HPU Lays Cornerstone for New Cottrell Japanese Garden During Ceremony

High Point University held a ceremony on Sept. 9 to commemorate the new Cottrell Japanese Garden that is being built on campus thanks to a generous gift from David and Christy Cottrell. Pictured from left are HPU First Lady Mariana Qubein, David and Christy Cottrell, and HPU President Nido Qubein.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 9, 2025 – High Point University held a ceremony on Sept. 9 to commemorate the new Cottrell Japanese Garden that is being built on campus thanks to a generous gift from David and Christy Cottrell.

Christy Cottrell marked a milestone in the construction of the new Japanese garden by laying the ceremonial cornerstone, which is the first stone set in place and symbolizes that the garden will have a strong and stable foundation. The garden will be located behind Cottrell Hall, which is HPU’s hub of professional development named in the family’s honor.

“What makes High Point University so great is that we’re distinctive, and we’re distinctive in 100 ways,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “This garden is one more incredible way to be distinctive.”

Designed by acclaimed landscape architect Sadafumi Uchiyama, the Cottrell Japanese Garden will feature a tiered waterfall and pond, a stone terrace and a Japanese-style tea house. Walking paths will weave through the garden and offer students a peaceful retreat and a way to enjoy the garden’s natural beauty and tranquility.

Qubein unveiled the plans for the new Japanese garden during HPU’s annual Arbor Day Celebration last April. It is the latest addition to the Mariana H. Qubein Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, which feature more than 30 gardens with 3,700 different plants and more than 700 varieties of trees. They also include 48 varieties of redbuds, 65 varieties of dogwoods, 40 varieties of flowering apricots and 135 varieties of magnolias.

“Japanese gardens are very important in creating balance, in creating tranquility and in creating peace in addition to beauty. That’s what we want to enjoy,” HPU First Lady Mariana Qubein said. “We have 30 gardens on campus, and this adds to it. We would also like to have plants that are very special and very different than any other garden that we have, so this will be a very exciting project.”

David and Christy Cottrell recently gave a $6 million gift to support the HPU Women’s Entrepreneurship Program and build the Japanese garden. As the founders of international retail pricing research firm RetailData, LLC, the Cottrell family has remained active in the HPU community since their daughter, Leah, graduated from the university in 2017.

“We are very honored to do this. Dr. Qubein talks so much about how blessed they are for us, and we feel the same way,” Christy Cottrell said. “We feel like High Point University has really enriched our lives in many, many ways. The relationships and friendships that we’ve built are just remarkable, so it’s just a great opportunity for us as well.”