Virginia Tech ends tenured professor's ban of unclear origin

Published February 26, 2019

A Virginia Tech engineering professor who was banned from campus can now return, but the reason for his ban is still publicly unknown.

The Roanoke Times reports 50-year-old Willem "Hardus" Odendaal drew more than $100,000 in salary during the ban, which began Dec. 15, 2017, and ended last week.

Virginia Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski says the tenured electrical and computer engineering associate professor will continue the research he's done in the past, but details of his role haven't been ironed out.

Neither Owczarski nor Odendaal would elaborate on the reason for the ban, but Owczarski says Virginia Tech police no longer believe the professor is a threat. He said Odendaal hadn't been arrested by campus police.

Odendaal's statement says he's working with administrators "in a positive manner to resolve past differences."

___

Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/us/virginia-tech-ends-tenured-professors-ban-of-unclear-origin