UNC vice chancellor and general counsel Mark Merritt is leaving the university after just over two years in that role.

Merritt most recently was in the spotlight as the university is navigating legal waters in an attempt to define a lawful plan for the future of the Confederate monument on the Chapel Hill campus known as Silent Sam.

UNC Chancellor Carol Folt and provost Bob Blouin announced in a message to the campus community on Monday that Merritt will be leaving the university at the end of the year.

“I am grateful to Chancellor Folt and the Board of Trustees for the opportunity to serve Carolina over the past two years,” Merritt said in a statement issued by the university. “However, I have also missed what I used to do: being an advocate for clients in the courtroom. While I look forward to returning to a place that I know and love, I’ve enjoyed my time here tremendously, made many good friends, and contributed my best to furthering the mission of Carolina.  Carolina’s foundation is strong, and I am confident that the best years for Carolina are ahead of it. I look forward to advancing its interests as I return to my role as a private citizen.”

Campus administrators said in Monday’s message that Merritt “let us know his intentions to return to Charlotte earlier this fall.” Merritt will return to the Robinson Bradshaw law firm.

Merritt was selected to serve as the university’s general counsel in 2016 following a nationwide search.

Merritt led the university through the final legal stages of the long-running NCAA investigation, which resulted in no punishment against UNC.

Merritt previously served as the president of the North Carolina State Bar.

He was a Morehead-Cain scholar and graduated from UNC in 1979 before earning his law degree from the University of Virginia.

Merritt will continue to advise the university on “critical issues” until a successor is appointed, according to the university.

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