High Point University Magazine | Winter 2016

For Alumni, Parents and Friends

Winter 2016

High Point University Magazine

Leading a life of

Success and Significance HPU alumnus and

Emmy Award-winner

Dan Miller

Preparing

Students for the Health Care Careers of Tomorrow

engaging

Students in an Inspiring Campus Environment

planting

Seeds of Greatness in the Minds, Hearts and Souls of Students

High Point University has a new address: High Point University One University Parkway High Point, North Carolina 27268

High Point University has tripled its enrollment and total employee positions since 2005. That’s in part why the United States Postal Service provided HPU with its own unique zip code, and why the City of High Point renamed North College Drive to University Parkway. This new campus address not only honors HPU’s transformational growth, but also reflects the university’s legacy as an accomplished academic institution and a vital contributor to the city.

For Alumni, Parents and Friends

High Point University

Winter 2016

Magazine

High Point University Board Leadership Board of Trustees Dr. Richard Vert (’60), Chairman Board of Visitors Scott Tilley, Chairman Alumni Board Dr. Randy Bledsoe (‘78), President Panther Club Barry Kitley ('93), President SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ABOUT HPU MAGAZINE TO: Pam Haynes, Director of Media Relations High Point University One University Parkway High Point, NC 27268 USA 336-841-9055 phaynes@highpoint.edu SEND INFORMATION FOR CLASS NOTES AND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Ally Cathey Alumni Engagement Manager High Point University One University Parkway High Point, NC 27268 USA 336-841-9680 acathey@highpoint.edu High Point University website: highpoint.edu Facebook.com/HighPointU Twitter.com/HighPointU Instagram.com/HighPointU HPU Magazine is published for alumni, parents and friends of High Point University.

HPU Photographer: J. Chadwick Christian Numbers to know: Receptionist: 336-841-9000 Admissions: 800-345-6993 Alumni and Parent Relations: 336-841-9127 Athletics: 336-841-9281 Campus Concierge: 336-841-4636 Security: 336-841-9112

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Extraordinary Education

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High Point University Continues its Transformational Growth

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Inspiring Environment

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Engaged Community — The HPU Campus Thrives on Connection

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Caring People Commitment to Community — HPU is High Point’s University.

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On the cover: Alumnus Dan Miller, ‘98, is an Emmy Award-winning journalist in Boston for Fox 25. He lives a life of success and significance both on and off camera — something High Point University prepared him to do. He shares his story on page 100.

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Tomorrow’s University: Tradition and Innovation Dear HPU Friend: Two of the most active words in our language are influence and impact, and they describe a part of our mission quite well: To influence the minds, hearts and souls of students; to guide

President Nido R. Qubein

them in meaningful and purposeful ways; to impact them toward a life filled with success and framed with significance.

I teach two classes at HPU: The Life Skills Class for all freshmen and The Real World Class for seniors.

In each class, at different times, we contemplate and talk about many questions. Here are a few:

They hear about the importance of investing one-third of their lives in serving — with one-third in earning and one-third in learning — and how it is noble to promote social justice.

What are you like at your best?

By the time they graduate, they see how their lives can blossom like flowers in spring. They see and remember; they listen and absorb; they do and understand.

What must you do to stay at your best?

We learn that water is hot at 211 degrees, and at 212 degrees, it produces steam. Steam can drive a train! Imagine what would happen if you raise your potential one degree?

Students find answers to these questions. They realize that following their purpose with faithful courage is stimulating and pursuing innovation instead of only creativity keeps them from becoming irrelevant. They learn how to do things better, not just differently.

They become vertical thinkers instead of horizontal thinkers, and they learn to understand the why — not just the what — to help them gain a deeper understanding of people and processes.

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Aristotle said centuries ago: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”

At HPU, his idea is still important today. We believe that often what one does is not as important as how one does it.

A Life That Matters At HPU, we promote the art of the possible.

A can-do attitude. A realization that each of us is created for a purpose. An idea that our lives matter.

They matter most when we reach beyond ourselves to make our community, country and world better. HPU is a God, family and country school that celebrates private enterprise, personal initiative and civic engagement.

School in its category. No wonder almost all of our students find employment or admission to graduate school within a few months of graduation.

It’s been said that much of what we regret is what we choose to avoid, and at HPU, we don’t want students spending much of their life avoiding and regretting.

When I think of how HPU has evolved, I remember my friend Don Hutson.

We encourage students to be entrepreneurial, to communicate, connect, cooperate and collaborate. When they do, they work toward a life that matters.

A Thoughtful Academy With Extraordinary Academics Of course, academic quality always comes first.

Stellar faculty lead our students in a multitude of ways, inside and outside the classroom. They help them explore and understand the content and context of knowledge in practical and applicable ways.

Initiatives like the Common Experience for freshmen, service learning, undergraduate research, entrepreneurship center and sales education labs are all rooted in the liberal arts tradition of developing critical thinking skills, complemented by real-world preparation.

The new Cottrell Hall, home of the Flanagan Center for Student Success, on campus is a model for engaging students in exciting and innovative ways that uphold the traditions of the institution, as well as explore new ways to achieve and grow.

For the fourth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report has ranked High Point University No. 1 among Best Colleges in the South.

It also listed HPU as No. 1 Most Innovative

An Extension of Your Home

“God does not cast us in deep water to drown us,” he once told me, “But to cleanse us.”

There is no question that HPU has been on a dramatic rise, in every area, in the last decade.

The metrics are impressive. The results are tangible. The future is bright.

Our campus family has worked diligently to create and sustain a solid institution of higher learning that promotes discovery, diversity and inclusion, while upholding the finest values of faith, civility, service and patriotism.

In so many ways, our university is an extension of our students’ homes. Parental and institutional values are in concert. Our families, as well as our alumni and friends, have supported and promoted this university with an ample supply of love and guidance.

We welcome heroes, models and mentors to our circle of influence and give God the praise for all the blessings.

The last decade at HPU has been extraordinary.

The next decade can only take the university to new heights of thoughtful and worthwhile results. And, when friends ask me if all this hard work stresses us, my answer is always the same: We’re too blessed to be stressed! Amen.

Sincerely, Nido R. Qubein President highpoint.edu | 3

EXTRAORDINARY

EDUCATION

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An extraordinary education at High Point University begins with faculty who are committed to providing students with real-world, experiential learning opportunities.

At the annual Elevator Pitch Competition, for example, HPU students were given two minutes to pitch their business ideas to judges and compete for cash awards.

Ideas ranged from a solar powered filtration system, to a crib that converts into a bed and desk, to an LED light system to keep runners on pace. The winners, pictured here, received valuable start-up funding. Every team that pitched their idea came out of the competition with a new perspective and greater confidence.

“They are systematically more advanced for 18 to 22-year-olds, and they certainly are braver,” said competition judge Eric Hill, co-founder and CEO of BioRX. “When I was 20, I had no idea how to start a business. But here at High Point University, they say with no problem, ‘I’m going to start a company.’”

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

The University of Tomorrow Forward.

It’s the direction in which High Point University sets its sights.

Dr. Nido Qubein sees the bright future beyond the mountainous construction on the southern side of campus and $150 million in enhancements underway.

He saw it more than a decade ago when he arrived. There was deferred maintenance then 6 | highpoint.edu

and facilities in need of new life. He energized campus in a way that not only inspired a physical change, but also a change in the university’s DNA. A can-do attitude was infused. He calls it the art of the possible.

Ten years later, remarkable things have been accomplished. Undergraduate enrollment has tripled. The number of faculty almost tripled.

The size of campus has quadrupled. So has the number of employees.

High Point University continues its growth with the Congdon School of Health Sciences and the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy — a $120 million investment.

But it’s just the beginning. At a ground breaking last fall, the next step began with construction of the Congdon School of Health Sciences and the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy. Hundreds gathered at the memorable event in HPU’s history, including North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and 20 physician assistant studies students wearing white coats.

McCrory celebrated the 100 new jobs the schools will create, the 700 new graduate and doctoral level students they will bring to campus and the graduates they will produce to fill needed health care positions.

“That’s talent,” McCrory said, motioning to the students. “High Point University is building it to make sure our state and our nation are sustainable.”

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A Campus of Innovation Focusing future programs on undergraduate and graduate health care degrees is reflective of something else the governor told the crowd.

“To compete, you have to anticipate, not react,” McCrory said. “In business and politics, if you react, you’re late. It’s the same for education. What you’re doing now is responding to our future needs.”

“I came to High Point University because it has a can-do attitude,” said Dr. Dan Erb, dean of the School of Health Sciences who came to HPU from Duke University.

“The programs that we’re building here are going to change lives.”

The first class of physician assistant students came to HPU in June 2015. These 20 students, selected out of 800 applicants, were the ones in the white coats at the ground breaking that day. The ones

McCrory said will unleash talent needed in the world.

“We get to leave our finger print on this,” said Jamey Williams, a member of the inaugural class. “I get to be part of the image of this program.

In another year, we’ll be practicing.

And then for the first time, people will know what an extraordinary High Point University physician assistant can do.”

The growth of High Point University is focused on preparing students for the world as it’s going to be. That’s why university leaders chose to embark on these programs. The landscape of health care is changing. Baby boomers are aging and retiring, yet they desire to stay active. More people than ever before have access to health care through the Affordable Care Act. These programs prepare students to tackle the challenges of a booming health care industry.

