High Point University Ushers in New Era with Construction of $100-Million Charman Library
HIGH POINT, N.C., July 16, 2026 – High Point University’s transformational growth continues to be seen on campus this summer as construction on the $100-million John and Lorraine Charman Library has reached the halfway point.
HPU broke ground on the four-story, 150,000-square-foot library last August. With a crew of 100-200 workers on site daily, construction has progressed to where the library is approximately 50% complete and on schedule to be finished by next summer.
The Charman Library will serve as HPU’s flagship library when it opens in time for the 2027-28 academic year. It is the latest facility to be built on campus following the opening of two three-story, 77,500-square-foot buildings for the Workman School of Dental Medicine and the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law last fall.
The new library will be located next to the R.G. Wanek Center on Panther Drive and overlook the Slane Student Center. It will be one of the tallest buildings on campus at 135 feet.
At 150,000 square feet, the library will be large enough to accommodate HPU’s two decades of growth that has seen a 343% increase in enrollment under President Nido Qubein’s leadership.
“The Charman Library will usher in a new and exciting time at High Point University, and it will provide our students with another academic hub where they can go to learn, study and grow,” Dr. Qubein said. “It has been exciting to see this state-of-the-art library take shape in the heart of campus.”
The 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. Its main entrance will include marble flooring and a grand staircase.
In addition, HPU’s artificial intelligence initiatives and programs are housed under the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, which will move into the library when it opens. The university is using a structured approach to preparing students for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI.
“HPU’s vision for the new John and Lorraine Charman Library reflects a deep commitment to innovation, collaboration and student success,” said Ginny Boyer, HPU’s librarian and director of library services.
The library is named in honor of retired business leaders John and Lorraine Charman, who are strong advocates for HPU and have a love of books and literature. They 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.
“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,” John Charman said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library.
Construction on the library’s exterior is expected to be far enough along for it to reach another milestone — its “dry-in” date when its interior will be protected from the weather — by the end of September.
HPU’s Growth Reflected in Libraries
HPU has needed to build bigger and more modern libraries as its enrollment has grown over the past century. When the university opened in 1924, its first library was located inside Roberts Hall, along with classrooms, laboratories, an auditorium and a dining room.
HPU built Wrenn Library, now the Wrenn Admissions Building, in the 1930s. Even after a five-story addition was added to Wrenn in the 1960s, there was talk by the late 1970s that HPU had outgrown this space and needed an even larger one.
The 50,000-square-foot Smith Library was built, nestled in between Wrenn and Roberts Hall, for approximately $3 million at the time. The Charman Library will replace the Smith Library as HPU’s flagship library.
