RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina State University Chancellor Randy Woodson announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Thursday’s announcement comes after more than 210 people who worked or studied in Poe Hall reported to 5 On Your Side that they developed cancer after spending time at the university building at 2310 Katharine Stinson Drive in Raleigh.
WRAL 5 On Your Side began collecting their health information after NC State said it would not, and failed to respond to workers and students who tried to report their health issues to the university.
In November 2023, Woodson closed Poe Hall, a once busy campus building. The closure happened after testing found high levels of cancer-causing chemicals, PCBs, in multiple areas inside the building.
During Woodson’s tenure, 5 On Your Side’s investigation found the university ignored the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] as it tried for weeks to get ahold of the administration to discuss Poe Hall.
Another report showed the university had found toxic chemicals on the exterior of Poe Hall in 2018, the university didn’t test the inside until 2023, following the pleas of several female workers battling cancer. When the university tested the interior of Poe Hall in October and November, it found PCBs 38 times higher than what the EPA deems unsafe.
An additional 5 On Your Side report found the university quietly pulled out of a federal health investigation focused on workers in Poe Hall. The report prompted public outrage, and education faculty passed a historic vote of no confidence against Woodson.
Future of Poe Hall
On Thursday, Woodson said the vote of no confidence earlier this year against him did not play a role in his decision to retire.
“We understand the environment within Poe Hall now we know what we need to do,” Woodson said. “We’ve had good conversations with the EPA about that to remediate the contaminants.
“And now, we just have to figure out how we can get that funded.”
Woodson said the university can reopen Poe Hall as soon as they get the funding and approval of design plans.
“At the point that we know we have the funding in place and the authority, it’s probably a two-and-a-half- to three-year project,” Woodson said.
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Woodson asked about health of Poe Hall students and staff
During Thursday’s news conference, WRAL 5 On Your Side pressed for Woodson to share what his message was to students, faculty and staff who spent time on Poe Hall.
“We understand the environment now and we’re leaving the health implications of the building to the work of NIOSH [the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health],” Woodson said.
Woodson said that records of people who worked in Poe Hall for years and cancer cases in North Carolina have been turned over to NIOSH, which is handling the Health Hazard Evaluation of Poe Hall. He also said that the NIOSH, the EPA and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services [NCDHHS] have the university’s findings into the environment inside the building.
WRAL 5 On Your Side pointed out that the NIOSH investigation does not address students who became sick while studying in Poe Hall.
When 5 on Your Side asked Woodson what the university was doing about sick students, Woodson said, “We’re going to let NIOSH complete its investigation and we’ll all learn from that.”
WRAL 5 On Your Side asked Christie Lewis, a former Poe Hall student who has battled cancer, what she’d like to see during Woodson’s final year.
“I would love for the courts to say, ‘you have to people in,’” Lewis said. “And, I would love for him to actually put his actions where his words are in caring.
“But honestly, if he can’t do that, then this year couldn’t end fast enough.”
During Thursday’s news conference announcing Woodson’s retirement, UNC System President Peter Hans commended the chancellor’s handling of Poe Hall, calling it “exemplary.”
When 5 On Your Side asked if Hans had spoken to any of the sick workers or students in Poe Hall, he paused and said he’d spoken to a “number of interested parties.”
Hans’ opinion of the handling of Poe Hall contrasted with the feelings of some of the students and staff who reported to 5 On Your Side that they or their family developed cancer.
“A lot of people have grown to love Woodson, but it is time to bring in somebody that will really show that the students’ health, safety and happiness is their top interest,” said Rachel Moore, an NC State graduate student.