They’ll do it in the 224,000-square-foot complex that will house both academic schools and offer advanced biomedical research facilities, a cadaver lab, standardized client space that records students’ interactions with patients to allow for critiquing, and medical simulation labs.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory celebrated the ground breaking of HPU’s Congdon School of Health Sciences and Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy. “I sell High Point University when I travel abroad and speak about the great state of North Carolina,” he said at the event. “We need organizations like High Point University that prepare for our future, not our past.”

Story continues on page 10

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MAJOR IMPACT: A snapshot of the benefits of the

Congdon School of Health Sciences AND Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy

34%

job growth by 2024

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700 Students $500 million - much faster than average for other occupations -

- bringing total enrollment to 5,400 students -

annual economic impact - boosting current $464.5M annual impact by $33M -

224,000 square feet - of innovation & technology -

$120 million i n v e s t m e n t - in the future of health care -

Only School of Pharmacy

i n P i e d m o n t Tr i a d

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100 Jobs - bringing total positions to 1,450 faculty & staff -

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Investing in the Vision Every aspect of the 10-year transformation — the increases in enrollment, academic majors, facilities and support staff — happened in the midst of one the worst economic recessions of this generation. Yet President Qubein and university supporters believed. And because they believed, they invested their time and energy to turn what seemed like the impossible into reality.

The $120 million total investment for these health sciences and pharmacy programs is the university’s single largest investment in history. It’s able to take that step without debt thanks to philanthropic investors and increased operating revenues.

“Our university is the American dream personified,” Dr. Qubein said. “This is what happens when you believe in the principles that built this great nation in the first place.”

Centennial Square II is one of several new additions to the HPU campus in 2015. It is the university’s second town home complex.

Those principles resonate with the two families — Earl and Kitty Congdon, and Fred and Barbara Wilson — who are helping make this facility possible. Earl Congdon is executive chairman of Old Dominion Freight Line, one of America’s leading transportation logistic companies with 15,000 employees. Fred Wilson is chairman of the board of Piedmont Chemical Industries Inc., including five companies with plants in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

For many years they’ve been involved at HPU. They serve on the Board of Trustees

“In another year, we’ll be practicing.

And then, for the first time, people will know what an extraordinary High Point University physician assistant can do.”

– Jamey Williams, physician assistant student

$280 million raised since 2005 without a formal campaign

High Point University gratefully acknowledges the thousands of alumni and parents who, through the Alumni Association, Panther Club, President’s Leadership Council, and the Parents’ Council, continually contribute generous annual gifts in support of students and their education.

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and have facilities on campus named in honor of their achievements in business, philanthropy and beyond. They’ve recently furthered their generous support of High Point University by each making eight-figure gifts.

At the official ground breaking ceremony, Dr. Qubein announced that the two academic schools would be named in their honor — the Congdon School of Health Sciences and the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.

“They make it possible for us to bring these schools to fruition,” he said.

They become part of a group of multiple families who have given $10 million or more to HPU, and many others who have made major contributions of $1 million or more. A total of $280 million has been raised since 2005 without a formal campaign. After doubling faculty, tripling undergraduate enrollment and quadrupling the size of campus, HPU continues to flourish. In 2015 alone, the university opened Cottrell Hall, a $22 million facility funded by gifts from parents of current students, and Centennial Square II, the university’s second town home complex.

“These individuals who invest in High Point University’s mission create an abundance of opportunity for our students,” Qubein said. “They have always had faith in our vision. When you have faith and you have courage, anything is possible.”

The World as It Will Be How do we know what the world will be in the future? The answer is simple: we don’t.

But here’s what we do know: The future will always bring change. It will always offer opportunity. And it will always include challenge.

So High Point University prepares its students to be nimble, to embrace change and to learn how to anticipate the problems of tomorrow before they start. When they do that, they’re ready.

And they will do just that. HPU physician assistant studies will graduate its first class in 2017, while the School of Pharmacy anticipates accepting its first class in fall 2016.

Meanwhile undergraduate students are studying exercise science and master’s students are studying athletic training in the School of Health Sciences, while a doctoral program in physical therapy is slated to begin in 2017 — the same year the new complex will be completed.

Their clinical rotations will be completed in close proximity to campus, and they’ll graduate with many job opportunities available throughout the world. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows these fields are expected to grow up to 34 percent by 2024 — far faster than average.

The landscape of health care will continue to shift. What the world will be is a question mark. But the ability of High Point University graduates to tackle it is certain. ■

HPU Growth: 2005–2015 Undergrad Enrollment 1,450 (traditional students) Full-time Faculty Campus Size (acres)

108 277 92

410

Square Footage 740,000 Buildings on Campus (new and acquired) Total Positions Economic Impact

4m

22

112

430

1,433 $160.3M

$464.5M

Operating & $38M Capital Budgets United Way Giving Study Abroad Programs Academic Schools Freshman Applications

$290M

$38,000

$230,000

5

56

3 7 2,185

Property, Plant $75.4M and Equipment 2005

203% 156% 346% 441% 409% 233% 190% 663% 505% 1020% 133% 399% 795%

4,400

10,909

$675M

2015 highpoint.edu | 11

Meet Our Dedicated Faculty

In the Congdon School of Health Sciences and Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy

Daniel Erb

Ronald Ragan

Dean, Congdon School of Health Sciences

Dean, Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy

PT, PhD

RPh, PhD

Buddy Lingle

Scott Hemby

RPh, PhD

PhD

Professor and Associate Dean for Student and Professional Affairs

Professor and Chair, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences

Bradley Clark RPh, PhD

Jolene Henning

Tony Kemerly

Linda Sekhon

Founding Chair, Department of Physical Therapy

Chair, Department of Athletic Training

Chair, Department of Exercise Science

Founding Chair, Department of Physician Assistant Studies

Robin Cooke

Christy Sherrill

EdD, ATC, LAT

Mary Jayne Kennedy Courtney Bradley RPh, PharmD

Professor and Chair, Department of Clinical Sciences

Jan Ruzicka

Kent Stewart

PharmD, PhD

PhD

Assistant Professor, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences

Associate Professor, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences

Eric Hegedus

PT, DPT, MHSc, OCS, CSCS

Associate Professor, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences

RPh, PharmD

PhD

RPH, PharmD

DHSc, PA-C

RPh, PharmD

Steve Dischiavi

Kevin Ford

James Smoliga

Jeffrey B. Taylor

Alexis Wright

Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy

Director, Human Biomechanics and Physiology Laboratory

Kimberly Reich

Kyle Sunderland

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

PT, DPT, ATC, COMT, CSCS

PhD, FACSM

DVM, PhD PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS PT, PhD, DPT, FAAOMPT Assistant Professor, Associate Director, Director of Clinical Physical Therapy Human Biomechanics Education, Department and Physiology Laboratory of Physical Therapy

Erica Thornton

Sara Arena

Jillian Davis

Mathew Kuennen

Assistant Professor, Athletic Training

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Dan Tarara

Roger Vaughan

Mark Archambault

Ashlyn Bruning

Julienne Conner

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Assistant Professor, Exercise Science

Director of Research, Physician Assistant Studies

Director of Clinical Education, Physician Assistant Studies

Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies

PhD

DHSc, PA-C

Stephen Meyers

David Pitonzo

Elyse Watkins

Medical Director, Physician Assistant Studies

Director of Didactic Education, Physician Assistant Studies

Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies

MD

12 | highpoint.edu

PhD, PA-C

MS, PA-C

PhD

Assistant Professor, Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences

Yum Nguyen

EdD, ATC, LAT

Comfort Boateng

RPh, PharmD

Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences

Assistant Professor, Athletic Training

MS, ATC

Jordan Smith

RPh, PharmD

Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences

Nancy Groh

PhD, ATC, LAT

Joy Greene Professor and Assistant Dean for Experiential Education

Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences

Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences

Clinical Education Coordinator, Department of Athletic Training

EdD, ATC, LAT

Peter Gal

Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

RPh, PharmD, BCPS

PhD

MMS, PA-C

PhD

MSPAS, PA-C

PhD

Robin Hughes MSPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies

PhD

Jim Johnson MPAS, PA-C

Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies

PhD

Sheri Lim DO

Assistant Professor, Physician Assistant Studies

Faculty in the Congdon School of Health Sciences and the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy were attracted from prestigious universities including Johns Hopkins, Duke, Duquesne, Emory, Kansas, George Washington, Ohio, Purdue, UNC Chapel Hill, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and more.

Future Pharmacists: The Lynchpin of Health Care Ragan has done this before. At the University of Kansas, he helped lead the founding of a new pharmacy school and once served as the president of a pharmaceutical consulting company.

Dr. Ronald Ragan Dean Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy The nearest pharmacy was 26 miles away from the rural farm community where Dr. Ronald Ragan grew up.

This scarcity of the profession is what unexpectedly led him to study pharmacy. It’s a similar void — one of physicians around the country and different parts of the world — that led him to help develop the High Point University School of Pharmacy.

Several years in the making, the school will welcome its inaugural class this year.

It is the only pharmacy program in the Piedmont Triad Region.

By the time students graduate from HPU’s six-year program, they will be well-prepared to provide the best patient care in the workforce. Through a traditional two-year pre-pharmacy program, they will benefit from liberal arts courses at High Point University. Then they begin a four-year professional program, the final year of which is spent in the field going through a series of nine, one-month clinical experiences with experienced health care providers.

