NC’s top community college leader is expected to be named UNC System president Friday
Peter Hans, president of the North Carolina Community College System, is expected to be named the new president of the UNC System on Friday morning.
The UNC System Board of Governors will elect a new president in a meeting by video conference and in a meeting room at the system office in Chapel Hill at 9:30 a.m. Friday.
Board of Governors member Leo Daughtry confirmed that Hans is expected to be named the new leader.
Daughtry said “it’s pretty much the consensus” that Hans would be recommended by the search committee. He said some other board members spoke to Hans on Thursday before the emergency board meeting was announced.
Daughtry, who is not on the search committee, said he didn’t know who the other candidates were. He said Hans will be a good choice.
“I’ve known Peter a long time,” Daughtry said. “He’s a good guy.”
N.C. House Minority Leader Darren Jackson also confirmed that Hans was the choice. The news was first reported by WRAL.
Hans background in NC education
Hans could not be reached by phone or email Thursday afternoon.
For the past two years, Hans has been leading the state’s 58-campus community college system. He’s also the co-chairman of the Board of Directors of MyFutureNC, a statewide nonprofit organization created to improve the educational attainment gap in North Carolina.
Before that, Hans served three terms on the UNC Board of Governors, including as chairman from 2012 to 2014. He was also a consultant to former UNC President Margaret Spellings and to Roper in his role as CEO of UNC Health Care.
Hans also previously served as vice chairman of the State Board of Community Colleges and served for six years on that board, starting in 1997.
UNC has had interim leader since January 2019
The UNC System president oversees 17 campuses across the state, including UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State, that serve nearly 250,000 college students and gifted high school students.
This wouldn’t be the first time Hans was considered for the position as UNC System president.
Republican legislative leaders reportedly wanted Hans to get the job in 2015 when the UNC System was searching for a replacement for former President Tom Ross, the News & Observer previously reported.
Margaret Spellings was named president then and she served for three years, despite the 5-year contract she signed. Her departure was unexpected and her tenure was marked by some challenges and political controversies. Those issues included protests over the Confederate statue at UNC-Chapel Hill, “Silent Sam,” and a state law regulating transgender bathroom use, known as House Bill 2.
Spellings was at odds with a faction of the board, and in the end, both parties agreed it was time for a change, The News & Observer previously reported. She was earning $775,000, plus deferred compensation of $77,500 annually.
Roper, former UNC Health Care CEO and dean of UNC’s medical school, was selected to replace her and has been the interim president since January 2019. Last year, Roper said he wouldn’t be seeking the position permanently.
The UNC System presidential search has been actively ongoing since June 2019, but was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The presidential search committee has been meeting and evaluating candidates virtually for the past few months, until this week when they did interviews in person.
The Presidential Search Committee is co-chaired by Wendy Murphy and Randy Ramsey. Board members Darrell Allison, Kellie Hunt Blue, David Powers, Phil Byers and Carolyn Coward are also on the committee.
Kimberly Strach, former executive director of the N.C. State Board of Elections, is leading the search but does not have a vote.
