After a months-long search, the UNC System named Kevin Guskiewicz the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Friday.

Guskiewicz, who had served as UNC’s interim chancellor since February, was unanimously approved by the UNC System Board of Governors after being recommended by the system’s Interim President Bill Roper. He previously served as the dean of the university’s College of Arts and Sciences for three years, with an extensive background as a neuroscientist and a nationally recognized expert on sport-related concussions.

When recommending Guskiewicz after a closed session of the meeting, Roper listed the interim chancellor’s track record of success in research, strategic thinking and efforts to connect with the campus community as reasons he believed Guskiewicz should have the permanent position.

“He’s demonstrated highly-effective leadership as interim chancellor,” Roper said. “He’s built strong relationships with the Board of Trustees, the Board of Governors, faculty, staff, students and the entire UNC-Chapel Hill community. Simply put, I believe he’s the right individual to lead Carolina forward into the future.”

Richard Stevens, the chair of the UNC Board of Trustees and of the chancellor search committee, issued a statement Friday morning after the announcement to express his excitement about the Governors’ approval.

“The Board of Trustees and I have been honored to work with Kevin in his interim role and truly believe he is the visionary leader that Carolina needs today,” said Stevens. “He is deeply committed to our University and its mission, prioritizing student success, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and addressing the critical needs of North Carolina and the world.”

Guskiewicz earned the interim chancellor position after former chancellor Carol Folt resigned in January, following her decision to remove the remaining parts of the Confederate statue known as Silent Sam from UNC campus. Despite the UNC System’s displeasure with the action, which made the Board of Governors ask for Folt’s resignation sooner than she’d proposed, Folt said she was “at complete peace” with her decision to step away as chancellor and remove the remnants of the Confederate monument. Folt was selected to become president of the University of Southern California two months later.

Since accepting the interim position, Guskiewicz has enacted several initiatives to address the continued tension around Silent Sam and safety on campus. Having publicly opposed any return of the statue to campus, he created the Campus Safety Commission to hear regular feedback from campus community members about how to improve safety and the Reckoning Shared Learning Initiative to foster discussions about race and heritage.

But campus community members recently criticized Guskiewicz’s response to the UNC System’s decision to settle with a pro-Confederate group over the monument, ceding possession of the statue to and creating a $2.5 million trust for the Sons of Confederates Veterans. At a UNC Faculty Council meeting last week, faculty members questioned Guskiewicz’s letter to the community, saying he did not go far enough to condemn the system’s actions. Student groups also protested UNC’s decision, asking Guskiewicz to help hold the system leadership more accountable. Guskiewicz later responded with a letter to UNC System interim president Bill Roper and Board of Governors Chair Randy Ramsey about the campus community’s concerns over the settlement.

Stevens was complimentary of Guskiewicz when announcing the search in August, saying he had led “fearlessly and admirably.” Public forums were held for campus community members to voice their opinions on qualities and qualifications of the next chancellor, in addition to the 20-member search committee led by Stevens.

Guskiewicz is the university’s 12th permanent chancellor in its 74-year history of having a chancellorship. He will receive a $620,000 base salary and start immediately.