“The pharmacist is going to become the lynchpin of health care,” says David King, CEO of LabCorp. “Not only will this be good for High Point University, but it will be good for our country because we will create high-paying, high-skilled jobs that are going to make a difference in peoples’ lives.”

Through inter-professional courses, students will learn how to navigate working on a team. They will understand what their own roles are in health care, the challenges they should expect to be faced with, and the strategies to improve care in their environment.

And thanks to the Integrated Learning Model, HPU Pharm.D. students will learn both the pharmaceutical sciences and clinical application.

“Being a brand new program, we have the opportunity to build in links for those two different domains in pharmacy,” says Ragan. “I like to think of it as the double helix of DNA — the two backbones (basic science and clinical knowledge) are linked together by specialized courses as you follow the spiral. That’s what we’re doing with our laboratory and experiential courses: We’re hooking the science and the practice of health care together to develop the most advanced practitioners possible.”

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

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Cottrell Hall Prepares Students for the

Connection� “Economy Work environment matters.

Businesses like Apple, Google, Bloomberg and Amazon have proven that fact through their success, which began with motivating employees to produce extraordinary results.

Instead of constructing buildings with four walls, these companies have created dynamic spaces for their teams. They understand that employees are inspired, in part, by the environment in which they work to dream big and strive for greatness.

Dr. Nido Qubein addresses hundreds of members of the HPU family at the grand opening of Cottrell Hall.

High Point University has applied that same principle to Cottrell Hall, home to the Flanagan Center for Student Success.

Cottrell Hall is a $22 million, 43,000-square-foot facility funded by gifts from parents of HPU students. Inside, the university has expanded experiential learning opportunities. From Career and Professional Development, to Centers for Entrepreneurship, Sales Education and Executive Education, students develop

the ability to connect the dots between the experiences amassed during their time at HPU and their value in the world.

Why does studying abroad matter to a student’s future career? How can undergraduate research make them stand out to an employer? The answers to those questions are discovered here in Cottrell Hall.

Collaboration is fostered through the transparency of glass walls. An international theme is embedded throughout. Support staff inside come together to guide students to compete on a global platform, while top recruiters and employers visit this space to select the best candidates for their companies.

Students are greeted with opportunity.

They leave armed with confidence and capability.

Flip through these pages to learn more about Cottrell Hall, the Flanagan Center for Student Success, and all they offer.

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

Dwyer Career and Professional Development Success stories are written here. A look at the faces of successful alumni scrolling across the walls of Career and Professional Development will tell you that.

They represent the end goal — the outcomes-based work that career advisors help students accomplish.

Through mock interviews, LinkedIn and resume workshops, Career Expos that bring employers to campus, one-on-one counseling sessions and beyond, these career advisors help students prepare for the world as it’s going to be.

On a campus filled with experiential learning opportunities, it’s the starting point and the finish line.

Whether graduates launch careers with top employers, gain admission to prestigious graduate schools or build their own companies, this is the anchor to their academic journey.

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employment and grad school placement within six months of graduation

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers first destination reporting protocols, 72.6% of the High Point University 2014 graduating class were employed and 25.1% were continuing their education within 6 months or less.

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Wehrle Internship Resources It’s more than an internship. It’s an audition.

Staff inside HPU’s Internship Resources share this with each student they meet.

At internships, students get hands-on experience that enhances their resume and skills, but also their understanding of networking and collaboration. A large percentage of students are able to convert an internship into a full-time job offer based on their stellar performance. Other times, they’ll make contacts who will connect them to other full-time job offers, or gain significant experience that makes them stand out to hiring managers.

Internships open the doors of opportunity. HPU’s Internship Resources is staffed with counselors ready to match students’ talents and goals with those opportunities.

Bernard Lobby The Bernard Lobby inside Cottrell Hall welcomes you to a connected environment.

On all sides are glass — indicative of the transparent, collaborative world we live in.

Hanging from the two-story rotunda is a 30-foot chandelier. Its shape is symbolic of data being streamed from one point to another across the world. Its bluegreen colors reflect the earth and the global marketplace in which students prepare to launch careers.

This is the heart of the facility and all it offers students for personal growth and professional development. Those who want to share their ideas, connect the possibilities and create new opportunities are drawn to it, and they thrive here.

Expand to view more —u

Belk

Entrepreneurship Center The red wall, a focal point in the Belk Entrepreneurship Center, says it all.

Focused on creating value. Nimble, flexible, open to growth. Innovative.

Willing to take calculated risks.

Can-do attitude. Insightful. Decisive.

Able to learn from multiple sources — including failure.

That mindset embodies the entrepreneurial spirit prevalent on High Point University’s campus. It’s why the Belk Entrepreneurship Center

was established in a new, modern space, and it’s why meetings for the Entrepreneurship Club are overflowing each week.

Inside, students craft sound business plans, pitch to investors for start-up funding, brainstorm with business owners in the city and connect with their peers to create and collaborate. It’s what entrepreneurs do in the real world every day, and it’s what HPU students do on their campus.

Expand to view more —u

Sales Education Center Everybody’s in sales.

That’s the truth in a world that’s constantly in flux.

Regardless of someone’s major or occupation, they will always have to do this: Sell themselves.

To employers. To their graduate school of choice.

To investors. To clients.

Wherever they are, students must sell their ability to adapt, learn, grow and embrace change.

The Sales Education Center is open to everyone and helps students hone their skills before graduation. It houses three real-world work settings, including a tech company (think Google or Apple), a corporate setting found in major financial firms and a health care setting.

It’s true that High Point University is one of a handful of universities that have designed a major in sales. And every student at HPU is exposed to its necessity.

Mestdagh Creative Commons It’s an open space with seating that fosters conversation and collaboration.

Students can venture into the Creative Commons anytime to work on group projects, and new students can seek guidance from their Student Success Coach.

The Success Coaches work daily in this space rather than being shut

behind office doors, making them highly visible and approachable.

They also model what it’s like to operate in the modern workplace — one that is open, transparent and synergetic in nature.

The coaches develop plans for students revolving around their major, engagement on campus, leadership opportunities and

Baur Institute for Executive Education

experiential learning. And they connect students with others on campus, such as scheduling an appointment between a student interested in starting their own business and the director of the Entrepreneurship Center.

Students create, build upon and share their successes in the Creative Commons.

Dozens of companies and organizations are attracted to the transformational experience at High Point University. They visit to learn how HPU has achieved so much in such a short amount of time and in the midst of a recession. And they visit to recruit the bright minds that are being developed at HPU. Inside the Institute for Executive Education, HPU President Nido Qubein, faculty and staff share their ideas to craft culture, innovation, growth and create value. The result is a bridge built with some of the world’s leading businesses.

Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Through the lens of undergraduate research, students discover possibilities they didn’t know existed.

Testing the cognitive abilities of lemurs, for example, at a local science center.

Or creating an app that teaches the principles of stock trading and offering it for free to the general public.

The Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works uncovers opportunities like this for students. It fits all majors; from liberal arts to the sciences, to pre-professional programs, research has no limitations.

Companies today seek candidates with research experience because it shows that students have the ability to problem solve and collaborate with others. In today’s work force, that sets them apart.

Study Abroad With 56 programs spanning 29 countries, the Office of Study Abroad brings relevance to students who compete not merely continentally, but globally.

In today’s world, that’s everybody.

Sometimes students study in Europe, South America or China for a semester. Other times they travel to a different country for a month to study one, in-depth topic.

In the end, students connect the dots between the experiences they’ve amassed, including overcoming cultural barriers and building bridges in an international economy. They leave informed with many different lessons, but always one conclusion — broadening their perspective of the world helps them speak a global language.

International Student Concourse It’s the setting of an international airport, complete with airplane seating and overhead storage. It’s part of the holistic approach that helps students take flight in today’s “connection” economy, created by the myriad of technological advances of our time.

The International Student Concourse anchors Cottrell Hall’s international theme. It bustles with students and laptops at Starbucks, inside three group-study rooms, or in open study space above. A quote on the wall and scrolling international trivia reinforce the idea that students are being prepared to live lives of both success and significance.

“In a world filled with people,” the quote reads, “only some want to fly. Isn’t that crazy?”

Fallucca Plaza Fallucca Plaza is home to the Gabriel Family Globe and Water Feature. The mirrored globe provides an opportunity for reflection as it revolves. Benches invite visitors to relax. Tables and chairs inspire student collaboration. Multiple gathering areas offer an inviting space to connect outdoors.

The plaza is the first and last thing students see when they visit Cottrell Hall. It ensures students experience an inspiring environment well before they step foot in the building.

Parent Philanthropists and Advocates Cottrell Hall, home of the Flanagan Center for Student Success, was funded by gifts from parents of HPU students.

These families, along with hundreds of others throughout the HPU transformation, have generously invested and believed in the mission to prepare students for the world as it is going to be.

David and Christine Cottrell | Richmond, Virginia

Marty and Jennifer Flanagan | Atlanta, Georgia

David and Christine Cottrell provided the lead gift for the structure. Their daughter, Leah, graduates in 2016.

Marty and Jennifer Flanagan provided the gift that funded the Flanagan Center for Student Success, housed in Cottrell Hall. Their son, Ryan, graduated in 2015.

