High Point University (HPU) under the leadership of President Nido Qubein continues its amazing growth with the announcement of four new academic schools.
Wednesday, March 9, Qubein announced a $400 million expansion program to include four new academic schools.
HPU will establish a School of Law, a School of Optometry, a School of Nursing and a School of Entrepreneurship.
The school of nursing will hold its inaugural class this fall. The timelines for the other three schools are to be announced.
The four schools are in addition to the new School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health that was announced in May 2021 and will enroll its first class in 2023.
In a press release Qubein said, “At HPU, we’re on a rocket ship to the moon. Our growth is truly a miracle with God’s hand on it. Students and families across the country appreciate that HPU delivers an education founded on values and framed with life skills. Our future has never been brighter and our faculty and staff continue marching forward with faithful courage.”
Qubein also announced $100 million in gifts received in the last 30 days to support the expansion specifically for the new School of Law, the recently announced $80 million, 150,000-square-foot library and to support faculty for the School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health.
The $400 million in academic and campus expansion includes $115 million for student life facilities including an $80 million 200,000-square-foot Panther Commons facility that will house 400 students in addition to having a restaurant, retail facilities, fitness studios and more making it a hub of student activity and engagement.
HPU is also adding 32 new houses at a cost of $10 million that will house 140 students and a $25 million parking garage that will provide 1,200 parking spaces.
According to the press release, additional housing is needed because of the growth of HPU and the fact that 95 percent of the students choose to live on campus.
Additional campus improvement projects will cost about $75 million, plus new dental clinics at a cost of about $30 million.
With the addition of the four new schools, HPU will have 14 academic schools an increase from three schools in 2005.
I wish that HPU would invest in some college-prep charter schools so high school students could get the education they need to attend places like HPU and other colleges in our area after they graduate. It would be of benefit to areas like High Point and southern Guilford County especially. It would be an excellent opportunity to train student teachers as well as give high school students a chance to begin earning college credits as they study. It’s just a thought.