Dear Fellow Parent,
College is a crucial time in a young adult’s life. As a parent, you wonder: Who will be their mentors? How can they make the most of their four years? Will they be happy and successful after college? I’d like to offer my perspective on the HPU education.
In 2008, President Nido Qubein gave a talk at one of my company meetings in Raleigh, North Carolina. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. He discussed HPU and the changes the school had undergone. I continued to follow HPU over the next six years, and in 2014, when my eldest son and I were looking at schools, HPU was on the need-to-visit list. When we visited the university, we were extremely impressed by the campus, its environment and the people we met. There’s one thing I heard that day, and it’s still as memorable to me now as if it was said yesterday. During the tour, as our tour guide was driving us, I asked her if she could show us something mediocre. She stopped the golf cart, looked me in the eyes and said — “This is High Point University. We don’t have anything mediocre.” How accurate she was.
Since attending HPU, I have seen many changes in my sons. They became more confident, more willing to take risks and much more willing to be involved in activities outside of the classroom and the university. Their life skills have been enhanced to a level that I didn’t expect. The excitement of my middle son when he started to work on a project with HPU’s Innovator in Residence, Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak, translated into a desire to increase his academic performance. My eldest son becoming part of the Professional Sales Club and attending a Sales Competition while a sophomore took him out of his comfort zone, which he’s never re-entered. They all accumulated a long list of life skills that undoubtedly paid off.
And it’s not only the changes in them that impress me. While the facilities and grounds are unmatched, it’s the culture of HPU that sets the university apart from any other school we visited. My children received their education surrounded by people who truly care about them both in and out of the classroom. Even more impressive is that this university cares about our family. While they were at HPU, I had a health scare that fortunately resulted in a positive ending. My children left quickly to get home, but prior to leaving HPU, visited their success coach to make him aware of the situation. Their success coach called me the next day in the hospital. After a very meaningful discussion, he told me that if anything happened, he would be there to look after my children. As my children’s only parent, I had a feeling of extreme relief. The culture of HPU attracts the best people who care about our children and our family.
My advice to all parents is to push your children to take advantage of the many activities that the university offers. What my sons have learned outside the classroom is equally as important as the academics.
Make the effort to know the administrators and get involved by attending Family Weekends where you’ll get to know other parents.
Best,
Tom Schorn
Father of three HPU students, Thomas, ’18, Christopher, ’20 and Grady ’22.