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Peter Hans

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Peter Hans
Peter Hans at his home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 2026.
7th President of the University of North Carolina System
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 1, 2020
Preceded byWilliam L. Roper (acting)
9th President of the North Carolina Community College System
In office
May 1, 2018 – July 31, 2020
Preceded byJennifer Haygood (acting)
Succeeded byWilliam Carver (acting)
Personal details
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BA)
Harvard Extension School (MLA)

Peter Hans is an American higher education administrator who has served as the seventh president of the University of North Carolina System since August 2020. He previously served as the ninth president of the North Carolina Community College System and earlier served on the State Board of Community Colleges and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.

Early life and career

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Hans grew up in the small towns of Southport on the coast and Hendersonville in the mountains of North Carolina.[1] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies from Harvard University.[1] Hans is a first-generation college graduate.[2]

During his early career in Washington, Hans was a policy advisor to Republican U.S. senators Lauch Faircloth, Richard Burr and Elizabeth Dole.[3] Later, Hans and former Democratic North Carolina lieutenant governor Dennis Wicker built a government relations practice at a series of regional law firms in North Carolina.[4]

Hans was elected to the North Carolina State Board of Community Colleges in 1997, when he was 27 years old.[2] He served six years, becoming vice chair.[5] In 2003, at age 33, the North Carolina Senate named him to the UNC System’s governing board for the first of three four-year terms, including two years as chairman.[6]

From 2016 to 2018, he advised former UNC System president Margaret Spellings on issues related to technology, health care, strategic planning and K-12 education.[7]

North Carolina Community College System

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Hans served as the ninth president of the North Carolina's Community College System from May 2018 through July 2020.[3][8] As president, Hans oversaw a period of enrollment growth and improved graduation rates.[3][9] Apprenticeship and teacher-training initiatives also expanded.[10][11]

University of North Carolina System

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Hans leads the University of North Carolina System, one of the nation’s largest four-year university systems, with 17 campuses and more than 250,000 students.[12] He became the seventh president of the system in August 2020.[6]

Under Hans, the UNC System maintained a tuition freeze, published a 2023 systemwide report on student mental health, and announced related initiatives to support students.[13][14]

The UNC System and the North Carolina Community College System also promoted the Next NC Scholarship for students from families earning less than $80,000.[15] The system developed a process for awarding college credit for military experience and launched NC College Connect, a direct-admission program for qualifying North Carolina high school seniors.[16][17]

During Hans's presidency, the UNC System also released a study of graduates' earnings and return on investment that found strong lifetime returns for UNC graduates.[18] In 2026, it also released a study identifying workforce gaps in fields including nursing and engineering.[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b "President". University of North Carolina System. University of North Carolina System. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  2. ^ a b Villemain, Kyle (2021-11-02). "UNC's Mild-Mannered Change Agent". The Assembly. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  3. ^ a b c "Peter Hans '91, Distinguished Service Medal Citation". Carolina Alumni. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  4. ^ "State Board elects Peter Hans president of NC Community College System". North Carolina Community College System. North Carolina Community College System. 2018-05-01. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  5. ^ "Peter Hans takes charge at N.C. Community College System". Business North Carolina. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  6. ^ a b "UNC Board of Governors elects Peter Hans president of the UNC System". University of North Carolina System. University of North Carolina System. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  7. ^ Stancill, Jane (2016-06-16). "UNC President Spellings hires Hans, former board chairman". The News & Observer. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  8. ^ Long, Brian (1 May 2018). "State Board elects Peter Hans president of NC Community College System". NC Community Colleges (Press release). Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Enrollment grows at community colleges for the first time in nearly a decade". North Carolina Community College System. North Carolina Community College System. 2020-02-12. Archived from the original on 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  10. ^ "Number of people served by ApprenticeshipNC nearly doubles in three years, tops 15,000". North Carolina Community College System. North Carolina Community College System. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  11. ^ "State Board of Community Colleges approves teacher preparation transfer degrees". North Carolina Community College System. North Carolina Community College System. 2020-04-18. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  12. ^ Dean, Korie (2025-09-22). "Enrollment is up at all UNC System schools, except one that 'took a hit' from Helene". The News & Observer. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  13. ^ "UNC System maintains tuition freeze". The Daily Reflector. 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  14. ^ Dean, Korie (2023-02-24). "UNC System published report on student mental health. What's been done since then". The News & Observer. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11.
  15. ^ Killian, Joe (2024-01-23). "UNC System, community colleges offer scholarships to families making less than $80,000". NC Newsline. States Newsroom. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
  16. ^ Blake, Jessica (2024-04-12). "UNC system's roadmap of college credit for military experience". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  17. ^ Thomas, Emily (2025-06-24). "NC College Connect offers automatic college admission to eligible high school seniors". EducationNC. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  18. ^ Palmer, Kathryn (2023-11-21). "Data show strong return on investment for UNC graduates". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
  19. ^ "UNC system study finds growing workforce gaps". The Robesonian. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-05-28.
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