HPU Holds Groundbreaking for New Charman Library
The four-story, 150,000-square-foot library will serve as HPU’s flagship library when it opens in 2027.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 25, 2025 – High Point University broke ground today on the new John and Lorraine Charman Library, a $100 million library that will serve as the university’s flagship library when it opens in 2027.
HPU received a $35 million transformational lead gift from John and Lorraine Charman to help fund the four-story, 150,000-square-foot library that will be named in honor of them. The new library will be located next to the R.G. Wanek Center on Panther Drive.
At a groundbreaking ceremony, HPU President Nido Qubein thanked the Charmans, whose daughter, Olivia, recently graduated with two degrees from HPU, for their generous gift to the university. U.S. Senator Ted Budd and High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson were among the hundreds of guests and community members in attendance.
Qubein described the Charman Library as an “educational, academic and intellectual gift” to current and future HPU students and one that will help shepherd in a new era for the university.
“This is a great day at High Point University because this campus has been transformed into what The Princeton Review says is the Best-Run College in America,” Qubein said. “This library takes us to a whole new level of learning, growing and maturing. It will be a state-of-the-art library, and we are very grateful. We look forward to a new day at this incredible institution.”
At 150,000 square feet, the Charman Library will be large enough to accommodate HPU’s growing enrollment. The university welcomed a record 1,780 new students and the largest total enrollment with 6,550 students this fall. Its freshman class grew by 9.4% to 1,671 students.
The new library will have ample space to house thousands of books, digital databases, private study rooms, podcasts studios and a gallery displaying HPU’s expanding collection of artwork. It will feature a mix of traditional elements with cutting-edge technology that will allow students to record podcasts and learn in new and innovative ways. It will also include the Library of Congress Classification System.
Planning for the Charman Library has been years in the making, and construction is underway on the new academic hub that will overlook HPU’s Slane Student Center.
“I cannot tell you how honored, proud and grateful Lorraine and I are to be here today for the groundbreaking of the Charman Library,” John Charman said. “This magnificent building will become the very heart and soul of a vibrant, successful and joyous HPU, a sanctuary for learning, debating and scholarly thinking.”
About John and Lorraine Charman
John and Lorraine Charman are retired business leaders who have a love for literature and are avid book collectors. They are also strong advocates for HPU and have supported the university since their daughter, Olivia, enrolled as a freshman. She graduated with an undergraduate degree in 2023 and a master’s degree in 2024, and she now has a successful career in Charlotte, North Carolina.
John recently retired after becoming one of the top leaders in the global insurance landscape. He served as the CEO and executive chairman of the board of directors for Sompo Holdings, Inc., from 2013-21. He joined Endurance Services Ltd as chairman and CEO in 2013, which he then restructured and sold to Sompo in 2016. As CEO of the Overseas Insurance and Reinsurance Business, he directed the integration of Sompo businesses into a truly global enterprise.
After a brief period working for the State University of New York, Lorraine began her career in human resources at Racemark International before moving into financial services with KeyCorp in 1988. Working primarily in employee relations and employment, she was a part of the M&A integration team and became the vice president of employee relations. She then served in several senior human resources roles with Franklin Resources. In 2002, she joined Axis Capital Holdings Ltd as chief human resources officer, where she remained until she retired in 2006.
