Poe Hall updates on facility planning and item retrieval

Good afternoon,

We’re writing to share a few updates on our planning for the future permanent spaces for the College of Education and Department of Psychology and the removal of items from Poe Hall.

First, thank you for your flexibility and patience over the past year as we worked to gain an understanding of the building environment, develop plans for the future of Poe Hall and begin the process of securing the necessary authorizations and approvals to begin implementation of our plans. We recognize that waiting for information is not easy, and we remain committed to sharing new information with you — members of the College of Education and Department of Psychology — first.

Building Renovations and Future Plans

Both the visioning and building committees for the College of Education and Department of Psychology have been developing plans to ensure the future spaces for the college and department are welcoming environments that are set up to best serve the needs of our students, faculty and staff. Thank you to everyone who is participating as part of the committees or providing feedback; your work on these plans is invaluable.

In November, we received approval from the UNC Board of Governors (BOG) to reallocate $3.4 million in funding previously designated for a new fire protection system in Poe Hall toward advanced planning for the remediation and reconstruction of the building.

With this approval, we can begin the next stage of planning for the building’s future. We are grateful for the BOG’s support of our continued progress.

Preparing the Building for Next Steps

A necessary next step in the plan for the remediation and reconstruction of Poe Hall is preparing for the removal of all items that remain in the building. Poe Hall has been unoccupied and without housekeeping since November 2023. A third-party contractor will clean the building before item removal occurs. You may see movement in and around the building as this phase of the work begins in the weeks ahead.

NC State’s facilities and environmental health and safety teams are working together to finalize a plan for the removal of these items. In the next two weeks, individuals with personal items in the building will receive more detailed information about retrieval and timing.

As we move forward, we will continue to keep you informed of our progress. Please be on the lookout for additional information about next steps with regard to items that remain in Poe Hall, and continue to stay engaged with your colleagues as we plan for the future permanent spaces for the College of Education and Department of Psychology.

Thank you for all you do.

Warwick Arden
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Charles Maimone
Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration