HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 13, 2005 - High Point University President Dr. Nido Qubein today gathered community leaders and university friends and family to reveal his vision for the university's future.
"We are embarking on an incredible journey, together," said Qubein, as he unveiled the new campus map, and announced a plan to invest $60 million in the university over the next two years. "Thanks to our generous friends, High Point University is initiating a major transformation. Our vision is clear, our purpose evident and our goals in place. With your help, we can create a nationally recognized university with top-notch facilities, exceptional educational opportunities and superior student experiences."
"What a wonderful time for students to be at High Point University and watch the magnificent changes," said Marsha Slane, chair of the Board of Trustees. "We're exited about our future."
To achieve his ambitious goal, Qubein announced his two-year plan on how the $60 million will be invested:
- $12 million on academic buildings and programs
- $15 million on residential facilities
- $9 million on the outdoor athletic complex and aesthetic fence around campus
- $9 million on student life and student center
- $5 million on renovations and furnishings
- $5 million on student aid
- $5 million on communications
Qubein's aggressive fundraising efforts have proven very successful: $31 million was raised in six months; financial gifts for the 2004-2005 fiscal year surpassed any other single year since the founding of the university 81 years ago; and the university received its largest single gift ever, $5.75 million from an anonymous donor, which is earmarked toward construction of a new Residence Hall.
The new Residence Hall, Qubein announced, will include private bedrooms, suites, spacious lounges, and conference areas. Other changes to campus include a massive addition to the current student center. Once complete, the Student Activity Center will feature an indoor track, aerobics studio, state-of-the-art fitness areas, food court, outdoor swimming pool, outdoor basketball courts and atrium. The center overlooks University Park, the green space between the student center and the future Graduate School. This area will be transformed into an amphitheater, dining terrace, landscaping and a myriad of water features, including a cascading waterfall, which students can walk underneath.
The Communication and Education building will house the School of Education and the new School of Communication. It will include classrooms, conference areas, labs and studios.
The School of Business will be built on the site where Memorial Auditorium once stood. It will house all the business school offices and classrooms, complete with a large tiered lecture hall, five smaller lecture halls and a formal room with a fireplace, and 10 private study areas.
In addition, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jerry and Kitty Steele Sports Center was Sept. 7. That facility replaces the old field house and will have offices for administrators and coaches, as well as locker rooms for each of High Point's 16 varsity sports (except basketball and volleyball). It will include a weight room, academic services room and training facilities. The University's athletic park will also include a soccer stadium, Belk Track, redesigned fields and a 14-foot cast bronze panther - the university's mascot.
The campus has undergone dramatic changes already - five buildings have been demolished to make room for all the new construction. When complete, the five new buildings - the School of Business, Communication and Education building, Steele Center, Residence Hall and Student Activity Center - will contain almost 300,000 square feet of usable space. In addition, renovations are under way on many existing buildings including five residence halls. Three large fountains are being built at each of the university's entrances, and sculptures are being added around campus, including a 30-foot high Olympic globe.
High Point University is a liberal arts institution with approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students from 52 countries and 36 states at campuses in High Point and Winston-Salem. It is ranked by US News and World Report 12th among comprehensive universities in the South and in the top 100 nationally. The university offers 45 undergraduate majors and five 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.
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