After a spate of heated demonstrations over the “Silent Sam” statue at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the school’s chancellor suggested on Friday that she wanted to move the Confederate monument to another part of campus.

In a statement, the chancellor, Carol L. Folt, said the statue’s previous location made it a cause for division and a threat to public safety. The university system’s Board of Governors gave approval earlier this week to seek a “safe, legal and alternative” location for the monument, Dr. Folt said, adding that she is seeking input from students, staff and alumni — as well as state legislators and the governor — to decide where it should go.

“Silent Sam has a place in our history and on our campus where its history can be taught,” Dr. Folt said in the statement. “But not at the front door of a safe, welcoming, proudly public research university.”

On Aug. 20, protesters gathered around the 105-year-old statue and brought it to the ground, prompting debate over whether the monument should be restored to its pedestal in a large park at the entrance to the campus.