Harry Smith

Harry Smith has announced he's resigning entirely from the UNC  System Board of Governors.

Smith stepped down as chairman in September but said at the time he planned to remain on the board.

On Monday, he said he's decided to relinquish his board seat completely in February to focus more on the private equity firm he started.

The chair of the UNC System's Board of Governors is resigning after a little more than a year at the position.

A spokesman for the system said today Harry Smith is stepping down from the chairman position on October 1st. He did not indicate a reason for the decision.

The list of leaders who are departing the university system in North Carolina is growing. East Carolina University Chancellor Cecil Staton announced this morning that he will resign his position.

As Silent Sam – and its remnants – sit in an undisclosed location somewhere on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, a small group of people are working behind the scenes to determine its future.

Dr. Bill Roper, CEO of the UNC Health Care, will replace outgoing UNC System President Margaret Spellings on an interim basis starting in the new year. The UNC Board of Governors voted unanimously to appoint him to the position Thursday.

The UNC Board of Governors, which oversees North Carolina's public universities, has voted to changed the way chancellor searches are conducted. The new policy includes a section on confidentiality mandating that candidates' identities not be disclosed to the public.