioning its trustworthiness.
The firm was publicly scrutinized for decisions about high-level positions in the past, including that of former President of the University of Iowa Bruce Harreld, who was selected in 2015, despite a lack of experience in higher education and who submitted a resume with errors and omissions. The same year, the firm was blamed by University of Minnesota-Twin Cities for hiring an athletic director who later admitted to sexually harassing two employees.
The firm was also criticized by faculty members at East Michigan University in 2015 for not making the search for a new president public, with faculty members saying they felt shut out, according to information from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
UNC student and organizer with SSAC Alexander Denza said that the shortened timeline of chancellor selection, originally slated to be completed by the end of the calendar year, was suspicious. He described the quick turnaround of the committee moving from many qualified applicants to a selected pool in a matter of weeks as rigged.
Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts grasps the American flag as it is put back up at Polk Place while he is surrounded by UNC police and protesters on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
A controversial interim term
Throughout his interim term, spanning almost seven months, Roberts has been criticized surrounding controversial changes on campus, highlighted by the University’s decision to arrest and suspend pro-Palestine protesters who were a part of the Triangle Gaza Solidarity Encampment located on Polk Place.
On April 30, hours after demonstrators had been arrested that morning, Roberts and UNC Police Chief Brian James led UNC System police officers to the center of a group of demonstrators who removed the U.S. flag from the Polk Place flagpole, putting up the Palestinian flag.
Police pushed aside protesters and surrounded the flagpole. As police restrung the U.S. flag after Roberts took pictures with it, officers pepper sprayed the surrounding crowd.
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Charges against students who were arrested in April, and others who were later served, have not been dropped, unlike some other institutions who arrested students and community members in pro-Palestine demonstrations last spring.
UNC Campus Y, a hub for student activism on campus with a model stemming from the 1960s, was abruptly closed by University administration May 1, with Campus Y leadership saying that the building was locked by the University on April 30.
After an outpouring of support, the building reopened on May 6 with revised hours from 8 p.m. to 5 p.m., as well as reservation portals for space within the building designated to 25Live, a platform which requires training for use, previously organized through the Campus Y.
On July 31, University Communications announced the Campus Y Committee to examine the future of the Campus Y building and make recommendations about its governance and use, chaired by former Chancellor James Moeser and former BOT Chair Richard Stevens.
Committee members include Campus Y Co-President Sari Ghirmay-Morgan and Yalitza Ramos, Campus Y’s director. According to members of Campus Y staff, the committee did not originally include any members who held positions at the Campus Y, with the organization asking for them to be added.
Controversy also surrounded the University’s decision to change UNC’s student-led Honor Court — a system that was used for over 100 years — to a staff-led version. An email sent to the campus community on July 17 said that the change was to ensure consistency among cases and relieve burden on students involved in the honor court.
“The role was never a burden,” student leaders from across the Honor System wrote in a joint statement. “Rather, it was a deep honor that we carried with conscience and diligence.”
Interim Chancellor Lee Roberts sits in the Board of Governers meeting on May 23, 2024.
Partisan ties
Before becoming chancellor, Roberts was a member of the BOG, from 2021 until his appointment. He also previously held the role of budget director for Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, working on the $2 billion Connect N.C. Bond initiative which developed infrastructure for UNC System and community college campuses, as well as local government projects.
Roberts also serves on the board of directors of Variety Wholesalers, Inc., a private retail company, with CEO, owner and chair James Arthur “Art” Pope. Pope served in the N.C. House of Representatives, in positions throughout the Republican party, state budget director under McRory and is a current member of the BOG.
Roberts described his role with the company as nonpartisan, saying that serving on a corporate board “has no bearing.”
According to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit research group that tracks money in U.S. politics, Pope has donated over $1.6 million over the past 26 years to recipients within or affiliated with the Republican Party.
The research group also shows multiple donations of over $30,000 to the Republican National Committee and a donation of $100,000 to the Senate Leadership Fund.
N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger endorsed Roberts to take on the permanent role after UNC arrested members of the solidarity encampment. N.C. House leader Tim Moore also said that Roberts should “100 percent” take on the permanent role.
When Roberts first assumed his role as interim chancellor, he spoke about growing up with a tradition of public service within in his family. Roberts described having parents who were journalists and grandparents who were members of congress, speaking about some of his goals in the position.
“First, do no harm, as it says in the Hippocratic oath. Second, ensure a smooth transition. Third, make sure students and faculty and staff have what they need. And fourth, leave the place a little bit better than how you found it,” Roberts said.
