Our State Magazine HPU Feature April 2013

Our State ÂŽ

DOWN HOME IN

NORTH CAROLINA A PR IL 2 013 $ 4 . 9 5

the

the new

NC zoo p.78

southern church supper page 146

cold fried chicken

p. 124

Out of the fryer, into the fridge Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill

Morehead city

p. 34

A side dish so special, it has its own plate. An ode to the deviled egg dish on page 128

Plan your waterfront weekend

Peace in the valley

p. 92

20 pages of springtime in western North Carolina

food & faith

page 178

by Tommy Tomlinson

High Point University An institution that invests in people “There’s something about High Point University that stands out.” That’s what a stranger told Victor Trinklein in a casual conversation on a golf course in the Piedmont Triad.

After a long week of vacationing in North Carolina, the Long Island native looked away and didn’t give the words much thought.

Until he heard them again and again and again – all from people he’d never met.

They told Trinklein about the university’s immense growth in

the last seven years, like the 47 new buildings on a campus that expanded from 92 to 327 acres. He heard about the 235 percent spike in freshman enrollment and the largest undergraduate enrollment in the university’s history. They said parent giving rose through the roof; 600 new employees were hired including prestigious faculty from Duke, Johns Hopkins and Harvard; and U.S. News & World Report recognized the school twice in the same year with No. 1 rankings.

The more people Trinklein encountered, the more he heard about the school’s bold approach – like how the School of Communication, School of Health Sciences and College of Art and Design were added to campus along with new majors in mathematical economics, physics, international relations, interactive gaming and actuarial science. Not to mention the teaching technology, including a trading room with a live stock ticker, a graphic design lab and an interactive gaming lab.

He decided he had to see what the talk was about before he and his father traveled home.

When Trinklein stepped onto the brick pathways at HPU, he saw the strangers’ words come to life.

He was greeted by smiling faces that were eager to help, like Dr. Jim Wehrley, dean of the Phillips School of Business, who would become one of his greatest mentors.

And he saw the forward-thinking vision of Dr. Nido Qubein, president of the university, in action.

“I was inspired by every faculty and staff member I encountered at HPU who told me I could accomplish any of my goals and dreams and they would help me do it.

It’s really about how they all made me feel, and it’s made all the difference. HPU offers a total experience,

and that’s why I always encourage young people I meet to go experience it for themselves,” said Trinklein, a 2012 graduate and now a financial advisor at Merrill Lynch.

Impacting the person and the state Trinklein is one of thousands of out-of-state students who move to North Carolina to study at HPU. He met his fiancée, Annie Beuker, a Michigan native, at the university as well. Beuker was drawn to HPU’s interior design program, which is ranked one of the top 10 in the country. After they both graduated, they landed successful career starts in High Point thanks to internships they gained as students and networking opportunities bridged by faculty. Today, North Carolina remains their home.

Above: Freshmen gather on the eve of the first day of classes to participate in one

of HPU’s most sacred traditions—the signing of the University Honor Code. Signing the 6 feet x 8 feet honor code is a student’s pledge to maintain an environment of honor and integrity.

Left: Victor Trinklein, a 2012 graduate from Long Island, has started a successful career as a financial advisor in High Point at Merrill Lynch.

A Growth Story

2005

2012

Growth

Undergraduate Enrollment

1,450

3,900

169%

Full-time Faculty

108

232

115%

Full-time Employees

430

1,105

157%

92

327

255%

675,000

3 million

344%

5

22

340%

$160.3 million

$464 million

190%

$38 million

$178 million

368%

$38,000

$166,000

337%

Campus in Acres Campus in Square Feet Study Abroad Programs Economic Impact Budget United Way Giving

More than 12,000 alumni are living in North Carolina. Through its growth, the university has created new jobs for both faculty and staff, bringing more talented people to live, shop and dine here.

This – along with 80,000 visitors who come to campus for tours, NCAA Division I athletic events, concerts, cultural and theatrical performances – creates an annual economic impact of $464.5 million.

The Biomechanics Lab and the latest learning tools Students like Trinklein and Beuker are prepared to enter the professional world upon graduation because of faculty, programs and facilities that exemplify experiential learning. In addition to successful business, home furnishings, communication and many more programs, HPU has opened a state of the art Biomechanics and Human Physiology Lab. The lab is a component of the School of Health Sciences, which will house proposed graduate

programs in physical therapy and physician assistant studies – programs that will be in demand in North Carolina and across the nation due to an aging baby boomer population.

