Astronaut Buzz Aldrin To Speak At HPU Commencement

HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 22, 2008 - High Point University President Dr. Nido Qubein will continue what has become a tradition of bringing world-class speakers to the students of HPU during the 85th annual Commencement exercises, announcing that Apollo 11 Astronaut Buzz Aldrin will be the 2009 Commencement speaker.
 
Perhaps best known for his historic Apollo 11 moonwalk with Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969 - an event witnessed by the largest worldwide television audience of an estimated 600 million people - Aldrin has remained on the forefront of human space exploration since the monumental event. His 2009 Commencement address at HPU will occur in the 40th-anniversary year of the historic moonwalk.
 
"We are committed to the tradition of academic excellence at High Point University, and bringing accomplished lecturers and speakers to our students sets an example of excellence," Qubein says. "Buzz Aldrin is not only one of the first two people to walk on the moon, but he continues to inspire future generations to literally reach for the stars by promoting space education and exploration. We look forward to hearing his inspirational message to our 2009 graduates."
 
In 2005, the university featured former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani as its Commencement speaker. In 2006, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan served as the institution’s Commencement speaker, in 2007 American icon Bill Cosby addressed the graduates, and in 2008, the tradition of bringing world-class speakers continued with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
 
Aldrin, who earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest American peacetime award – as well as numerous distinguished awards and medals from 23 other countries, founded Starcraft Boosters, Inc., a rocket design company, and the ShareSpace Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to advancing space education, exploration and affordable space flight experiences for all. Aldrin also continues to inspire today's youth with his illustrated children's books: "Reaching for the Moon" and "Look to the Stars," due out in 2009. He has authored two space science-fact-fiction novels: "The Return" and "Encounter with Tiber." His nonfiction works include "Men From Earth" and his autobiography, "Return to Earth."
 
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with more than 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 50 countries and more than 40 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report No. 5 among comprehensive universities in the South and No. 1 in its category among up-and-coming schools. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 6 percent among "America's Best Colleges." The university offers 66 undergraduate majors, 40 undergraduate minors and seven graduate-degree majors. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at www.highpoint.edu.

CONTACT
Chris Dudley
Vice President for Administration
336-841-4530
cdudley@highpoint.edu