# Peter Hans > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Peter_Hans > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Peter_Hans.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hans > Source revision: 1356629130 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Peter Hans** is an American higher education administrator who has served as the seventh president of the [University of North Carolina System](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_System) since August 2020. He previously served as the ninth president of the [North Carolina Community College System](/source/North_Carolina_Community_College_System) and earlier served on the State Board of Community Colleges and the [University of North Carolina Board of Governors](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_Board_of_Governors). ## Early life and career 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](/source/University_of_North_Carolina_at_Chapel_Hill) and a Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies from [Harvard University](/source/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](/source/Lauch_Faircloth), [Richard Burr](/source/Richard_Burr) and [Elizabeth Dole](/source/Elizabeth_Dole).[3] Later, Hans and former Democratic North Carolina lieutenant governor [Dennis Wicker](/source/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](/source/Margaret_Spellings) on issues related to technology, health care, strategic planning and K-12 education.[7] ## North Carolina Community College System 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 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](/source/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 1. ["President"](https://www.northcarolina.edu/president/). *University of North Carolina System*. University of North Carolina System. Retrieved 2026-03-11. 1. Villemain, Kyle (2021-11-02). ["UNC’s Mild-Mannered Change Agent"](https://www.theassemblync.com/news/education/higher-education/peter-hans-uncs-mild-mannered-change-agent/). *The Assembly*. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. ["Peter Hans '91, Distinguished Service Medal Citation"](https://alumni.unc.edu/news/peter-hans-91-distinguished-service-medal-citation/). *Carolina Alumni*. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2024-04-22. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. ["State Board elects Peter Hans president of NC Community College System"](https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/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. 1. ["Peter Hans takes charge at N.C. Community College System"](https://businessnc.com/peter-hans-takes-charge-at-n-c-community-college-system/). *Business North Carolina*. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. ["UNC Board of Governors elects Peter Hans president of the UNC System"](https://www.northcarolina.edu/news/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. 1. Stancill, Jane (2016-06-16). ["UNC President Spellings hires Hans, former board chairman"](https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article84029757.html). *The News & Observer*. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11. 1. Long, Brian (1 May 2018). ["State Board elects Peter Hans president of NC Community College System"](https://web.archive.org/web/20201203152207/https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news-center/news/state-board-elects-peter-hans-president-nc-community-college-system). *NC Community Colleges*. Archived from [the original](https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news-center/news/state-board-elects-peter-hans-president-nc-community-college-system) on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020. 1. ["Enrollment grows at community colleges for the first time in nearly a decade"](https://web.archive.org/web/20241108163717/https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/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](https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/enrollment-grows-at-community-colleges-for-the-first-time-in-nearly-a-decade/) on 2024-11-08. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. ["Number of people served by ApprenticeshipNC nearly doubles in three years, tops 15,000"](https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/number-of-people-served-by-apprenticeshipnc-nearly-doubles-in-three-years-tops-15000-2/). *North Carolina Community College System*. North Carolina Community College System. 2020-09-01. Retrieved 2026-03-11. 1. ["State Board of Community Colleges approves teacher preparation transfer degrees"](https://www.nccommunitycolleges.edu/news/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. 1. Dean, Korie (2025-09-22). ["Enrollment is up at all UNC System schools, except one that ‘took a hit’ from Helene"](https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article312149267.html). *The News & Observer*. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11. 1. ["UNC System maintains tuition freeze"](https://www.reflector.com/news/local/unc-system-maintains-tuition-freeze/article_cb503b5c-f8b2-11ef-88e0-cbacd2a893af.html). *The Daily Reflector*. 2025-03-04. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. Dean, Korie (2023-02-24). ["UNC System published report on student mental health. What’s been done since then"](https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/education/article272504861.html). *The News & Observer*. McClatchy. Retrieved 2026-03-11. 1. Killian, Joe (2024-01-23). ["UNC System, community colleges offer scholarships to families making less than $80,000"](https://ncnewsline.com/briefs/unc-system-community-colleges-offer-scholarships-to-families-making-less-than-80000/). *NC Newsline*. States Newsroom. Retrieved 2026-05-28. 1. Blake, Jessica (2024-04-12). ["UNC system’s roadmap of college credit for military experience"](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/state-policy/2024/04/12/unc-systems-roadmap-college-credit-military-experience). *Inside Higher Ed*. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 1. Thomas, Emily (2025-06-24). ["NC College Connect offers automatic college admission to eligible high school seniors"](https://www.ednc.org/nc-college-connect-offers-automatic-college-admission-to-eligible-high-school-seniors/). *EducationNC*. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 1. Palmer, Kathryn (2023-11-21). ["Data show strong return on investment for UNC graduates"](https://www.insidehighered.com/news/students/careers/2023/11/21/data-show-strong-return-investment-unc-graduates). *Inside Higher Ed*. Retrieved 2026-03-12. 1. ["UNC system study finds growing workforce gaps"](https://www.robesonian.com/news/339206/unc-system-study-finds-growing-workforce-gaps). *The Robesonian*. 2026-04-16. Retrieved 2026-05-28. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Peter Hans](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hans) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hans?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.