Preparing the Leaders of Tomorrow
Dear HPU Friend:
We know a thing or two about academic innovation because we continuously transform our culture and curriculum to prepare students for the world not as it is, but as it is going to be. Innovation is in High Point University’s DNA, in part because we understand the true meaning of the word. Sometimes, innovation is implementing something new to move the world forward in positive ways. Other times, it’s reinventing methods that already exist in a different, value-adding capacity. And, no matter what, innovation is about creating relevance. It’s about connecting the dots between creativity and pragmatism and placing a radical focus on improving student outcomes.
Compressing Time to Accomplish More
At HPU, we have built an ecosystem of support to ensure students experience meaningful guidance throughout their educational journey. Every freshman is paired with a professional Success Coach who either specializes in their major or assists students who have yet to declare their field of study. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works’ Research Rookies program encourages freshmen to prepare for high-level research with a faculty advisor as soon as they arrive to campus, rather than waiting until they are upperclassmen like at other universities. A community of career advisors, study abroad advisors, peer mentors and others support the holistic growth of our students. As HPU president, I teach the Freshman Seminar on Life Skills so that I, personally, can mentor students on matters important to the marketplace, such as the importance of fiscal literacy, stewardship and the fundamentals of leadership.
Heroes, Models and Mentors
In addition to our programming, our faculty and staff know that students see us as heroes, models and mentors. I remind our team of this important realization: We live, students watch and students learn. That’s why we must all contribute to the positive development of their mind, their heart and their soul. On our campus, mentorship is everyone’s job, from faculty leading classrooms, to staff leading student support services and the hospitality team member serving food in our cafeteria.
I’m proud to lead High Point University, the Premier Life Skills University, where academic innovation drives the transformational development process of our students. – HPU President Nido R. Qubein
At HPU, students are also mentored by a long list of accomplished leaders, including Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak, HPU’s Innovator in Residence; Netflix Co-founder Marc Randolph, HPU’s Entrepreneur in Residence; Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, HPU’s Sports Executive in Residence; and many others. View this continually growing list at www.highpoint.edu/innovators. We provide impactful mentors to guide students not only in their four years on campus but throughout their lives. Students don’t merely enroll at HPU; they join our HPU family.
Experiences That Create Context
On our campus, we want students to not only be knowledgeable with content, we also want them to be confident with context. That is why, in addition to classrooms on campus, you’ll also find boardrooms, learning labs and collaborative spaces. College degrees can be obtained from thousands of good schools based on knowledge of content. But High Point University students graduate with more — a premier life skills education. We want students prepared to navigate the real-world environment with knowledge of course, but also with the confidence that comes from competence. And competence comes from experience. In a competitive marketplace, life skills, which are learned and earned through experience, are difference makers. That’s why High Point University is The Premier Life Skills University. Students receive an extraordinary classroom education in tandem with experiences that can be applied to their future careers. HPU students graduate prepared to work in a world where they will have to communicate with others different from themselves, solve complex problems and adapt amidst rapid change. After all, they’ve been transformed on a campus that embraces transformation. That’s why 97% of HPU graduates begin careers or continue their education within six months of graduation, 11 points higher than the national average. I’m so proud to lead High Point University, where academic innovation is apparent in the programs, people and experiences we offer to provide a well-rounded education that puts students at the center of all that we do. I encourage you to visit campus to witness all that HPU has to offer.
Sincerely,
President