Q&A with UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The Carolina blue walls are a staple of the chancellor’s office in South Building on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s campus. The accoutrements that adorn the bookshelves and walls tend to be specific to the current resident, thereby offering a glimpse into the individual leading the university.

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During a recent interview with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts, who was named interim chancellor in January 2024 before removing the interim tag eight months later, it was difficult not to notice the extensive Carolina athletics paraphernalia scattered about his office. There was a football helmet on the mantle and a lacrosse helmet across the room on the bookshelf. There were basketballs signed by both the men’s and women’s teams behind his desk, along with a baseball helmet. One shelf had a sign celebrating the 2024 national championship in women’s soccer.

Roberts has embraced the importance of Carolina athletics and the role they play in marketing the university while also providing the alumni a unifying bond. That’s the significance of an athletic department that boasts 52 NCAA team national championships and a broad support of 28 varsity sports.

What follows is an edited transcript of a sit-down interview with Roberts exploring his view of athletics’ role within the university footprint and his efforts to modernize the athletic department in the time of NIL and revenue sharing.

Where does athletics fit in terms of your macro view of the university?

“Athletics is really important to what we do here. I certainly wouldn’t say it’s the most important thing that we do, but I’ve never heard anybody say it’s not one of the important things that we do. I always come back to Dean Smith’s formulation of athletics as the front porch of the university, and it’s arguably the most visible thing we do. 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.

“It’s important for affinity among our alumni. I’ve seen this firsthand, and I’m sure a lot of your readers have as well, you put any group of Carolina alumni from all different backgrounds, all different ages, all over the world, you put them together in a room, and pretty soon they’re talking about Tar Heel basketball. And that’s a remarkable bond that our alumni have. It provides an exceptional opportunity for our over 800 student-athletes. It’s an important source of pride for our university and for our state. So it’s important not to let the tail wag the dog, but athletics are an important part of what we do here at Carolina.”

Your level of involvement in athletics during your time as chancellor has been unprecedented. Previous chancellors have by and large been hands off when it comes to athletics. Why have you chosen to take a different approach?

“Well, I’ve said before and I’ll say again, that Bubba Cunningham is one of the most experienced and respected athletic directors in the country. I’ve been to multiple away games with him in multiple sports, and it’s remarkable to see the number of people that he knows in athletic departments around the country and the respect and esteem with which he is held. I try to do this with all our senior administrators, but particularly with one as experienced and respected as Bubba: he has broad discretion to run our athletics effort as he sees fit, and I think he’s done a terrific job.

“We’ve had a really strong 2025 in terms of hiring, not just the football coach and the general manager there, but adding general managers in three other sports, adding a chief revenue officer, putting the succession plan in place with Steve Newmark. I in no way have nor intend to micromanage the athletics department. At the same time we’ve had, I think, just by fate, since I became chancellor, a number of strategic decisions to make within Carolina athletics and within college sports more broadly. It’s been an exceptionally unusual time with the ACC litigation, the renewal of the ACC television contract, the agreement and implementation of the House settlement. I don’t really know whether I have a different style than my predecessors, but it’s clear that there have been some dynamics underway in college athletics that I think have been unusual.”

My understanding from past conversations with senior officials is that the athletic department was more or less siloed in its positioning with the university and therefore was responsible for its financial solvency. That seems to have changed in recent years. For example, the university has provided direct institutional support to the athletic department, according to NCAA financial documents. Is that a byproduct of the changing landscape with NIL and revenue sharing?

“The direct support has increased absolutely because of the increased cost of having a top-tier intercollegiate athletics program. It’s important to recognize sometimes that gets mischaracterized as support for football. Football pays for itself. It’s one of the few things we do around here that we ask it to pay for itself. But given the additional money that we need to invest in football in the current era, it’s harder for football to support all our other sports, and that’s what the transfer is for. We think a lot of our peers do something similar.

