Dean’s List: Fixing Poe Hall issues ‘will take time,’ NC State chancellor says. How long?

A week after some university faculty passed a vote of no confidence over how NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson has addressed toxic chemicals in Poe Hall, the university’s leader spoke to the Board of Trustees about the ongoing issue.

His message to the board and everyone else: It “will take time” to complete environmental testing inside the building and determine the appropriate next steps.

“And that’s what I need everybody to get their mind wrapped around,” Woodson said.

But just how long will it take? NC State provost Warwick Arden — who, like Woodson, also received a vote of no confidence from the College of Education faculty — offered a rough timeline Monday in an interview with WKNC, the university’s student-run radio station.

Welcome to Dean’s List, a weekly roundup of higher education news in the Triangle and across North Carolina from The News & Observer and myself, Korie Dean.

This week’s news includes more on NC State leaders’ recent comments about Poe Hall, a new initiative from Duke University’s provost centered on the Middle East and more.

Let’s dive in.

Poe Hall testing, resolution ‘will take time’

Preliminary test results first revealed the presence of toxic PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, in Poe Hall last fall, causing the university to close the building and relocate staff and classes. Since December, an environmental consulting group, Geosyntec, has been performing additional tests in the building.

The university released the first test results from Geosyntec earlier this month. Those results, which were from tests performed with the building’s ventilation systems turned off, generally showed concentrations of PCBs in the building at either undetectable levels or below the Environmental Protection Agency’s recommendations of exposure.

Now, Geosyntec is performing another stage of environmental testing within the building — this time, with the ventilation systems turned on. Performing those tests and getting the results back “will take three months from now, perhaps,” Arden estimated.

It could take “many more months,” Arden said, for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to complete its Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE), which considers whether hazardous materials in a workplace contributed to workers’ health risks, illnesses or other harmful conditions.

The university and NIOSH last week reached a mutual agreement to open a new HHE after a previous one was closed as Geosyntec performed its initial tests, Woodson told The N&O last week. The university wanted to pause the evaluation while those tests were being conducted, but NIOSH does not “have a mechanism to pause” HHEs as data is collected, Woodson said.

“I know that people, like me, are impatient for answers,” Arden said. “People would like to know the answers, both on the environmental side or the health side. It’s going to take a while to get all of that put together.”

Arden told WKNC host Ellie Fiege that fixing the issue will present more challenges, as the HVAC duct work — which university leaders believe to be a key contributing factor to the presence of PCBs in the building — is built into the structure of the building and isn’t easily accessible.

All told, with testing and the health evaluation remaining to be completed, then remediation efforts to complete, Arden said he would be surprised if the university is able to complete all of those steps this year.

“I think we’re looking into next year,” he said.

Asked by Fiege whether the university intends to reopen Poe Hall and have students, faculty and staff return at some point, Arden said, “we certainly hope so.”

“That’s our aim,” he said. “But there’s a lot that we have to do between now and getting that answer.”

If you’re catching up on the issue, give this new timeline a look, which traces the series of events to last August.

Duke provost launches Middle East initiative

As college campuses — and the country and world — continue to confront the ongoing Israel-Hamas War, Duke University’s provost has launched a new initiative to help the university “foster constructive dialogues on these multifaceted and emotionally charged issues that will enhance understanding and build skills that lead to shared learning.”

Provost Alec Gallimore’s Initiative on the Middle East “will leverage the talent and expertise of the Duke community, judiciously supplemented with outside voices, and seek to nurture a sense of community, particularly among individuals from different backgrounds, experiences and points of view,” Gallimore said in announcing the program.

Bruce Jentleson, a distinguished professor at Duke and an expert on the Middle East and foreign policy, will lead the effort.

Jentleson, along with university leaders, a faculty working group and university organizations for Muslim and Jewish life, will organize events and programs to allow for civil engagement on the conflict and the differing perspectives surrounding it.

“While Duke has hosted a number of events on this topic with speakers representing a variety of viewpoints, we must do more to ensure our campus environment makes space for rigorous and respectful debate involving people with differing opinions,” Gallimore said.

Two events have already been hosted under the initiative, with two more scheduled soon. Learn more about the initiative and upcoming events at provost.duke.edu/programs-initiatives/provosts-initiative-middle-east.

Higher ed news I’m reading

• The N&O’s Keung Hui reports that Appalachian State University and East Carolina University are joining the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program, which provides up to $10,000 a year in financial aid for college students who agree to teach certain subjects in the state’s public schools.

• 2U, one of the largest online course providers, is facing significant financial challenges and has “substantial doubt” that it can continue operating, Inside Higher Ed reports. UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte offer courses through 2U, according to the 2U website.

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That’s all for this week’s roundup of North Carolina higher education news. I hope you’ll stay tuned for more.

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