UNC interim chancellor is a Duke grad. How does he feel about cheering on the Tar Heels?

Lee Roberts, a former state budget director under Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and current member of the UNC System Board of Governors, was named Friday as the interim chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. He is set to start Jan. 12, following the departure of Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz on that date.

Roberts, whose professional background is in finance and investing, is the managing partner of SharpVue Capital, a private investment firm, which he co-founded in 2016.

He does not have experience in university or academic administration — a trait that has become somewhat more common among university chancellors and presidents nationally in recent years, but has raised concerns among faculty.

But some of the Tar Heel faithful might raise another concern about Roberts: He’s a graduate of Duke University, UNC’s fiercest rival.

A Blue Devil leading UNC isn’t entirely unheard of. Paul Hardin, who served as chancellor of UNC from 1988 to 1995, received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Duke and was on the Duke law faculty for 10 years before entering administrative roles at various universities.

In a statement, UNC Board of Trustees Chair John Preyer said, in part, that he welcomes Roberts “to the very best shade of blue.”

Roberts addressed his ties to Duke in an interview with The News & Observer Thursday, wearing a Carolina blue tie — or at least a blue that was a few shades lighter than what one might associate with Duke.

UNC interim Chancellor Lee Roberts’ connections to Duke

Roberts said he was grateful for his time at Duke, which brought him to North Carolina from Washington, D.C., when he was 17 years old.

“I got a great liberal arts education there,” he said.

But Roberts, who described himself as “a huge college sports fan,” said he looks forward to cheering on the Tar Heels in a variety of sports, from basketball to football to field hockey and more.

“I guess I’m proof that even Blue Devils can eventually see the light,” he said.

Roberts also holds a law degree from Georgetown University.

Roberts cited college athletics as a potential challenge he may have to address in his new role, saying that he and others in leadership roles “will have the challenge of making sure that when the dust settles, Carolina is better off.”

In an era of athletic conference realignment — one that saw the Atlantic Coast Conference this year vote to add three new schools to its league, despite objections by UNC and two other ACC members — Roberts said he feels confident he can prioritize the needs of UNC, even if those diverge from the interests of Duke.

“This will be my full-time job and my 100% commitment,” Roberts said. “My fiduciary responsibility, which is something I understand very well from what I’ve been doing in my career up until now, and the interests of Carolina will be the only consideration.”

The Tar Heels and Blue Devils will face off in men’s basketball — where the schools’ athletic rivalry is most intense — at UNC’s Dean E. Smith Center on Feb. 3, about three weeks after Roberts starts his new role.