The UNC System Office houses the offices of the president and senior administrative staff. This core administrative staff researches, recommends, and executes the policies of the Board of Governors.
The divisions housed within the UNC System Office provide a comprehensive array of operational services. This work guides University-wide leadership in the areas of academic affairs, business and financial management, long-range planning, human resources, legal affairs, and external relations.
Chief of Staff
The UNC System Chief of Staff heads a division focused on advocating for the University to various stakeholders. Several offices lead these efforts. Each office is responsible for engaging different constituencies: State and Federal Government Relations, University Advancement, the Office of Communications, and the Office of the Secretary to the Board of Governors.
Academic Affairs
The Division of Academic Affairs advances the University’s core academic mission. Academic Affairs supports students and faculty as they engage in teaching, research, and outreach.
This division evaluates curricular options to ensure they are both rigorous and strategically distributed to avoid unnecessary duplication across constituent institutions. More generally, Academic Affairs designs and coordinates statewide initiatives to improve student retention and success. Within the division, the offices of Student Affairs, Data and Analytics, Digital Learning, and Academic and Regulatory Affairs carry out these responsibilities.
Finance & Administration
All public funding for the UNC System institutions and affiliates is allotted by the Board of Governors and distributed through the UNC System.
The Division of Finance and Administration conducts the research that the Board of Governors, the president, and the chief operating officer rely on to manage the finances of the UNC System. This includes the areas of budget development and execution, facilities, property, capital construction, debt management, procurement policy, tuition and fee development, efficiency efforts, and analysis of the potential fiscal impact of proposed policy changes. The office of Information Technology and all related cyber security initiatives fall within this division.
Governance, Legal, and Risk
The Division of Governance, Legal, and Risk works with University leadership to ensure that strategies and operations are legally compliant and aligned with the UNC System’s mission. Its work focuses on the areas of legal advice and counsel; campus safety and emergency response; internal audit; and compliance and risk management.
Human Resources
With more than 48,000 employees, the UNC System is one of North Carolina’s largest employers. Human Resources provides shared services, informed guidance, and policy governance that help make our institutions and affiliates safe, equitable, and rewarding places to work. The division is also focused on talent acquisition and retention; classification and compensation; and employee relations.
Strategy and Policy
The Division of Strategy and Policy helps advance the UNC System’s mission by developing robust, measurable performance goals and proactively identifying new initiatives that promote innovative teaching, research, and engagement. Strategy and Policy oversees the Student Success Innovation Lab, the UNC Laboratory Schools, and the North Carolina Student Aid Study Group. It also includes the offices of PreK-12 Strategy and Policy and GEAR UP NC.