The Cottrells founded RetailData in Virginia in 1988 as a “true garage start-up.” Today, the company thrives as the standard of the data collection industry. David is chairman and Christine is CEO. Their belief in HPU’s entrepreneurial spirit and admiration for its achievements is what inspired them to give.

Since 2005, Marty Flanagan has been a director, President and CEO of Invesco, an independent investment management firm with branch offices in 20 countries. Invesco is a New York Stock Exchange company. He is also a trustee and vice-chairman of the Invesco Family of Funds. Flanagan serves on the Board of Governors and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Investment Company Institute.

Contributing Families Michael and Laura Baur Simpsonville, South Carolina Tim and Sarah Belk Charlotte, North Carolina Cathy Bernard Bethesda, Maryland James and Angie Burkhart Carmel, Indiana David and Christine Cottrell Richmond, Virginia Jack and Nancy Dwyer Melbourne Beach, Florida Giacomo Fallucca Milwaukee, Wisconsin Ross and Joan Fazio Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Marty and Jennifer Flanagan Atlanta, Georgia

Sam and Colette Gabriel Haddonfield, New Jersey Richard and Leslie Gilliam Keswick, Virginia Gov. William “Bill” and Linda Graves McLean, Virginia David and Cindy Maxsimic Falmouth, Maine James and Kristine Mestdagh in conjunction with the Jon and Marlene Boll Foundation Grosse Pointe, Michigan Jimmy and Angela Perillo Commack, New York Stephen and Laura Wehrle Charleston, West Virginia

“We believe in the mission of High Point University and are proud to be one of the families that have brought this to fruition.”

– David Cottrell, chairman of RetailData

t— Expand to view more of Cottrell Hall

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NAVIGATING STUDENTS Success TOWARD

Sue Brien has two mannequins in her office.

To understand why, you have to understand Brien.

She’s a veteran career counselor. At High Point University, she sees many students. And some students she sees want guidance.

They visit Brien because she’s the associate director of employer relations for the Office of Career and Professional Development. But really, she’s the go-to person who helps students understand an employer’s needs.

So, she has two mannequins in her office — one male, one female. Both are dressed in suits, business-office blue, to show students what they need to wear to any interview.

Students come to prepare for their future. Brien has many ideas. She talks quickly. Students listen. They ask questions. Brien answers, her words tumbling together like waves on a beach.

She doesn’t “mollycoddle’’ her students because she wants them to be ready for the real world.

They will be.

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Brien and her colleagues have nearly 60 years of experience in navigating the world of work and helping hundreds of college students land the internships and jobs they want — and need.

They teach students how to market their differences and show their relevance to employers and graduate schools in ways that are professional, distinguished and ever so subtle.

Students today need that edge. The world they live in is becoming more competitive with each passing day.

So, Brien helps. As do so many others.

“Students who engage ‘early and often’ in the career development process end up having the most successful outcomes after graduation. The entire university is committed to this — helping students become who they want to be.”

– Bridget Holcombe, director of Career and Professional Development

Parent Partnerships Right away, Tom Burdeshaw felt HPU was different.

He came with his oldest son, Brooks, for a campus visit a few years ago. He saw his son’s name in lights on a sign in the parking lot, heard the classical music from the Gene and Jane Kester International Promenade, and he couldn’t find one piece of trash anywhere on campus.

Once Brooks enrolled, Burdeshaw decided to offer a 10-week summer internship at his place of employment, Marriott International.

Excellence = Relevance Research shows nearly 98 percent of HPU’s 2014 graduates either gained employment or continued to graduate school within six months after graduating.

Why? Planned happenstance.

It’s a phrase Brien and her colleagues use often. They implore students to take risks and be flexible, persistent and optimistic. That, they say, will help students seize the opportunities they create for themselves.

They make sure students follow what they call the Four-Year Action Plan, a step-by-step road map for every year at HPU. Bridget Holcombe, the office’s director, has another name for it: The Parental Nagging Document.

“I know what the parents are going through because I’m a parent as well,’’ said Holcombe, a mother to three grown children. “So I tell them, ‘Put this on your refrigerator so that you can partner with us.’

Burdeshaw is vice president of design and project management. He and his team help design and construct nearly 1,000 active hotel projects from Canada to South America.

Last year, Burdeshaw helped Marriott hire four HPU interior design students for its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. Two of the interns turned their internships into full-time jobs.

“They presented themselves well, their resumes and online portfolios were done well, and they were well prepared,” he says. “And having the furniture market close to High Point University is a good thing for an interior design school. That is a great connection.”

This year, Burdeshaw and his team needed only one interior design intern. But Burdeshaw made sure he found his at HPU. That, he says, is his internship source.

“We’ve struggled in the past to get interns, but last year, I figured out how to do it at HPU,” Burdeshaw says.

“Now, everyone at my office wants to try it.”

“I also tell parents that students who engage ‘early and often’ in the career development process end up having the most successful outcomes after graduation. The entire university is committed to this — helping students become who they want to be.’’

Overcoming Confusion and Fear

That is the mantra of President Nido R. Qubein. He wants them to be extraordinary. He uses that word often. But he emphasizes the journey is not easy. There is, as he says, “no elevator for success.”

The office’s career advisors help students answer that question as they navigate together one of the most exhilarating — and fearful — times of a student’s life.

“You must travel up the stairway,’’ he tells students. “Millions of people can do what you do. Think. How are you different?’’

The advisors help students talk the language of differentiation because they show them how everything — from

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION interning to volunteering to doing research to steering a campus organization — separates them from their peers worldwide.

Thus, students learn how they can leverage their life on campus toward what they ultimately want after graduation: beginning their career or graduate school journey.

In seminar after seminar, Dr. Qubein has told them how the world’s global economy has made the competition for internships and jobs fierce.

So, Holcombe and her team go from their offices to everywhere on a 410-acre campus to help students in need.

Their work, along with HPU’s powerful network of alumni and parents, has helped the university make inroads with many companies and graduate schools.

Almost every step of the way, Holcombe and her team counsel and advise students. They’re the job catcher, fashion advisor, body-language expert, etiquette trainer, linguist and technologist.

Or they simply help students take that first step toward adulthood.

Elizabeth Walker is a career advisor. She remembers.

Walker is 27, a North Carolina native not that far removed from the angst students like Amanda Berger feel. Walker remembers the fear of the unknown from her undergrad days.

When she was a freshman, Berger came to a workshop in Phillips Hall because she wanted to get started on her LinkedIn

profile. But before she typed her first sentence, she struggled to come up with a summary of her talents.

She leaned forward, hands in her lap, shoulders hunched. She started cracking her knuckles.

“I’m bad about starting this,’’ she said while holding her breath.

“No worries,’’ Walker responded. “That’s why I’m here.’’

Berger listened. Walker gave her tips on how to write an effective LinkedIn profile. After 20 minutes of going over a few sentences, Walker scheduled an hour-long office appointment to help Berger polish her LinkedIn profile and work on her resume.

Where The Journey Begins HPU’s career advisors know all their names.

Like Basil Lucas, a student from Charleston, South Carolina. Career advisor Kellie McLeod helps guide Lucas from confusion to clarity.

Through the results from his Myers-Briggs assessment, an inventory of personality preferences, she shows Lucas how to map a future.

“She’s the guide,’’ Lucas said. “Like the bumpers in a bowling alley.’’

20 | highpoint.edu

Persistence Pays Off Then there is Connor Mathues, a 2015 business graduate from New Jersey.

Before he graduated in May, he had five internships with wealth management and financial firms and studied abroad in Australia.

Brien put him in contact with New Wealth Advisors, an independent private wealth management firm she knew outside Boston. After he graduated, she called to check in.

When she got him on the phone, she raised her arms, her fists clenched. Mathues told her he had accepted a services associate position with New Wealth.

“I did it,’’ Mathues told Brien.

“Yes, you did!’’ Brien responded.

Brien and her colleagues see dozens of students like Lucas and Mathues, sometimes as much as once a week for months at a time. They help with everything — down to the correct hue of an interview suit.

Meanwhile, Brien crafts partnerships with companies and businesses, even some HPU parents who run companies and businesses, and arranges time for them to come to campus and interview students.

And it all takes place in Cottrell Hall — the newest facility on campus.

Class of 2015 Arielle Stratton Lenovo

Briayna Cuffie Northeastern University— Homeland Security

Marissa Pierre graduated in May with a job in her pocket.

She worked hard to get there. But she had help. Pierre dropped by Kellie McLeod’s office frequently for two years, and the more she went, the more she gained insight and confidence. McLeod, a career advisor with 20 years of experience, helped Pierre with everything — resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, and why a skirt should fall right past the knee.

Pierre was a strategic communication major. With McLeod’s help, she landed four PR internships during her undergraduate career.

Now, she looks as poised as a polished public speaker when she goes into work every day — she’s a communications manager for RLF Communications, a public relations firm in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“Looking back, I couldn’t have done it on my own,” Pierre now says. “I needed someone to be my guide, and Ms. McLeod was. That’ll stay with me throughout my life.”

Alex Nelson Edward Jones Ryan Kaika Hewlett-Packard

Krista Willard CBS Interactive Matthew Burns Howard University School of Law

SEE MORE CLASS OF 2015 SUCCESS STORIES AT WWW.HIGHPOINT.EDU/CLASSOF2015

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metallic globe sits out front, and inside are three atriums and the fuselage of an airplane.

But that’s not what makes this building special.

