HIGH POINT, N.C., Aug. 11, 2010 – In just a few short days, High Point University will begin another record-setting year, thanks to not only its largest freshman class in the school’s history –1,220 students – but also with new academic programs and living spaces.
The figures alone tell a compelling story of the university’s extraordinary growth:
• 2010-11 HPU freshman population: 1,220; up from 1,030 during the 2009-10 school year – an 18 percent increase. Since 2005, freshman enrollment has increased 230 percent, up from 370.
• 2010-11 HPU total undergraduate day population: 3,300; up from 2,700 during the 2009-10 school year – a 22 percent increase. Since 2005, enrollment has increased 122 percent, up from 1,484.
• The campus size has more than doubled since 2005, from 93 to 210 acres.
• 2010-2011 SAT scores are up 100 points on average over 2005.
• 2010-2011 number of faculty and staff has risen to 879 - 115 more than the previous year and a 90 percent increase over 2005.
What lies behind these impressive figures is a school that continues to enhance academic programs, drawing interest from students from all over the United States and beyond. It has also drawn interest from the U.S. News & World Report, which last year ranked HPU as the No. 1 Baccalaureate College to Watch and No.5 among all Comprehensive Colleges in the South. Last year, Forbes Magazine ranked HPU among the top 6 percent of U.S. colleges.
Over the past five years, HPU has transformed itself with a $300 million investment in academics, facilities, technology and scholarships that includes 15 new academic, residential and student-life buildings, plus two new athletic stadiums and a field house, fountains, botanical gardens, laboratories, science, design and music, as well as nine modern restaurants.
In the past year alone, the university opened the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication and the Plato S. Wilson School of Commerce, as well as the University Center, a residence hall that includes a library, restaurants, an arcade, theater and more.
Starting this fall, students will get to experience a completely revamped core curriculum that will allow more flexibility within student schedules. And with the creation of new schools, majors and courses – such as the new School of Design and new majors in mathematical economics, physics and international relations – students truly have more options than ever before, bringing the total to 50 majors and 42 minors. To accommodate the new courses and majors, more than 40 new faculty members have been hired to deliver a top-notch educational experience to students.
The fall 2010 semester will also debut new living space on the expanding campus. North College Station – formerly the site of Wesleyan Arms, located on College Drive between Eastchester Drive and Centennial Street – features townhomes and apartments. The new housing complex will house a total of 317 upperclassmen and will include a C-Store (convenience), a gym, two business centers and trolley stops for transportation to campus.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people. HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with over 4,200 undergraduate and graduate students from 51 countries and 46 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report No. 5 among comprehensive universities in the South and No. 1 in its category among up-and-coming schools. Forbes.com ranks HPU in the top 6 percent among "America's Best Colleges." The university offers 50 undergraduate majors, 42 undergraduate minors and seven graduate degree programs. It is accredited by the Commission of Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the Web at http://www.highpoint.edu/. |