Dr. Daniel Erb, dean of the School of Health Sciences, and Dr. Eric Hegedus, founding chair of the department of physical therapy, both came from Duke University to develop these programs.

The lab that they’ve designed is like no other on the East Coast.

Lab equipment includes a 24-camera motion analysis system, an environmental chamber, a DEXA scanner for bone den-

sity testing and an anti-gravity treadmill. Coupled with esteemed faculty, it allows students to be involved in ground-breaking research in areas like injury prevention and rehabilitation methods.

“Why is this lab significant?

Because it will change lives,” says Erb. “It will help us decrease injuries and maximize physical performance.”

In addition to the facilities, numerous support services like the Learning Excellence Program, the Peer Mentor Program and the Office of Undergraduate Research are there to promote academic and holistic growth.

“I was inspired by every faculty and staff member I encountered at HPU.” —Victor Trinklein, 2012 graduate

Access to innovators The journey that students take at HPU doesn’t end with cuttingedge curriculum. The university brings some of the most influential thought leaders of our time to share experience and advice that will prepare students for success.

In May, co-founder of Apple Inc. Steve Wozniak will serve as the commencement speaker for the class of 2013. Wozniak will speak about his innovation in the realm of technology and his efforts to improve classroom learning for children, providing priceless insight for graduates to carry through their own professional journeys.

Wozniak joins a long line of speakers who have visited HPU. Others include NASA astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former First Lady Laura Bush, N.Y. Times columnist Thomas Friedman, Muhtar Kent, CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, Queen Noor of Jordan, Steve Forbes, Cal Ripken Jr., Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin.

In all that you do, serve It is common practice for all HPU family members to model kindness and generosity. There’s a reason for that: to instill values in students so they will go into the world and make a difference.

Hayley Sloan, a strategic communication major, discovered the impact of helping others through HPU’s Service Learning Program. Together, she and her peers helped local children whose families are refugees complete their homework and taught their mothers how to use a computer.

The skills they shared seemed basic, but to those families, it meant succeeding in America and living the life they had dreamed of.

Service learning courses spread across all majors at HPU, and course offerings in the program have doubled thanks to grants

received from supporting foundations and partnerships developed with community organizations.

“The students in my class have motivated these children to further their education in a new world,” says Sloan.

In total, students, faculty and staff contribute more than 50,000 volunteer hours annually to worthwhile causes.

And Dr. Qubein’s message of values-based learning permeates throughout the campus as he tells students, “The only thing that can ever hold you back in this world is yourself. Your circumstances define where you are, but not where you’ll go.”

The HPU Poll: A public service to North Carolina What do North Carolinians think about members of Congress? What’s the nation’s take on foreign policy? The HPU Poll, now in its third year, makes it possible for students to ask these questions of registered voters in the state and across the country.

The HPU Poll began as a public service effort for N.C. residents and a learning tool for students – residents give their input and students document, analyze and report the findings. The research painted a picture of how North Carolina and the country as a whole felt regarding the historic 2012 presidential election. Major news outlets such as The Washington Post, NBC News and the Huffington Post featured the results.

“We want students to be involved in practical politics and have an active role in the world – a role that matters,” says Dr. Martin Kifer, director of the HPU Poll.

Choosing to be extraordinary It’s true that a change has occurred at HPU. New faces,

The tree sculpture on campus symbolizes HPU’s holistic approach to learning. To live life in balance, one must grow intellectually, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

technology and buildings are abundant, and the beauty of the prominent buildings with white columns, brisk fountains and fresh gardens is inspirational.

But the change is reflective of an internal journey – the personal journey and transformation that HPU students begin on campus and continue throughout their lives.

This path to greatness is a road that the 89-year-old institution has been pursuing for many years.

“At its core, High Point University has always focused on holistic learning and investing in our students as people,” says Dr. Qubein. “We know that students will find more success if they learn from faculty who care about them. They’ll be ready to fight for a cause if they’ve already donated their time and raised money for something they feel passionate about before they graduate. That’s why we continue to transform our learning environment – so our students can continue to transform the world.”

For more information on High Point University, contact highpoint.edu or (800) 345-6993.