Cottrell Hall, which opened in August, is a hub of activity for students seeking career preparation and skill diversification.

It houses eight university programs that help students make their dreams possible. That includes the Office of Career and Professional Development.

Brien and her colleagues have one professional home behind a wall of windows and glass at every turn.

In a symbolic sense, the glass conveys how HPU wants students to see their future.

Where the Journey Continues Home of the Flanagan Center for Student Success, Cottrell Hall is a $22 million, two-story building behind the R.G. Wanek Center with a dome painted dew-point green.

The building was funded entirely by donations from HPU families who, as Dr. Qubein gratefully acknowledges, believed in HPU’s mission: empowering students with an entrepreneurial mindset.

The building covers 43,000 square feet. Its walls are all glass, and the space inside feels as roomy as an auditorium. A huge

Their world is becoming smaller, and like looking through one big window, students need to realize barriers are transparent and no obstacle can hold them back.

But they have to connect, collaborate and be creative in preparing for how the world is going to be. And their world is wide open, full of opportunities. So, embrace change, be innovative and challenge tradition.

That’s what the glass is all about. That’s what Cottrell Hall is all about.

It’s one of dozens of features on campus that ensures success as students start their own business, commence their career or continue to graduate school.

Brien and her colleagues are there to help students on their journey. That’s where it begins. ■

Below is a glimpse of leading companies that have hired HPU students and graduates for internships and full-time careers.

Animal Planet Apple Bank of America Boston Ballet Cincinnati Enquirer CBS Interactive Disney Consumer Products Duke Medical Center The Ellen Degeneres Show 22 | highpoint.edu

ESPN FDIC Food & Drug Administration Hasbro Hewlett-Packard HGTV HOME Furniture Huffington Post La-Z-Boy Lenovo

Madison Square Garden Marriott International Merrill Lynch MTV Networks NASCAR Digital Media Peace Corps People Magazine Teach for America U.S. House of Representatives

The Phone Call That Worked Megan Hennessey, a graduate of HPU, has launched a coveted career managing social media for Hilton Worldwide.

Now, she returns to campus with a mission to inspire students about what they can be after graduation.

When she talks, students listen. They love social media, and they’re fascinated that her work revolves around it.

After graduation, she first worked as a secretary at a 350-room hotel in her hometown of Danvers, Massachusetts, because she knew she wanted to go into hospitality. She frequently called Eric Melniczek, her career advisor at HPU, to stay in the loop on opportunities.

Then, she heard about the job as a social media coordinator at the Waldorf Astoria, the famous 1,400-room hotel in New York City.

Hennessey used a technique Melniczek taught her. Through LinkedIn, she found five fellow Kappa Delta sisters who had a connection with Waldorf Astoria. She asked them for an introduction to help her.

Hennessey got the job.

Since then, she has jetted from New York City to another Waldorf Astoria in Boca Raton, Florida, to the corporate headquarters of Hilton Worldwide in Dallas, Texas.

Hilton grew Hennessey to manage social media for its 4,200 hotels worldwide.

She now helps manage a team of seven, and she travels often. That includes coming to High Point University, where she earned a double degree in marketing and entrepreneurship with a minor in writing.

When she comes to her alma mater, she recruits future graduates, holds information sessions and shares tips on how to succeed. Here’s one: Don’t be afraid to start small.

She did. But she had courage. She says she got that from HPU. “I never felt I was in a place where I couldn’t take risks,’’ Hennessey says. “HPU is a safe environment to do that.

The smaller class sizes made a difference, too; I could ask a lot of questions, and I never felt like a number. I felt like a member of a community.’’

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56

study abroad programs

wanderlust 101 Study Abroad Staff Guides Students Using Past Experiences

One candle. A German flag. Armed guards lining the streets. A silent protest under the night sky. That’s what Heidi Fischer remembers from 1989. She was 11 years old, and she was marching for the reunification of a then-divided Germany. She protected the candle’s flame as she and her parents, along with a few dozen other neighbors, marched down the streets of Stadtroda, her German hometown of 5,000 people. And they shouted: “Wir sind ein Volk!” (We are one people!)

A few months later, the Berlin Wall came down. And when it did, it opened up a world of opportunities for Fischer. It introduced her to books, to travel, to the English language, to the rest of the world. And to High Point University.

“It is thanks to these life-changing events that I was able to study abroad in the United States,” says Fischer, now the director of study abroad at HPU. “That has impacted me greatly.

Today, I help countless students at High Point University fulfill their dream of living and studying in another country. And when they do, I hope it will change their life as it has mine.”

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A Walk in Their Shoes As a young girl, Fischer’s dream job was to work for the United Nations as an interpreter. She loved the idea of countries coming together for a common goal.

As study abroad director at HPU, Fischer guides the university’s growing international footprint. She advises some 500 students who pursue international experiences each year, and helps welcome to campus all the new faces who come from all over the world to study at HPU. In the past year, Fischer and her team have added a dozen new exchange programs in Chile, Denmark, Hong Kong, Belgium, South Korea and more. A new faculty-in-residence program in Paris, France, allows students to take semesterlong classes abroad with an HPU professor.

At 18 years old, Fischer participated in a year-long exchange program at a high school less than an hour away from High Point. After returning home to Germany, she came back to study international business at HPU. She knows first-hand the doubts and fears students face before they get on that plane and travel halfway across the globe. She knows how difficult reverse culture shock can be.

She’s been in their shoes. And she uses that every day to counsel and encourage students like Meka Timlic.

A Holistic Education For Timlic, spending a semester studying in Florence, Italy, gave her the intercultural communication and business skills she needed to land a job with AT&T’s headquarters in Atlanta.

“Studying abroad in Italy gave me a new outlook on public relations and marketing,” says Timlic, a 2015 business administration graduate. “Being immersed in a new culture forced me to adapt to a new way of interpreting and presenting a product.

“Each day I would walk by various advertisements in the city as well as different sales tactics of each store. This led me to be able to not only know and understand the difference between European and American marketing tactics, but to be able to immerse them into my culture as well.”

As for Marcus Cromwell and Leah Scully, their semesters abroad granted them a transformational and introspective experience.

er emest s y m during elf, the kind n o s r e p ys st as a lot about m how I want o m w d “I gre I learned a life, an n i e . d b a to abro 5 I want ld.” n o of 201tna s s r s e a r l p o C f e , w o well xecutive at A act the e s Crom p u c m i r count a c o t – M rket a Middle

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“I grew most as a person during my semester abroad,” says Cromwell, who studied at the University of Newcastle in Australia. “I traveled the world with people I will call my friends until the end of my life. I learned a lot about myself, the kind of person I want to be in life, and how I want to impact the world.”

“Studying abroad was absolutely worthwhile,” says Scully, who spent a semester at The American University of Rome. “I matured significantly and discovered what I was passionate about. I am a much happier, independent, confident person because of this experience.”

A World of Opportunity Home to students from more than 30 different countries, the HPU campus is an international reflection of a global economy. And as more and more students see the value in studying at HPU, the campus population diversifies.

So Fischer finds herself here today, leading HPU’s Office of Study Abroad in Cottrell Hall. She loves the grassroots approach to international diplomacy — of sending HPU students abroad to learn about different cultures so that we can all better understand each other.

“We’re here at HPU to make a difference in your student’s life,” Fischer says. “That’s why I originally chose to study at HPU — I knew I was going to get personal attention here, and that people were going to help me succeed. Fifteen years later, that still holds true today. Campus has expanded, our building count has exploded and our student population has grown so much — but that individual attention is still there.”

She’s doing what her younger self dreamed of, just in a different way.

“We’re getting our students out there to get to know other cultures. I’m still doing U.N. work, just not at the U.N. But the goal is the same: intercultural connection.” ■

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Selects

HPU Students’ Proposal

HPU Competes Against Yale and Duke to Win NASA’s Vote Many physicists dream of having their work used by NASA. Some High Point University physics majors had that dream come true after building a device for astronauts and having NASA invite them to test it in the Johnson Space Center.

surfaces submerged in the NBL. The divers put forward a few recommendations to improve its collection capabilities, but altogether their “Chip ‘n’ Ship” was deemed a success, with the divers referring to it as “cleverly designed.”

NASA accepted the HPU students’ proposal for a device called the “Chip ‘n’ Ship” after they competed against proposals from students at universities including Yale, California State Polytechnic and Duke through NASA’s Micro-g NExT program.

“The experience in Houston was one of the most rewarding opportunities I’ve had during my time at HPU,” says Brooks.

“Being able to brief the divers on our tool and its operation really placed me and my teammates in a truly professional position, and we rose to the occasion.”

They designed the device for astronauts to chip off samples of an asteroid while they’re exploring its surface. Physics majors Hallie Stidham, Jacob Brooks, Michael Cantor, Matthew Iczkowski and Simeon Simeonides built the instrument and, along with Dr. Brad Barlow, assistant professor of astrophysics, visited the space center in Houston to test it. Dr. Aaron Titus, chair of the Department of Physics, and HPU alumni Eric Scarlett and Jeremy Allen contributed to the project as well.

While in Houston, the students went through four days of testing with NASA engineers and divers in the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL), otherwise known as the world’s largest indoor pool, to see if the device was able to chip off and collect samples from four different mock-asteroid

Students test their device at the Johnson Space Center with NASA engineers and divers.

