UNC system interim president Bill Roper announced on Wednesday afternoon that he will continue to serve in the role until June 30, 2020, but he will not seek the full-time role.

Roper announced his decision in a letter to vice chair of the UNC System Board of Governors Randy Ramsey. In it, he said it has been an honor to serve as the leader of a top public university system.

“After serious contemplation and consultation with others, I believe that setting a clear time frame is the right course of action to give our system the time to plan for a successor,” said Roper in a statement. “This additional time in service will allow me to reach the goals and obligations set when I began the role of interim president. This will also give the Presidential Search Committee the time it requires to find a permanent replacement, and I have no plans to seek that position.”

The UNC System presidential search committee is in the early stages of the process to name a new full-time president. The committee said the goal was to have a new president named in the spring of 2020.

Roper served as the dean of the UNC School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Healthcare before taking over as interim system president at the start of 2019. He was selected after former president Margaret Spellings stepped down from the position.

Roper’s announcement comes just one day after the chair of the UNC Board of Governors Harry Smith revealed he would be resigning from the leadership position. Smith’s seat on the board runs through 2021.

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