Effective August 1, Peter Hans will serve as president of the University of North Carolina System after a year-long national search.

The University of North Carolina Board of Governors elected Hans, the current president of the North Carolina Community College System, June 19. Hans has served as president for two years. He is also the board vice-chair of myFutureNC, a commission to raise the state’s educational attainment level.

In an email, Chancellor Sheri Everts said she looks forward to “sharing with the new president the stellar work of our faculty, staff and students.”

Hans holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies from Harvard University.

“Public education has been the cornerstone of my life and helped shape my years of public service,” Hans said in a press release. “My goal is to make higher education more affordable for more North Carolinians so we can extend opportunity to all of her citizens.”

Hans assisted former U.S. Senator Lauch Faircloth (1995-1999), U.S. Senator Richard Burr (1999-2001) and former U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole (2001-2002).

Margaret Spellings served as president from March 2016 until March 2019. Bill Roper has served as the interim president since January 2019. During Spelling’s term, Hans advised her on issues related to technology, health care, strategic planning and K-12 education.

“Congratulations to my dear friend and colleague Peter Hans, who has committed his career on the state and national levels to advancing and enriching the lives of all North Carolinians,” Spellings said.