“From the beginning, the team wrote and submitted a proposal, designed a spacewalking tour, built the device, put together a presentation for a NASA safety board and walked NASA divers through a rigorous testing of their device,” says Barlow. “Through the entire process, they grew as scientists, communicators, engineers and professionals. I am ecstatic that our students were able to participate in the Micro-g NExT program, as they gained many experiences valuable to their future careers.”

The students will now submit a final report to NASA discussing their journey building the device. Parts of their design may make their way into future NASA devices used on asteroid missions. ■

Students discuss the “Chip ‘n’ Ship” with retired NASA astronaut Michael Foreman during his visit to HPU. highpoint.edu | 27

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Research Rookies: How Freshmen Begin the Road to Distinction

They’re first-year students at High Point University, new to college, and the whole idea of doing research feels like speaking Latin. But they spend two semesters attending workshops, participating in discussions, learning database management, reviewing oral presentations and engaging in online activities like watching a TED Talk. All of those are learning tools for research. They realize their confidence has grown, their self-doubt has vanished, and they feel better about themselves. They feel comfortable with research, too.

“What I tell students is that 1.6 million people graduated from college last May, and 1.6 million people will be looking for jobs or trying to get into grad school,” says Dr. Joanne Altman, director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works.

“How will you stand out? What will make you different? What will make you special?”

That’s where Research Rookies comes in.

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A Starting Point HPU recognized its first class of Research Rookies in 2015 when Altman slipped medallions around their necks at a formal ceremony.

Their new title? Research Apprentice.

Among those students stood Mayeesa Mitchell, Aakash Nawaz and Elesa Poteres.

Mitchell wants to become a newspaper journalist. She came to HPU as a Media Fellow, one of 16 incoming communication majors chosen for the school’s intensive four-year program. As a Media Fellow, she had to participate in Research Rookies.

But for the first time in her life, she felt something new.

Self-doubt.

“You always hear about academic scholars doing research and you think, ‘This is what they do,’” says Mitchell, the oldest daughter of two math teachers. “I had too much doubt, but I kept telling myself, ‘Those academicians, they had to start somewhere.’”

What Makes You Special?

Altman tells them they can participate anytime during their first three semesters. But they must stay active across two consecutive semesters, complete 15 tasks and participate in a mini-research project.

Altman knows what it can do. The program helps make students more adept at research and prepares them to work one-on-one with a professor.

But there is more, particularly in an era when students need every advantage to compete.

Studies show employers prioritize soft skills like critical thinking over a job candidate’s major or field of study when hiring someone.

Because of that, Research Rookies tries to improve on skills employers say they need. Moreover, Altman has discovered Research Rookies can help students develop a better focus for their life, whether it is a specific career or a specific course of study.

“Students can go into an interview and tell them about something no one else has talked about,” Altman says. “Their research is something new, and the students get so vested in what they do, they talk about what they’ve done with passion and demonstrate their command of knowledge with their subject.

“And whether it’s an interview with 150 applicants or a medical school with 7,000 applicants, their research sets them apart,” she says. “That is the other stuff that makes them unique. How many students have done cognitive research with lemurs? Not very many.”

Confidence is Key Research Rookies has helped Nawaz fine-tune that direction — and find his confidence.

He wants to cure diseases and help find people affordable health care. He has come to understand the necessity of affordable medicine and need to cure diseases.

As for Poteres, she knows she wants to become a neurosurgeon.

“What is it they say? You shoot for the moon and land in the stars,” she says. “Surgery is the ideal job. You know, I loved dissecting things in school. I was always that girl.”

And that girl realizes she wants to shoot for the moon because of Research Rookies.

“In terms of my confidence,” says Poteres, ”it went from 0 to 100.” ■

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Becoming a

Scholar Students Immerse Themselves in Undergraduate Research

At High Point University, students will be somewhere on or off campus, and hours slip by as they focus on what they love — or what they long to understand.

They study lemurs, kill bacteria, create cutting-edge technology or slip into a white bee suit.

They see themselves as scientists and writers, animal behaviorists and artists or mobile system mechanics who will develop an app for the world.

What these HPU students are doing is important for their future. A recent national survey shows undergrad research ranks No. 2 behind internships/apprenticeships on what employers want in potential hires.

But there is something bigger here. After weeks of work, they give presentations about their research and become pictures of confidence. They’re engaged scholars. They work with HPU professors and cultivate a relationship that can last a lifetime.

“All you have to do is get them thinking,” says Roger Shore, an HPU computer science professor. “You plant a seed and let them go.”

Discover why employers want to hire candidates with research experience

Or in Congdon’s third-floor chemistry lab. Students try to understand how bacteria can communicate as they explore hands-on science with HPU chemistry professor Megan Blackledge by their side.

The possibilities are endless.

Finding an Edge

Teaching Students to Think

With research, students blossom, and they do things they never thought they would.

At HPU, the growth of undergraduate research has attracted talented students and stellar faculty to campus and has helped build a solid foundation for a school growing even more in size and academic standing.

That includes meeting a lemur named Roscoe.

HPU students Helen Barker and Ariel Hodges went several times a week to the Greensboro Science Center, 30 minutes north of campus, and recorded how Roscoe did in touching a tablet in a game of sorting cards.

It’s a decision-making game based around numbers, colors and shapes. Barker and Hodges worked with Dr. Joanne Altman, HPU’s director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Works (URCW), with her cognitive research on lemurs.

“You have all these A-ha moments,” says Hodges, a senior from Concord, North Carolina. “That always reminds me why I love education and learning. It gives me a boost to keep going.”

Those moments happen in so many places.

Like the basement of Congdon Hall. Computer science majors work with Shore to perfect a mobile app to help students learn about economics.

What Employers Say Colleges Should Emphasize 1. Critical thinking and analytical reasoning 2. Problem solving 3. Communication, in writing and in public speaking 4. Ability to apply knowledge and skills to real-world settings 5. Ability to locate, organize and elevate information from multiple sources 6. Innovation and creativity 7. Interpersonal skills and teamwork 8. Ability to connect choices and actions to ethical decisions 9. Knowledge about science and technology 10. Ability to work with numbers and understand statistics Source: Hart Research Associates, 2013

In the past two years, the URCW program has engaged nearly 1,200 students. It has awarded grants, published a yearly journal, hosted symposiums, taken students to conferences and started a new program, Research Rookies, which helps underclassmen transition into their roles as scholars.

During the summer, HPU offers the Summer Research Institute and the Summer Research Program in the Sciences (SuRPS).

Undergraduate research unfolds year-round.

“I’d like to think that undergrad research is almost like an apprenticeship because it teaches you to think like a scientist,” says Dr. Brian Augustine, chair of HPU’s chemistry department who helped organize SuRPS. “When you’re taking laboratory courses, it’s almost like following a cookbook. But here, we’re working on things we don’t know what the answer is going to be.”

Developing a Passion For Liz Pruitt, working toward those unknown answers is a dream come true.

In a campus garden beside Blessing Hall, Pruitt tends to her bees. She has them in two apiaries, bee houses built out of cypress, that she and student Taylor Daniel made themselves.

Pruitt wants to start a beekeeping club on campus, and with the help of her English professor Allison Walker, she’s writing and designing a book titled, “From Beginner to Innovator: Inspiration for the Aspiring Beekeeper.”

That inspiration came from her grandfather. He was a beekeeper. Now, she’s a beekeeper, too.

“When I found something I love that is important to me and my community, it was like a wall in front of me getting torn down,” says Pruitt, a graphic design and English major.

Undergraduate research has helped Pruitt merge her majors with her passion for bees. And now, whenever she puts on a suit that looks like something from a 1950s sci-fi movie, she looks into her apiaries and discovers something new.

“I see,” she says, “a completely different world.” ■ highpoint.edu | 31

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Common Experience Connects Freshman Class “ You want students to be inquisitive and curious, and you want them to talk about what they read and make connections with what they learn on campus. That is central to a liberal arts education.

”

– Dr. Bill Carpenter, director of HPU’s First Year Programs 32 | highpoint.edu

IN HIS BOOK, “THE WORK,” Wes Moore’s words caught Julia Blumberg’s attention.

On every page, he gave examples of how to make every stage of your life matter. That resonated with Blumberg, a freshman from Wilmington, Delaware.

Take the three words she found on page 191: “Remember to live.”

She has. With the help of “The Work,” freshmen at HPU do.

“The Work” is the centerpiece of a year-long program known as the Common Experience that is designed to help HPU freshmen connect more deeply with their new academic home.

But the Common Experience started before incoming freshmen took their first class. They read “The Work” over the summer. Once they hit campus, they began talking about the book in and out of the classroom.

It started in English classes and the First-Year Seminars and rippled around campus with panel discussions, plays, concerts, lectures and exhibits centering on the big themes of the book. And indeed, the themes are big.

In its first year at HPU, The Common Experience has students talking about justice, fairness, ethics and the importance of being informed and engaged in where you live. The ideals are a glove fit for the values HPU teaches its students year in and year out.

“You want students to be inquisitive and curious, and you want them to talk about what they read and make connections with what they learn on campus,” says Dr. Bill Carpenter, director of HPU’s First Year Programs. “That is central to a liberal arts education.”

And that is central to HPU: helping freshmen thrive.

Common Experience complements the freshmen seminar and the work of HPU’s Student Success Coaches by encouraging freshmen to look within and see how their passions can create their future.

