HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 1, 2019 – Today, High Point University contributed $1 million to Bennett College to support Bennett and rally others to help the college reach their $5 million fundraising goal.
The announcement, made by HPU President Nido Qubein in HPU’s Charles E. Hayworth Memorial Chapel, challenges supporters to meet the campaign’s total goal, which will allow Bennett to make an appeal to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to reinstate its accreditation.
“Like High Point University, Bennett College has roots in the United Methodist Church,” said Qubein. “Bennett is our partner in educating future leaders. As a historically black college for women, one of only two in the nation, Bennett’s role in the educational landscape is vital. We stand with Bennett and support it in its mission. Together, we celebrate the collective values on which our institutions are built.”
HPU made the announcement after faculty voted enthusiastically in favor of the challenge gift to support Bennett. Faculty from both institutions came together for fellowship and support during the announcement.
“I am grateful for High Point University President Nido Qubein’s generosity and his guidance through this process,” said Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, president of Bennett College. “Bennett College has been overwhelmed by the support of so many. High Point University’s gift is impactful, and we couldn’t have reached this important milestone without them. Institutions like Bennett and High Point University are strong, and when we work together, we are capable of achieving phenomenal results.”
Qubein, who has completely transformed and raised $400 million for HPU, said the world is a better place with Bennett College in it.
“As the president of a university that is blessed with resources, advocacy, and opportunities, I’m compelled by this excerpt from one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches,” Qubein said. “In the words of Dr. King, ‘Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.’ So today, with the blessing of the High Point University Board of Trustees and faculty, HPU will contribute $1 million to the Bennett College Transformation Fund. We are a better community with Bennett College, and I am grateful for the opportunity to help our friends who have invested their lives helping others. I hope you will join me in praying for Bennett College, advocating for Bennett College, and investing in Bennett College. We are, after all, family.”