A photo story, including a full-length first-person feature article, that documents a day in the life of UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts, a polarizing campus administrator widely seen by the broader UNC-Chapel Hill community as closed off and guarded.
Shot for The Daily Tar Heel.
Shot for The Daily Tar Heel.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts stops outside of South Building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. He had stopped briefly in the morning to speak with a student on the wall by the steps.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts speaks with Vice Provost for AI Jeffrey Bardzell at the Carolina Inn on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Roberts’ visit was brief, as he had spent the time mostly socializing with CEOs and university officials, including new Provost Magnus Egerstedt, involved with the meeting.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts grabs his bag out of a golf cart as he walks to South Building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Roberts was carrying two phones and a cup of green tea, and walked with Senior Director of UNC Media Relations Kevin Best back to South Building.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts looks through papers in his office at South Building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. He spent most of his scheduled office time doing paperwork or taking phone calls.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts finishes filming an Instagram reel with Vice Chancellor of Communications Dean Stoyer and Communications Specialist Anna Lutze, in his office at South Building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Roberts filmed the video quickly, and in one take, after being emailed the script earlier that morning.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts arrives early at the ROTC Naval Armory for a meet-and-greet on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The moment was after he and his team made an on-the-fly change to his schedule.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts walks with Kenan-Flager Dean Mary Margaret Frank, Senior Director of UNC Media Relations Kevin Best, and Communications Specialist Anna Lutze during a tour of Bell Hall on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Frank led the tour, which explored the majority of the new business hall.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts has lunch with Graduate School Dean Beth Mayer-Davis at the Carolina Inn on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts meets with Rob Lewis, an alumnus from the Class of 1986, in his office at South Building on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The two met for a brief meeting discussing art and the future of the Dean E. Smith Center.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts speaks at a psychology and neuroscience faculty meeting at Howell Hall on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. The room was crowded with psychology and neuroscience faculty, and the meeting lasted for around half an hour.
UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts sits down for an interview with Carolina Week anchor Madeleine Ahmadi at the Curtis Media Center on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Roberts and Ahmadi discussed the future of the Dean E. Smith Center and its impact on campus.