They saw how in Moore’s “The Work.”

From Adversity Comes Abundance He grew up without a father in Baltimore, and he felt a whisper away from trouble in his tough neighborhood.

He went on to become a Rhodes Scholar, a decorated combat veteran, a White House Fellow, a business leader and a married father of two.

Bestselling author Wes Moore engages students.

He also became a writer with a mission. Throughout “The Work,” his 210-page book, Moore exhibits an unvarnished honesty that is bound to connect with 18 year olds stepping out into the world.

“There are rare times in our lives when we find ourselves doing things because they need to be done — and something in us calls out to do it ourselves,” he writes. “That’s a sign that we may have found the work of our lives. We will accomplish this mission. And not because someone gave me permission, but because I finally gave myself permission.”

Moore recently came to campus and spoke to students, faculty and staff. But his visit was part of a bigger picture about fairness, ethics and social justice.

Students wrote essays, watched documentaries, and attended seminars. They participated in dorm discussions, wrote on the Common Experience blog and canvassed High Point taking photos to illustrate the importance of community and its identity.

“We wanted to engage the students in their own way of thinking and color their first weeks of school to give them a sense of purpose and inspiration,” Carpenter says. “That kind of learning can be revelatory.”

A Holistic Education Research shows that programs like the Common Experience help freshmen turn the idea of college — courses and grades, essays and exams — into a more meaningful experience that’ll guide their lives.

It has for GR Dulac, a freshman from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The book gave him a roadmap on how to live life.

“You can’t achieve happiness until you make others smile,” Dulac says. “I connected with this.”

As for Blumberg, she wrote about her connection in a three-page essay. At the end, she wrote two questions for anyone to ponder: “What do you want to be in life? Do you want to live life to the fullest or sit back and watch people make a difference?”

Because of “The Work,” she has her answer. ■

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

Selling Bringing Business-Minded Concepts to Life for All Students In a world crowded with competition, these students are a commodity in high demand.

Major companies travel thousands of miles to recruit them before someone else does.

They garner attractive job offers months before graduation. And they earn impressive salaries.

They are sales majors — all preparing to work in one of the nation’s largest industries.

Few universities offer a specific major in sales. High Point University has strategically developed such a curriculum with faculty, facilities and partnerships.

These are the types of innovative programs launched in the Phillips School of Business this year, along with a new space and opportunities that bring students of all disciplines together. Everyone learns to sell their own talents regardless of their major.

“Every student should be able to sell themselves,” says Larry Quinn, director of the sales program. “Our mission today is to prepare them for that.”

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A Solid Future in Sales

Focused on Growth

Quinn arrived at HPU three years ago after working four decades in the business world as a top executive in sales and marketing. His experience included assignments at EDS and Xerox in technology services, publishing and computer equipment businesses.

Selling competitions are part of the experiential learning component for sales majors. A facility that opened this fall allows them to get out-of-the-classroom training directly on campus.

He’s passionate about teaching sales to the next generation for two reasons.

The Sales Education Center opened in Cottrell Hall, home of the Flanagan Center for Student Success, this year to serve as a home for all students — those in sales and those not — to practice their pitches, bringing to life the vision for students to be able to sell themselves and their talents.

First, many sales reps are in the baby boomer generation. They are beginning to retire and leave thousands of opportunities open to the next generation.

Second, he knows the benefits of a life in sales. It rewards those who work hard, find solutions to challenges and understand that competition breeds innovation.

He founded the university’s Selling Club in 2013, and in a few short years, it’s grown into one of the most high profile groups on campus.

It’s well-known around the country, too. The Selling Club competes with other university selling clubs at regional and national intercollegiate meets. Students go head to head in pitching products, making cold calls, and, in many ways, selling their own potential.

“These competitions also happen to be ideal job fairs,” says Quinn. “Fifty to 60 major corporations such as IBM or Hewlett-Packard invest major funds to serve as judges at the competitions. That’s because they know these students are the best. They’re better than the people they hired last year from Monster.com. They not only say they can sell, but they prove they can.”

Seniors who attended the most recent competition all received job offers or scheduled interviews at company headquarters. The juniors landed internships.

And Quinn received rave reviews from recruiters about the potential of HPU students.

“These companies want to visit HPU and pluck students directly from our campus,” he says.

It features three distinct spaces designed to reflect growing industries where students will work. The first space is a financial setting, the second is a technologybased setting similar to Google and Apple, and the third is a health care setting.

In all three spaces, students are recorded making cold calls and conducting mock interviews.

“A 20-minute call will be recorded and critiqued on a rubric that’s the professional standard,” says Quinn. “When we build a portfolio of these videos, recruiters can look through them and find students they think will fit well within their company.”

Engaging Entrepreneurs Kathy Elliott has a simple definition for entrepreneur.

“They’re people who see problems and solve them.”

That’s why she describes the new Belk Entrepreneurship Center, where she serves as director, as a neutral zone for all students and disciplines.

“Business majors are naturally connected to the word entrepreneurship, but I want other students to know they are welcomed and encouraged to use our space, too,” she says. “Whether they’re studying dance, physical therapy or designing furniture, entrepreneurs exist in every field.”

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION Putting Puzzle Pieces Together Prior to working at HPU, Elliott spent 17 years with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, rising to vice president of entrepreneurship and small business. She’s experienced in working with business development organizations, entrepreneurs and small businesses, so she knows the steps from idea to execution.

In the center, she assists students in drafting a sound plan and pitching to investors. She invites entrepreneurs who’ve found success to present on campus or visit the center. And she teaches students the fundamentals of landing start-up funds.

They write their ideas on dry-erase walls and discuss them with each other. A business major may have a great idea but needs a computer science major to help make it happen. Then the two need a marketing major to take their product to the public.

Quinn and Elliott are cut from the same cloth — they know their programs are different, but they see the value of collaboration.

In the Business Plan Competition, for example, Elliott brings angel investors to campus to judge students’ plans and award start-up funds to the ones that have the greatest potential.

Nearly $100,000 in funds has been awarded through the competition so far.

This year, she added layers to the preparation process. Part of what students are doing is selling their idea to the investor.

That’s where Quinn comes in.

When students need to prep for the Business Plan Competition, they use the Sales Education Center.

And when sales majors have a new idea for creating a product or service, they can use the Belk Entrepreneurship Center.

And every other major can take part.

In these new centers, it all comes together.

In the Earl N. Phillips School of Business, students meet with accomplished business leaders, learn from seasoned professors in class, and collaborate with their peers to prepare for post-graduate success.

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“ ”

– Larry Quinn, director of the Sales Education Center Innovative Outcomes It’s happened for so many already.

Like Josh Walston. Before venturing to the selling competition with Quinn’s club, he was considering an offer from a flooring company in Charlotte. But VMWare approached him after seeing him in action at the competition and offered him something better. They asked him to take a high-level sales position with the software company in Austin.

Then there’s Emily De Lena and Sara Kirkpatrick.

They’re business majors and student-athletes on the track team. During their training, they noticed a need for a device that would literally run around the track with them — pacing them during a race. The device will allow a runner to see a computer generated line in order to know what time or distance they have to beat.

Kristopher Hovland Glastonbury, Connecticut Tekiture

Sara Katherine Kirkpatrick Thomasville, North Carolina

Track Rabbit

They won. Coming in second place, they received $5,000 to build their product.

These students foster an entrepreneurial mindset on the HPU campus. So do Elliott, Quinn and their new centers.

And so does the vision HPU President Nido Qubein set out when he said all students should be able to sell themselves.

He accepted.

Emily De Lena Pottstown, Pennsylvania

So they developed a plan with the help of Elliott and pitched it at the Business Plan Competition, sponsored by BB&T.

“At High Point University, we graduate job creators, not job takers,” he’s said at numerous events to parents and students. “That doesn’t mean everyone has to launch their own company. It means they must create value wherever they go.” ■

Lindsay Ryan Boston, Massachusetts

Ken Fobian Oakland, New Jersey

Puddle Jumper Bows

Resistance LLC

Track Rabbit

Clara Osmont Little Silver, New Jersey Tattle Tail

FINALISTS FOR THE 2015 BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION

EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

CONNECTING THE

Nido R. Qubein School of Communication Prepares Students to Connect and Create in a Fast-Paced Industry

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Dots

David Neal remembers when Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly by what must have been an eighth of an inch.

He was there at the London 2012 Olympics. He had directed a cameraman to stay glued to Phelps’ mother, Debbie, when she held her breath and turned to the scoreboard to see if her son had won.

She was expressive — a single mom who had always been there to cheer on her son at competitions. And her reaction was all Neal had hoped it would be.

“She was holding her hands out when she saw the score,” says Neal, a 34-time Emmy Award-winner who has produced almost every major sporting event including the Olympics, Super Bowls, NBA Finals, MLB World Series and the 2015 World Cup — the most-watched World Cup in history.

“You could see it hit her when she realized he had won. She was so stunned that she literally sank out of the frame and down into her seat while the crowd went wild all around her.

“It was tremendous television. Unscripted drama is compelling TV. And live sports is where it’s at.”

Neal recalled that moment for a packed audience of students in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication. He chairs the school’s advisory board and serves alongside other seasoned board professionals.

His expertise, the advisory board on which he serves and the university’s commitment to real-world relevance are the reasons why the HPU curriculum is evolving and growing as quickly as the communication industry itself.

