John Preyer, who has served on the UNC Board of Trustees for more than six years and was formerly its chair, resigned from his position last week.
Preyer, a UNC alumnus who earned an undergraduate degree in political science in 1990, joined the Board of Trustees in 2019. During his tenure, Preyer spearheaded several major university moves, including the establishment of the School of Civic Life & Leadership in 2023. In a release, UNC called the school “a national model for restoring debate and critical thinking on campus.”
Notably, Preyer also played a key role in the hiring of Bill Belichick as UNC’s head football coach in 2024. According to a story published by ESPN in March, Preyer was unhappy with the school’s dismissal of former head coach Mack Brown and pushed hard for Belichick, even going so far as to submit an “unofficial offer sheet” to the head coach’s agent without the approval of Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham or Chancellor Lee Roberts. Preyer did not comment for the ESPN report.
“I want to thank John for his dedicated service on our Board of Trustees,” Roberts said in a statement. “John’s leadership has been instrumental in advancing the University’s development and upholding the Board’s mission to serve our students, faculty and staff with excellence. We could not be more grateful for his commitment and contributions to the University.”
The hiring of Belichick was not the first time Preyer and Cunningham had butted heads. In May of 2024, Preyer and the Board had asked for an audit of Cunningham’s athletic department, with Preyer saying, “I have tried to get more information from athletics and have had a couple of meetings with the athletic director and, candidly, I end up with more concern and more questions having done that.” Cunningham will be leaving his post as athletic director this summer to inherit a new administrative position within the university.
Among Preyer’s other notable accomplishments with the Board of Trustees is the co-founding of UNC’s Institute of Risk Management and Insurance Innovation. According to UNC, the institute has raised more than $8 million “to train the next generation of industry talent utilizing data science and AI.”
“Carolina is the No. 1 public university in the world,” Preyer said in a statement, “and these programs will help ensure that well into the future. I’ve never felt better about the University and its leadership so now is the time for me to get back to my day job.”
Preyer’s resignation comes as the Board of Trustees is embroiled in a lawsuit filed by former UNC provost Chris Clemens, who sued the university and the Board last September for allegedly violating state open meeting laws. Clemens said the inciting incident for the lawsuit stemmed from a March meeting during which policies and practices related to tenure were improperly debated in closed session. North Carolina open meeting laws require public bodies such as the Board of Trustees to conduct “hearings, deliberations and actions” in a manner open to members of the public, whether in person or online. The lawsuit also alleged the open meeting laws were violated during the hiring of Belichick.
Preyer’s term had been set to expire in 2027. The Board is scheduled to next meet Jan. 21-22 at the Spangler Center, part of the school’s Friday Center complex.
Featured image via UNC-Chapel Hill
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