CHAPEL HILL, N.C. _ UNC system Interim President Dr. Bill Roper said Friday that he thinks the Silent Sam Confederate statue should not be returned to its original location at McCorkle Place, a main gateway to the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
He did not further state an opinion about what should ultimately happen with the statue. A Board of Governors committee has been charged with working alongside campus leaders to figure out a location for it.
Roper said he has begun the search for an interim chancellor to succeed Carol Folt, who is stepping down next week, and hopes to have someone in place soon. He planned to meet with faculty leaders on Friday afternoon and student leaders on Monday.
The UNC Board of Governors on Friday gave Roper the authority to negotiate a financial package for the outgoing chancellor, who announced her resignation last week simultaneously with her decision to remove the remaining pedestal of the controversial Confederate monument.
The board also voted to release an after-action report on the events of Aug. 20, when the statue was toppled by protesters.
In his first formal remarks to the board as interim president, Roper said the campus will be prepared to move forward. "The leadership bench at UNC-Chapel Hill is strong," he said Friday. "On Jan. 31, we will have strong leadership in place to continue that institution's progress."
He made the point that the university is 225 years old and will weather this storm well. He said the interim leader will be in place as the decision is made about what to do with the statue.
A search for a permanent successor to Folt won't start until summer, and that process could take a year, Roper said. So the interim chancellor must be ready to jump in and lead now, he said.
"It will need to be someone who knows the situation here and who is known by the people here, so the person _ she, he _ can hit the ground running without needing months to get up to speed about what our situation is," he said.
He laid out the criteria he thinks are necessary for the next leader. Roper said the person "must be a well-known entity here in North Carolina" and "a person of strength and stature" and "gravitas."
"We need an interim chancellor who will be able chart the right course ahead and to push back where needed," Roper said.
Finally, Roper said, the interim chancellor will have to have his trust and the trust of system leaders.
"We're not in the business of micromanaging key leaders across the state," he said. "We have 16 other strong institutions, from Elizabeth City to Cullowhee, and our state rightly expects all of our institutions to receive the attention and support they need to thrive."
Board of Governors Chairman Harry Smith said the search for a permanent chancellor will happen while Roper is in place as the UNC president. There is no need to wait until a permanent president is in place to go through that search process, he said.
"We have total faith and trust in Bill Roper's ability to manage that process," Smith said. "Bill's in charge and in full charge."
Roper, the former CEO of UNC Health Care, has found himself president of the 17-campus system at a tense time from his first day on the job. He joked Thursday that his wife congratulated him on making it through his first week, and hoped he would make it through the second.
When asked if he were interested in the job permanently, he said: "Some members of the board have told me they think I'm doing a pretty good job, and we'll just how that all works out."
Roper praised his predecessor, Margaret Spellings, and Folt, as she prepares to depart next week.
"Carol Folt is a friend, an outstanding leader of an outstanding flagship, who has stewarded and guided her university through treacherous waters. ... North Carolina owes Carol a debt of gratitude for her service and commitment."
