Chapel Hill, N.C. - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz is reportedly contemplating leaving his current position for a new opportunity, multiple sources have revealed.

The Michigan State News was the first to report that Guskiewicz emerged as the sole remaining candidate for the presidency of Michigan State University. Guskiewicz confirmed on Thursday to The Daily Tar Heel that he is carefully considering this opportunity. Although it is uncertain whether he will accept the position, sources close to the matter have indicated that UNC officials have long anticipated Guskiewicz's departure at the end of the academic year. Additionally, it has been noted that Guskiewicz has been entertaining various recent job prospects.

Sources familiar with the situation attribute Guskiewicz's potential departure to a series of conflicts with the UNC Board of Trustees. One particular area of contention has been the university's role in athletic conference realignment.

Guskiewicz took over the interim chancellor role from Carol Folt in February 2019 and assumed the official chancellor position just ten months later. Prior to his appointment as chancellor, Guskiewicz spent three years as the dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. His tenure at UNC dates back to 1995 when he joined the faculty. Over the years, he garnered national recognition, including the esteemed MacArthur Fellowship, for his trailblazing research on concussions.

If Guskiewicz were to leave immediately, insiders have disclosed that three candidates have emerged as potential interim chancellors. They include:

1. Lee Roberts: Appointed to the UNC system's Board of Governors in 2021, Roberts currently serves as a managing partner at SharpVue Capital. With an undergraduate degree from Duke and a JD from Georgetown, Roberts boasts considerable experience in finance. His previous roles encompass managing director of Piedmont Community Bank Holdings, partner at Cherokee Investment Partners, and a real estate investment banking position at Morgan Stanley.

2. Chris Clemens: An astrophysicist, Clemens has been UNC's executive vice chancellor and provost since 2022. He has been affiliated with the institution since 1998, holding various positions such as associate dean of research and innovation for the College of Natural Sciences and chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Clemens also directs the Institute for Convergent Science. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma, a PhD from Texas, and completed fellowships at Iowa State and Caltech.

3. Malcolm Turner: Turner, elected to the UNC Board of Trustees in 2021, currently serves as the head of strategy and corporate development at DraftKings. Previously, he held leadership roles such as vice chancellor and athletics director at Vanderbilt from 2018-20. Turner has an extensive career background, including president of the NBA G League, managing director at the Wasserman Media Group, and senior vice president at OnSport. He has also served on advisory boards for Teach for America, the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors, and the Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund.

Earlier this year, the UNC Board of Governors implemented a new policy granting the system president "primary responsibility" in the selection process for university chancellors.

As the situation unfolds, the UNC community eagerly awaits Chancellor Guskiewicz's decision regarding his potential departure and the university's next steps in finding a new leader.