Dean of the UNC School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health Care Dr. Bill Roper has been selected by the UNC System Board of Governors to take over as interim president of the UNC System starting on January 1, 2019.
The announcement came during an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors on Thursday. The meeting came less than a week after another emergency session was held where current president Margaret Spellings announced she would be stepping down.
Board chairman Harry Smith said Roper was his “number one choice” to serve as the interim president, citing Roper’s history leading the UNC Health Care System.
“He’s done it well,” Smith said. “He’s built a team of incredible professionals. And he has brought great and tremendous resources to the state of North Carolina.
“He is a known operator and has a long, storied history of success.”
Smith said Roper was an appropriate choice to lead the system with his background in what the chairman described as the “two pillars of society,” health care and education.
Outgoing president Margaret Spellings said Roper was an excellent choice to take the reins of the university, calling him a “friend and colleague.”
“And I know the chancellors and everyone that works in this system is thrilled. Bill is a long-term public servant who exemplifies and has the heart of a public servant. And I value our friendship; we had it before I came into this job, and we’ll have it long after.”
Spellings and Roper both held high-ranking positions in the federal government under Republican presidents in the 1990s.
Roper said the work of the university system was critically important due to its direct impact on the lives of North Carolinians.
“All 10 million-plus of them, all across the 100 counties,” Roper said. “And I’m just excited to get over the ceremonies and get on with the work.”
Roper said continued support from stakeholders across the state was key to a successful system.
“Very clearly what we need most of all – and we have it, but we need it in abundance – is the support of the people of North Carolina to operate this precious activity, the state’s public higher education system,” he said. “It takes good will, but it also takes money; it takes people working together in a collegial fashion – not for this or that group but for all North Carolinians. That’s what I’m going to be working on.”
UNC – Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt said after Roper’s appointment that he would be a wonderful choice.
“I love the way he talked about it’s all a team effort, he wants to work with everybody,” Folt said. “And that’s the Bill Roper that we’ve all seen, and he’s been very, very effective.
“So, I feel like it was a great decision.”
Roper had announced his intention to retire in May 2019 from his positions at UNC – Chapel Hill. Folt said that previous announcement will make the transition easier when losing a high-level campus official in a short time frame.
“In some ways, the timing was great for the university because he had already made that decision.”
She said she felt Roper’s appointment as interim president would help ease the transition for a new dean of the medical school and CEO of the health care system. That search process is ongoing.
Spellings had previously said she would be vacating the role of president on March 1, 2019, which would have marked three years since she took over the position. Her last day as president will now be December 31, and Roper will take over on January 1. There will be a two-week transition period where Spellings will assist in Roper moving into the role, and Spellings will remain with the system in an advisory capacity before her departure on March 1.
Roper did not give a direct answer when asked if he would like the position on a permanent basis, saying instead that he was not worried about weeks and months in the future.
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