“It’s important to remember that at schools like the Ivy League schools, their central transfer is actually much greater because the cost of running a football program, theirs is less, but it’s not that much less, and they have no commensurate revenue virtually to offset the cost. So these transfers are nothing new. We intend at Carolina for the central support to be temporary, to be a bridge to long-term financial sustainability for all of our sports, and we’re proud of fielding the 28 sports that we field. We’ve had tremendous success across the board and in a wide range of sports. And we intend for that not only to continue but to raise the bar, and that requires supporting athletics at a new level.”

What have been the primary challenges with NIL and revenue sharing? And do you think you are getting close to the point where it feels as though you’re getting your hands around it?

“It’s as big a change in the structure of college sports as anybody has ever seen. We are doing our best to stay on offense and make sure that we are adapting as effectively as possible. We’re fortunate that we have so many terrific supporters of Tar Heel athletics, so many alums and boosters who want to support our teams across the board. That’s made a huge difference to our ability to stay competitive. And we’re going to fully fund the revenue share, as I think most schools in our conference and all of the schools with whom we compare ourselves also plan to do.

“It’s a significant change. It requires more revenue from the athletics program to distribute to the athletes, and it requires looking for more ways to drive new sources of revenue, sponsorships, marketing, things that you haven’t necessarily seen before in college athletics. That’s why we hired Rick Barakat. That’s why Steve Newmark’s expertise is going to be so helpful and relevant. Again, we’re not alone in that. Every school we compare ourselves to is doing the same thing.”

In terms of the revenue generation, is that something that needed to be brought up to speed within the athletic department?

“I think it’s fair to say that we haven’t needed to drive revenue as aggressively in the past as we clearly do now. And again, that’s true for not just Carolina, but for everybody we compare ourselves to. Just when you watch a college football or basketball game, you’ll see more of it this year. There’s clearly been more aggressive use of sponsorship and marketing opportunities, and I think you’re going to see that continue. Everybody’s trying to figure out how to drive revenue.”

The Rams Club has been pushing the benefit of individual sport endowments to help offset some of the expenses involved. Can you speak to the importance of that effort factoring into the some of the increasing revenue costs that are in play?

“Sure. First of all, we couldn’t be more proud of the wide range of sports that we field here at Carolina. I was on the sideline in Cary when we won our 23rd national championship in women’s soccer. I was on the sideline in Boston when we won our fourth national championship in women’s lacrosse. It’s been an eventful year and two-thirds, or whatever it’s been as chancellor, but when I think about the highlights of my time as chancellor so far, those moments really stand out. Just being able to celebrate with our student-athletes and our parents and alumni. There’s nothing else like winning a national championship and we’ve done as good a job as anybody, particularly when it comes to women’s sports and the non-revenue sports.

“So we’re going to continue to invest in them and support them. The endowment concept is an attractive one, trying to put as many programs as possible on a stable, independent, long-term footing. That’s not something that happens overnight. It takes time to raise those endowment dollars, but we’ve received a lot of really positive interest from our alums, parents and other supporters, and we’re going to continue to press forward with that.”

And in terms of the scholarships, that seems like a pretty big boost in terms of what the Rams Club is going to be providing with their endowment.

“Yes, that’s the same issue again that everybody is facing with the change in the interplay between roster limits and scholarships. We intend to fully fund as part of our mission to stay as competitive as possible.”

Bubba Cunningham mentioned in May that he wasn’t sure how the roster limits got into the House settlement and that he thinks that the roster limits may not even be around in three years. Do you have an opinion on that?

“Well, I think it’s clear to say that the House settlement is not the end of the changes in college athletics. The premise of the House settlement was that it would dry up the third-party collectives and that it would forestall future litigation. The House settlement has been in effect [since July 1], and that’s already proven not to be true. It does have the benefit of preventing an adverse judgment against the conferences and the NCAA, which would have bankrupted them. And it makes sense for that reason, but I don’t know of anybody who is satisfied with the status quo in college athletics as enshrined in the House settlement. You’ve seen a lot of discussion about a legislative solution. The President put out an executive order [in July] that was constructive, but I think the conferences and the NCAA and individual schools are going to continue to press for more rationalization of the college athletics landscape from Congress.”

There was significant news back in the spring about the ACC’s settlement with FSU and Clemson, and how that opened the door for just having to pay the exit fee without losing media rights to leave the conference. What’s the magnitude of that settlement in terms of conference affiliation discussions and planning moving forward?

