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The interim president of the University of North Carolina system will not seek the job on a permanent basis, he said Wednesday.
Instead, Bill Roper will continue as interim president through June 30, 2020. The decision about his future comes a day after the controversial chair of the system’s Board of Governors, Harry Smith, announced plans to step down from the chair position at the beginning of October.
“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,” Roper said 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. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to serve and I thank the UNC Board of Governors and our institutions for their continued support.”
Roper, who was dean of the UNC School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health Care, became the system’s interim president after Margaret Spellings resigned from the job. Spellings decided to resign in October last year, with her last day coming months later.
The UNC system already has a confidential presidential search under way.
