Carolina's 13th chancellor

On Dec. 15, 2023, UNC System President Peter Hans named Roberts interim chancellor of the University. Hans lauded Roberts as “a patient leader, generous listener and someone raised with the values of public service.”

Upon his appointment, Roberts remarked: “If you care about higher education, if you care about the future of the state and if you care about public service, you have to care about what happens at Carolina. We don’t have a more important institution in the state.”

Roberts began serving as chancellor on Jan. 12, 2024. During his first semester, he met with campus leaders, students, faculty, researchers, staff and alumni and began setting priorities for the University. He announced committees to examine enrollment planning, generative artificial intelligence, the physical master plan and applied sciences, all crucial to Carolina’s future.

On May 11, 2024, Roberts presided over his first Spring Commencement, welcoming astronaut Zena Cardman ’10, ’14 (MS) as keynote speaker. In his address to the graduates, Roberts told them to embrace their Carolina experiences moving forward.

“The confidence and certainty from your time here, the relationships you’ve built and the skills you’ve gained have prepared you to enter a world full of uncertainty,” Roberts said.

After serving in the interim role, Roberts was elected by the UNC System Board of Governors as the University’s 13th chancellor on Aug. 9, 2024.

At a campus event following the news, Roberts said, “There is no higher calling than supporting our mission every single day. To me, this University stands, above all else, for the ideal of public service, for helping the people of this state and all those who are touched by this place to achieve their greatest potential. As chancellor, I promise to be guided by that principle as we work together to carry North Carolina into the future.”

On Oct. 11, 2024, Roberts was officially installed as chancellor on University Day, following University tradition.

During his speech, Roberts spoke about the University’s service to the state and committed to growth, both in the number of students Carolina serves and in the ways the University fulfills its mission of education, research and public service.

“Today marks a new chapter in the inheritance of a remarkable legacy,” Roberts said. “I commit to all of you that I will tirelessly protect and champion that legacy. I will do everything I can to support your good ideas, encourage opportunities and continue building a community where everyone can thrive.”

Accomplishments and vision for Carolina

Since taking office, Roberts has pursued a focused agenda: strengthening STEM education and research, advancing artificial intelligence, expanding enrollment and access for North Carolinians, modernizing the physical master plan and sustaining academic excellence across campus.

Building out STEM education and research

In March 2026, Roberts and the University welcomed Magnus Egerstedt as executive vice chancellor and provost. A renowned robotics researcher, Egerstedt previously served as dean of engineering at the University of California, Irvine.

Carolina is also looking to expand its engineering academic offerings, something Roberts has said will benefit North Carolinians.

“We’re going to continue to build out our engineering capabilities,” Roberts said. “We’re just trying to fulfill our obligation to serve the state, and the workforce demand could not be more clear.”

Roberts’ financial and budgetary background has shaped his approach as chancellor.

Alongside other University leaders, Roberts has helped Carolina navigate changes to research funding, advocating for the University with state and federal leaders and developing new approaches to a changing research funding model. His focus has been to ensure that Carolina remains a research powerhouse that improves the quality of life across the state, nation and world.

UNC-Chapel Hill conducts $1.6 billion in sponsored research annually and is the 11th-ranked university in the nation for research expenditures. Statewide, 2,187 UNC-Chapel Hill research projects directly address the health, education or well-being of North Carolinians. Carolina research added $2.9 billion to the state GDP in fiscal year 2025, strengthening North Carolina’s overall economic output.

“Our students, faculty and staff are tackling the world’s biggest challenges with creativity and purpose,” Roberts said. “From labs to classrooms to communities across our state, their work shows that research truly changes lives.”

Carolina’s research mission is also closely tied to its health and medicine enterprise. Through the UNC School of Medicine, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC School of Nursing, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy and UNC Health, the University advances work that improves lives across North Carolina, from clinical innovation and cancer care to public health, environmental health and community-based care. Roberts’ service on the UNC Health board reflects the importance of that partnership to Carolina’s mission and to the state.

Advancing artificial intelligence for the public good

As artificial intelligence continues to evolve quickly, Roberts has emphasized the need to prepare students for the workforce they will enter and to ensure Carolina helps shape the technology for public good.

The University is pursuing AI work across fields that affect North Carolina and beyond, including knowledge, health, opportunity, environment, government and quality of life.

Through offerings like the AI Acceleration program and Library AI Studio, Roberts has stressed the importance of incorporating AI into curricular pathways to improve AI literacy and harnessing the technology to bolster research.

In April 2026, Carolina hosted the inaugural AI for Public Good Conference, bringing industry and academic leaders together to consider AI’s impact and how it can best be used in the future.