“So I know there’s been a recent round of coverage implying that something has changed with respect to our posture. Nothing has changed. I don’t know what generated this round of coverage. We’re proud to be members of the ACC. As you know, we’re charter members. We’ve been proud members since 1953. We have a responsibility to do what’s best for Tar Heel athletics and for the University of North Carolina, and we’ll continue to do that, as we always have.”

How do you think the Carolina North site can best be utilized for the university, given the enrollment growth planned over the next decade?

“Carolina North is going to be a full-blown satellite campus. It’s a mile and a half from here. It’s actually about the same distance from here as the Smith Center is, and it’s 800 acres. Two hundred acres are already cleared and graded. It’s, as you know, right on MLK (Blvd). It’s very close to Interstate 40. It’s not far from the 40-85 split, which means it’s accessible by car for the majority of North Carolina’s population. Easily accessible. We’ve got ample water and sewer capacity there.

“I think we have a responsibility, as with everything we do here, to use it for the benefit of the people of North Carolina. And what that means to us is a full blown live, work, study, research, play environment that will have certainly a residential component, both undergraduate and graduate student housing. It’s crucial to helping address the affordable housing challenge in the town of Chapel Hill, and we’ve had that conversation and continue to have it with the mayor and other elected officials. We envision classroom space, office space, lab space, much of it in partnership with private sector partners. There are some very successful developments around the country that serve as examples both of what works and some of what doesn’t work as well, but it’s going to ultimately be a very vibrant, mixed-use campus community.”

UNC recently announced the athletic director transition plan with Steve Newmark stepping into Bubba’s role next summer. Did you have a previous relationship with Steve that helped in this process?

“Yes, I’ve known Steve for close to 15 years. We met in a business context, tremendously respect his judgment, his intellect, his experience. I think he has the right mix of skills for Carolina athletics at this point in history. We’re delighted that we were able to ensure that Bubba Cunningham isn’t going anywhere, and that we’ll continue to have his expertise and experience supporting our efforts. I believe we have the best of both worlds. We’re able to bring in Steve’s experience with sponsorship and marketing and revenue generation and media contracts. I think that’s crucial to us as we navigate this new landscape, while continuing to have Bubba’s tremendous experience, expertise, industry relationships and stature in the business.”

Was there a need to find someone with Steve’s marketing and fundraising resume, which is different from the typical athletic director mold, due to the changes in the current collegiate landscape?

“Certainly, I think it’s helpful, and I’m delighted that somebody of Steve’s caliber and background was willing and available. It’s important to point out that he grew up here in Chapel Hill. He didn’t go to Carolina, but he’s a lifelong Tar Heel sports fan, and he has a passion for Carolina athletics that is as strong as anybody working in our athletics department now, and so we’re excited about bringing him on board. We’re excited about the future.”

Any closing thoughts that you would like to share?

“We are blessed here at Carolina by an unparalleled history and tradition in college athletics. We’ve been playing football here since 1888. We’ve been playing football in Kenan Stadium for almost 100 years. Our basketball program has unmatched history and tradition. Most schools would give anything to build the kind of legacy that we have in athletics, not just in football and basketball, but across the board. And the challenge for us as we navigate this unprecedented uncertainty in college athletics is, how do we stay true to and honor that history and tradition, that historic success, while continuing to innovate and match the times?

“I think when you look at the success that Carolina has had in the past, it’s come from striking that balance. Our basketball program is remarkable in that everybody in a leadership position there has a direct connection back to Coach Smith. And I don’t know if there’s another program in the country like that, but it’s exceptional. Coach Smith is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Coach Smith believed deeply in the history and tradition and legacy of Carolina basketball, and he also was highly adaptive to and responsive to changing circumstances, whether that was the Four Corners offense or racial integration in college basketball. I was privileged to meet with Charlie Scott here [in July] in this office, our first black scholarship player. That was Coach Smith. He deserves credit for seeing how the world was changing and making sure that Carolina stayed on offense. And that’s what all of us who are privileged to be asked to serve in these roles have the responsibility of doing for Carolina.”