Lee Roberts formally became the 13th permanent chancellor of UNC on Friday, being sworn into the role as part of University Day events in Memorial Hall as the university celebrated its 231st birthday.
Roberts — who took the oath of office on the traditional day to be sworn in after having been named to the position in August — shared his vision for how UNC can continue to grow and its integral role in supporting North Carolina. Both he and UNC System President Peter Hans referenced the change in leadership as a “new chapter” for the state’s flagship university, with Roberts saying the goal is to still set the bar for “what higher education should be, in North Carolina and beyond.”
“I commit to all of you that I will tirelessly protect and champion that legacy,” the chancellor said. “I’ll do everything I can to support your good ideas, encourage opportunities, and continue building a community where everyone can thrive.”
In addition to Hans and UNC Provost Chris Clemens, Roberts was accompanied on stage for the ceremony by his wife Liza, who held the Durant bible for the swearing-in, and North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Paul Newby, who issued the oath.
Much of Roberts’ speech afterward likened the university’s role and goals to the trees filling the campus, like the white oak that grows beside and above the iconic Old Well. He described the trees as examples of a symbiotic relationship to their environment, like UNC to the state and how the state has supported the university, and added that Carolina’s exceptionalism comes from its history and ability to stay grounded to the needs of North Carolinians.
Roberts’ background is different from some of his predecessors. He is not an academic, like Guskiewicz, Carol Folt, or Holden Thorp before him, and has a background rooted in finance more so than higher education. Roberts attended Duke University for his bachelor’s degree before attending Georgetown for his Juris Doctorate, meaning he has little lived experience in public education before serving on the UNC System’s Board of Governors for two years.
Hans and UNC’s trustees, however, have championed this difference in perspective as a bold step for the flagship campus, leading the university at a time as higher education institutions aim to secure their place with further investments in business-like approaches. Roberts referenced adaptation in his speech Thursday, using the recent landscaping overhaul around the Old Well as a metaphor. The university replaced aging azalea plants with a variety of native plant species to ensure year-round blooms and greenery.
“We hold to tradition, but we know how to adapt and change,” said Roberts. “We have a reinvigorated and resilient landscape because of it. All three pieces — the solid and unchanging Old Well, the magnificent oak, the adaptable flowers — remind us to hold tightly to our unwavering mission, look toward the future, and remain willing to think big.”
During his comments introducing Roberts, Hans described the former UNC System Board of Governors member as a “Tar Heel by choice” and a leader willing to listen to all sides of a conversation or debate before making measured choices.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone quite so eager to listen while so many people tell him he’s wrong on any given subject,” Hans said, “and I know from experience that is a key skill in a university leader. So I share with Lee Roberts a deep respect for Carolina’s excellence and a conviction that it has plenty of room to grow and to strive. North Carolina is a dynamic place with all the excitement and anxiety that comes with rapid change. This university must be what it’s always been to the people of North Carolina: a vital resource, a steady source of wisdom and insight in turbulent times, and an engine of opportunity for everyone.”
The full University Day ceremony in Memorial Hall can be found on UNC’s YouTube channel.
Protests Continue Advocacy of Pro-Palestine Causes
Roberts was not the chancellor at the last University Day celebration, but the day was marked with protests and clashes on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by the terrorist group Hamas on civilians in Israel and the subsequent Israeli military’s attacks in Gaza. As then-Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz denounced violence and antisemitism in Memorial Hall, students on the Polk Place quad were facing off with opposing signs and shouting opposing views.
The anniversary of the escalated war between Israel and Hamas played a role in Friday’s University Day event as well, with several pro-Palestine student organizations holding a picket line outside Memorial Hall before and during the event.
The crowd of pro-Palestine protestors outside Memorial Hall.
The protest’s participants especially called on the university to divest funds. Chants from the crowd included phrases like “UNC you’re painted red” and “UNC pick a side,” which grew louder when protestors inside the auditorium walked out mid-ceremony, their hands raised and painted red. Directed towards the chancellor, the few dozen protestors outside yelled in unison: “Lee Roberts you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide.”
Inside Memorial Hall, some protestors stood up silently and raised signs once Roberts was officially installed, exiting when the chancellor began to give his address.
Organizations, like the UNC chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, have largely blamed Roberts, administrators and UNC trustees for not denouncing the violence of Israel’s military in Gaza and making a larger effort to ensure the university’s endowment is not investing in companies that support Israel. The investment fund, however, is controlled through the nonprofit UNC Management Company, Inc., which trustees and the chancellor do not oversee — as detailed during the Board of Trustees’ meeting in September.
Protestors leave the ceremony to join the crowd of protestors on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
Is Earning Students’ Trust An Uphill Battle?
Friday’s protests against Roberts represent just a fraction of the campus community, but his selection to lead UNC has come under fire since being named interim chancellor in January. A variety of student groups and some outspoken faculty alike pointed to Roberts’ lack of higher education credentials as a reason for concern, and his selection for the permanent after a nationwide search drew further criticism that the former Board of Governors member was fast-tracked for the job.
Roberts gained some national attention and praise from elected Republican leaders for his response to pro-Palestine protests on campus in April. That included directing police to arrest 30 people for violating campus policies and forcefully clash with demonstrators to restore the U.S. flag after it was taken down in place of a Palestinian flag on April 30. Since then, students and faculty members have further criticized the handling of the incidents, with additional protests held in the summer and fall. The chancellor, meanwhile, has maintained the demonstrators crossed the line with their free speech when it became a disruption to university operations.
A combination of those factors lead to UNC’s Graduate and Professional Student Senate to pass a vote of no confidence in Roberts and Provost Clemens on Tuesday. The group — which is the legislative branch of the post-graduate student government — asked Roberts to resign from the role, citing the “opaque, undemocratic, tokenistic” search process and his lack of higher ed qualifications.
Featured photo via UNC-Chapel Hill’s livestream.
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