“We have always seen our role as understanding the latest technology and incorporating it into our service to the people of North Carolina,” Roberts said. “And we have not just the opportunity but I would argue the obligation to do that once again, with this transformative new technology.”

Expanding enrollment, access and service to North Carolina

Carolina’s longstanding commitment to providing a comprehensively excellent and affordable education has continued under Roberts’ leadership. Building on the foundation of the Carolina Covenant, the University launched a program in fall 2024 to cover tuition and mandatory fees for North Carolina undergraduates from families earning less than $80,000.

Together, these efforts reinforce Carolina’s role as a public university that expands opportunity for students across the state while maintaining the academic excellence expected of the nation’s first public university.

Roberts created a new senior vice provost for student success role, now held by James Orr, to strengthen coordination across student services, academic advising and overall success.

Recognizing that North Carolina is among the nation’s fastest-growing states, Roberts has said the nation’s first public university must also grow.

Carolina enrolled a record number of new students in fall 2025, a first step in Roberts’ 10-year plan to increase enrollment by 5,000 students over the next decade.

“We have a fundamental obligation to the people of this state,” Roberts said. “As North Carolina continues to be one of the fastest-growing states in America, the demand from qualified North Carolina students is only going to increase.”

Public service is at the core of Carolina’s mission, and Roberts is deeply invested in North Carolina’s success.

“He offers a broad understanding of Carolina’s role and potential as a Tar Heel by choice, someone who didn’t grow up here but fell in love with the place and its possibilities,” Hans said of Roberts.

Roberts took his inaugural summer tour of North Carolina in July 2025, spending time in the western part of the state and focusing on Hurricane Helene recovery.

A year later, Roberts spent his second summer tour in eastern North Carolina to see Carolina’s support in action and discuss ways the University can benefit the region through economic development, healthcare, research, military partnerships and workforce development.

Roberts has also supported Carolina’s expanded presence in Washington, D.C., through Carolina in the Capital, a dedicated platform for engaging Congress, federal agencies, national associations, alumni and partners on issues important to the University and the state.

Through the Carolina Across 100 initiative, the University reaches all 100 of North Carolina’s counties, putting its research, health and education resources to work in communities statewide.

“The Carolina Way is coming together to support each other and serve the state.”

That spirit is reflected in many of Roberts’ priorities for the University.

Modernizing the physical master plan for campus

To account for enrollment growth, Roberts has directed the University to invest in student housing and update its physical master plan.

Carolina is planning its first new residence hall in roughly 20 years, with 734 beds across two buildings on the site of Jackson Hall, where the Office of Undergraduate Admissions was based. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2026, with planned occupancy in fall 2028.

Carolina provides housing to around half of its undergraduate students, exceeding most peer institutions, and is planning to renovate, replace or rebuild several residence halls across campus in the coming years.

Plans also call for undergraduate and graduate student housing at Carolina North, one of the biggest undertakings for Roberts and the University.

Carolina has long discussed developing the site of the former Horace Williams Airport at Carolina North, and Roberts identified it as a major priority for UNC-Chapel Hill early in his chancellorship.

In January 2026, Carolina unveiled plans for a campus development initiative at Carolina North, 1.6 miles north of main campus off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Groundbreaking is expected in 2027, with plans to include academic buildings, student and family housing, research and bioengineering buildings, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and nature spaces, including existing trails.

“The demand from qualified North Carolina students is only going to increase,” Roberts said. “If we do not create the physical capacity to serve more of them at the same level of excellence, we will either have to turn away thousands of our own citizens or diminish the quality of the education we provide. Neither is acceptable for the state’s flagship university.”

Roberts views Carolina North as a project that “belongs to everybody” and is crucial for Chapel Hill, Carrboro and other Triangle communities. He wants the University to be a constructive partner in expanding local housing options.

“Not just for our own students and graduate students, but for the working families of the town of Chapel Hill, most of whom have some connection to the University,” Roberts said. “It’s in our enlightened self-interest to provide that housing and add to the supply.”

A commitment to excellence across campus

The University most recently ranked as the No. 4 public institution in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings. Carolina was also named the No. 1 best value among public universities for the 21st straight year by the outlet. Carolina graduate programs routinely rank among the nation’s best.

Carolina has appeared on Forbes’ “new Ivies” list in three consecutive years, recognized for its track record in setting students up for success.

“Our goal is to be the nation’s best public university,” Roberts said.

Beyond rankings, Roberts has overseen several initiatives to improve the academic experience at Carolina, including modernizing the University’s honor court system, bringing together two schools to form the UNC School of Data and Information Sciences and restoring the UNC School of Education’s elementary education program.

