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.
Lee Roberts speaks after being named 13th Chancellor of UNC
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 has been serving as the interim chancellor since the departure of former Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, who left in December to become president at Michigan State University.
Roberts became interim chancellor 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.
Roberts spoke hours after it became public that his former co-workers at the UNC Board of Governors had installed him as UNC's permanent chancellor.
"I could not be more honored to be selected as the 13th Chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill," he said. "This is an exceptional place with an unparalleled mission, not only to teach and learn, but to serve others and improve the state and the world around us."
Back in April, Roberts personally responded to pro-Palestinian protesters removing the American flag from UNC's quad. He walked out to the quad and helped restore the flag to its prominent position.
"(Roberts) has been willing to make tough decisions under immense pressure and to stand by the core principles of this place -- even when it's difficult," Peter Hans, the UNC System president, said during the virtual meeting. "He has consistently defended the academic freedom of faculty, the rights of students, and the interests of the institution in meeting its educational mission."
Now, Roberts will continue to lead the university during a time of major adjustments, including navigating the ongoing upheaval of the university system's former diversity policy -- an upheaval initiated by Roberts' former co-workers at the UNC Board of Governors.
The announcement Friday followed a wave of leadership changes within the UNC system.
"Lee Roberts is a phenomenal choice for chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill," said US Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC. "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 in the years ahead."
Last month, NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson announced his retirement. A search committee will be established for his replacement.
NC Central is also under new leadership.
UNC Chancellor search
A search committee of 13 voting members formed in February to seek candidates for the role. Due to a systemwide policy, chancellor searches are kept mostly confidential. All candidate identities, including those of finalists, are not available to the general public and are not subject to public records.
Search committee meetings began to ramp up over the summer, with candidate interviews conducted last week. The UNC Board of Trustees approved no less than three finalists on Monday, which was sent to Hans for his selection.
One of the search committee's major concerns during the search process was competing in what Laurie Wilder, head of search firm Parker Executive Search, called a "war for talent" in a July meeting. Almost half of the top public and private universities have conducted their own leadership searches in the last few years, she said, which resulted in a "very competitive national market."
Committee leaders also lauded the diverse backgrounds of the candidates. Wilder said they had reached out to candidates who were provosts and research leaders, as well as those with corporate and military backgrounds.
"Not every great leader has gone through exactly the pipeline that maybe one would have thought 20, 30, 50 years ago. But we're excited to have the variability to find the best leader to carry our university forward," search committee chair Cristy Page told reporters in July.
Some candidates - particularly those with political backgrounds - have previously caused outcry on university campuses. In 2022, the University of Florida was met by significant pushback when it named a sitting Republican U.S. senator from Nebraska, Ben Sasse, as the sole presidential finalist.
Citing his wife's health issues, Sasse recently resigned after spending less than two years in the position, which now sends Florida's flagship university back into the presidential search process.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.