During Roberts’ tenure, UNC-Chapel Hill launched the UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership, first within the College of Arts and Sciences and later as a free-standing school. With its founding dean in place, the school now serves as a national leader in the study and practice of public discourse, civic life and civic leadership. Carolina has also received top honors from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression for free speech on campus.

In spring 2026, Roberts welcomed country music star and North Carolina native Eric Church to campus to speak at Spring Commencement, where he delivered a keynote address about his “six strings theory.”

Roberts has also helped Carolina protect its teaching, research and service missions during a time of budget pressure while directing plans to identify operational efficiencies and strategic cost savings across the University.

That work has included a University-wide budget reduction and reinvestment strategy with $89.2 million in planned savings over three years, including ServiceFirst changes, with reinvestment in enrollment growth, campus safety, classroom and lab renewal, AI and research capacity.

In November 2025, Moody’s Ratings affirmed the University’s Aaa issuer rating and stable outlook, citing Carolina’s exceptional strategic position, superior student demand, large sponsored research platform and strong support from the State of North Carolina.

Promoting Carolina Athletics, the University’s “front porch”

An avid college sports fan who is regularly seen at games across campus, Roberts likes to borrow a quote from legendary former Tar Heel men’s basketball coach Dean E. Smith in referring to Carolina Athletics, one of the most consistently successful programs nationally, as the University’s “front porch.”

“It’s arguably the most visible thing we do,” Roberts said. “It’s a way of attracting people to learn more about Carolina, and then they come in the house and see all the wonderful things that are going on.”

During Roberts’ time as chancellor, Carolina has continued to win national titles at the team and individual level.

Roberts has also welcomed prominent Carolina alumni and sports figures back to campus, including Mia Hamm ’94, a four-time NCAA champion, two-time World Cup winner, two-time Olympic gold medalist and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year, who delivered the 2025 Spring Commencement address.

In working with Carolina Athletics leaders Bubba Cunningham and Steve Newmark, Roberts has welcomed new football and men’s basketball coaches to Chapel Hill, including eight-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick and NBA Finals winner Michael Malone.

Roberts serves on the College Football Playoff Board of Managers, which governs the CFP’s business, property and affairs. He also serves on President Donald J. Trump’s commission on college sports reform.

Early life and education

Roberts heads a University with public service at the heart of its mission, and public service is a tradition in his family.

He was raised in Washington, D.C., as the son of two journalists, who served the public good through their shared profession. His mother, the late Cokie Roberts, was a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PBS and ABC News. His father, Steven Roberts, worked for The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and other national outlets.

Roberts’ maternal grandparents, Hale and Lindy Boggs, were both longtime Democratic Congressional representatives from Louisiana.

“I grew up in D.C. with kind of a tradition of public service. My grandparents were members of Congress. My parents were both journalists. And I’d always been around politics and policy,” said Roberts. “I always thought that if I had the opportunity to do something like that, I would want to do it.”

Roberts graduated from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1990 and earned a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1994.

Previous professional experience

Following his studies at Duke and Georgetown, Roberts launched a career in banking and real estate investment. His previous roles include:

• Executive director, Morgan Stanley
• Managing director, Cherokee Investment Partners
• Managing director, Coley Capital/Oaklane Capital
• Managing director, Piedmont Community Bank Holdings

In 2014, then-North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Roberts as state budget director. In the role, Roberts developed the governor’s 2015-17 biennial budget of approximately $45 billion.

He led the $2 billion Connect N.C. bond initiative, which passed in 2016 as the first general obligation bond issue in North Carolina in 15-plus years. Roberts called this “the most important thing we did” in his state budget director role. “A billion dollars of that went to higher education, new projects across the UNC System.”

In 2016, Roberts co-founded SharpVue Capital, a Raleigh, North Carolina-based investment firm, where he worked until 2024.

Higher education has long been a deep interest for Roberts, who served as a member of the UNC System Board of Governors and chair of its budget committee. He also previously served on the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges and the Board of Visitors at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy.

Roberts has also served as a board member at the North Carolina Banking Commission and Duke Raleigh Hospital, and he chaired the investment committee for the Golden LEAF Foundation, which focuses on economic renewal in parts of the state once dependent on the tobacco industry.

From 2020-24, Roberts taught classes at Duke on public budgeting and real estate investment.

Family life

Roberts is married to longtime financial journalist Liza Roberts, the founder of Walter, a Triangle arts and culture magazine, and author of a book on North Carolina visual arts called “The Art of the State.”

They are parents to three children and have a nephew at Carolina.