Curriculum Ahead of the Curve HPU’s communication major was overhauled in 2009 to reflect the nature of a changing industry. It was redesigned to focus on specific tracks of study — electronic media production, journalism, game and interactive media design, media and popular culture studies, and strategic communication.

“Preparing students for the real world has always been our top priority,” says Dr. Wilfred Tremblay, dean of the school.

That’s why communication students are immersed in state-ofthe-art technology as soon as they step foot into a classroom.

They learn to use equipment that’s found in the world’s top video, audio, television and gaming production studios.

That’s also why the school introduced this year a new major and two new concentrations to keep up with the growing demands of sports broadcast and the communication industry as a whole.

A new sport communication sequence trains students in reporting, broadcast performance, multimedia production and strategic communication. It prepares graduates for work in industries Neal says are thriving.

“Sports television is one of the few things left that most viewers want to consume live,” Neal tells students. “It’s a reason why sports is going to be out there like an island on its own — as a viable product you can’t get anywhere else.”

A new sport and event management concentration exposes students to the business side of the industry. The new documentary media major teaches them video-storytelling skills.

And a new graduate program track prepares students to work in political communication.

It all comes back to HPU’s mission to prepare students not for the world as it is, but for the world as it’s going to be.

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION Dedicated Leadership But where would these students be without the stellar faculty and advisors who lead them into the world of communication?

Take Joe Michaels, for example. He’s a seven-time Emmy Awardwinner and former 23-year director of NBC’s “Today” show.

Michaels recently joined the School of Communication as HPU’s artist-in-residence. Prior to HPU, millions of fans watched his work on The World Series, The Super Bowl, Wimbledon Tennis, the Olympics, the Orange Bowl and more.

“It has always been a dream of mine to help to develop world-class leaders in the media space,” says Michaels. “The opportunity to work with such a diverse group of students and professionals makes this challenge a perfect fit. In my own career, I have always reached for total excellence, and High Point University is an institution devoted to being extraordinary.”

The Emmy Connection Many HPU graduates, faculty and staff share ties with Emmy Award recognition. Here are a few ways HPU shares an Emmy connection:

Or take Charisse McGhee-Lazarou, assistant professor of communication.

Before HPU, McGhee-Lazarou served as vice president of Primetime Programming at NBC, where she created and oversaw production for shows like “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “ER” and “For Your Love.” She also served three years as vice president of Scripted Programs at Lifetime Television.

“Thousands of communication students graduate from colleges all over the country, and the vast majority have no clue how ‘the biz’ actually works,” says McGhee-Lazarou. “Our graduates know who the key players are, what the jobs are and what’s on the bleeding edge.”

Advisory Council In addition to inspiring faculty, an advisory council helps guide the School of Communication. Led by Neal, members include Steve Mitchem, publisher of US Airways Magazine; Dave Goren, executive director of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association; Pamela Brown, CNN correspondent; and other leaders of award-winning broadcasting companies, public relations agencies, television stations, consulting firms and more. Many of these appointments stemmed from Dr. Qubein’s personal connections in the world of communication, consulting and public speaking. The council exists to guide the curriculum, exemplify industry best practices and provide input on how HPU can continue to offer an innovative communication program.

DAVID NEAL

JOE MICHAELS

• Chair of the HPU School of Communication Advisory Board • Fox Producer — Olympics, Super Bowl, World Cup • 34-time Emmy Award-winner

• HPU artist-in-residence • 23-year former director of NBC’s “Today” show • Seven-time Emmy Award-winner

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“NIDO QUBEIN: A LIFE OF SUCCESS AND SIGNIFICANCE” • HPU President, 1970 alumnus • Documentary aired on the Biography Channel • Emmy-nominated • Directed by three-time Emmy Award-winner Nick Nanton

Industry Trends Yield New Programs To meet the growing demand of sports broadcast and the communication industry as a whole, High Point University introduced new fields of study that give students a winning edge:

In addition to influencing the curriculum, they, like Neal, come to campus to work one-on-one with students and share wisdom that can’t be found elsewhere.

The way we communicate is changing as we know it. It’s moving toward portable media consumed on demand. Toward urgent news that makes your phone buzz the moment it happens. Toward digital content you can access anywhere.

“You decide what you want to watch and when you want to watch it,” says Neal. “Live sports and live events are the one thing that can break that equation. You’re not going to be watching the Super Bowl on Netflix. Live TV will grow in a premium nature. That’s where the future is.”

As the second most popular major at HPU, the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication exists to help students adapt to these changes and connect the dots in the ever-changing, ever-booming world of communication.

And when they leave HPU to launch their professional careers, that’s what they do. ■

DANIEL MILLER

SUSAN S. LASALLA

GREG FOX

• 1998 HPU alumnus, 2010 Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient • Won an Emmy Award in 2010 • Donated Emmy to HPU • Anchor at WFXT 25, Boston’s Fox affiliate See essay by Dan Miller on page 100

• 1965 HPU alumnae, 2011 Alumnus of the Year • Retired senior producer for NBC’s “Today” show • Won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2007

• 1983 HPU alumnus • Three-time Emmy Award-winner • Reporter at WESH 2, Orlando’s NBC affiliate

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EXTRAORDINARY EDUCATION

Building Futures in Furniture

High Point’s International Trade Show Steers Students Toward Career Opportunities

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It brims with celebrity faces. HGTV’s Candice Olson, country singer Trisha Yearwood, Carolina Panthers’ Jared Allen, TV host Ty Pennington and others launch lines here.

It introduces the industry’s most colorful, eye-popping designs on showroom floors. Think chairs shaped like crescent moons, beds encased in circular frames and tables made out of recycled glass bottles.

Most importantly, it opens doors to careers for students studying sales, marketing, interior design and beyond.

The High Point Market, known by most as “furniture market,” is the largest semiannual home furnishings industry trade show in the world. Twice a year, it brings 75,000 people from 100 countries to the city of High Point for a global meeting of furniture professionals.

When that happens, HPU students meet professionals who hire them for internships, retain them for full-time jobs, and fill their resumes and minds with a wealth of experience. At HPU and in the city of High Point, students learn in the Silicon Valley of furniture.

Inside the Industry Over the years, hundreds of students have worked for major furniture companies during the weeklong events. They exchange business cards, network with potential employers, work alongside famous faces, gain resume boosters and get the inside scoop about how the home furnishings industry really works.

And it happens in HPU’s backyard.

Rachael Bozsik, a 2015 graduate from Albany, New York, interned with Phillips Collection during her last semester. She landed a full-time job with the company’s marketing team after she graduated in May. “I’ve been working market for four years,” says Bozsik, an entrepreneurship major and home furnishings minor. “This is why I came to HPU. I’m interested in marketing and branding for the home furnishings industry. Working at market gave me great internships and great networking contacts that I used to land this job with Phillips Collection.”

“The furniture market is one of the things that attracted me to HPU,” says Kelsey DeWall, a 2015 interior design graduate and Long Island, New York, native who is now working for

“This is why I came to HPU.” – Rachael Bozsik, 2015 graduate employed

by Phillips Collection

Kreber as a junior interior designer. “Even if you intern for a design firm, you don’t see the full picture of the industry. Here at market, you get the whole experience. It’s a great tool for experiential learning.”

Layers of Opportunity Some interior design majors like Lauren Andonian, who interned at the jdouglas showroom for three years in a row, landed jobs from working market. Other students appreciate the practical experience it offers.

But market isn’t just for interior design or home furnishings students.

HPU senior Mags Boyle, a human relations and business administration double major, decided to dive into the furniture industry because of something that Ron Wanek, founder of Ashley Furniture, said during a panel discussion at HPU. “He talked about how there’s such a need for business students in the furniture industry,” said Boyle, who has interned with Phillips Collection since 2014 and secured an internship with the company through May 2016. “The generation before us did not go into the furniture industry, so there’s a big leadership gap and lots of opportunities.

“I’m a business major,” Boyle continues. “Half of the people coming out of college these days are business majors. I knew I needed to find my niche, so I figured I might as well give it a shot since I’m down here in High Point in the heart of the furniture industry. I gave it a shot and fell in love with it.” ■

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EXTRAORDINARY

EDUCATION

The HPU POLL: Putting Public Opinion into Perspective

Kelsy Underwood didn’t like answering the phone.

She’d tell you that.

She was “pretty shy,” and she used few words in conversation.

But there she was, her first stint in the university’s Survey Research Center, slipping on a pair of headphones and calling someone she didn’t even know.

She came for her Surveys and Sampling course. She is a math major with a statistics minor, and she asked questions about everything from politics to tourism to the importance of a college education.

Over two sessions that lasted a total of six hours, she made 203 phone calls. With every phone call, her nervousness faded; her confidence grew.

A short while later, she realized she helped create national news headlines by finding the state’s pulse.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Survey Research Center has garnered: • 17,000 surveys • 1,000 media mentions • 800 student interviewers

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“When people answer, it gets exciting,” said Underwood, an HPU junior. “You get these results, and you see how people feel, you see what they like and don’t like, and you see how you can make it better.”

Learning by Doing At High Point University, that’s how learning works. Putting students in the here and now to collaborate with professors, leaders and their community is a hallmark of a liberal arts education.

This work gives them an edge they need when they go after an internship or a job after graduation because they can talk comfortably to others about their own research.

And they can talk about the SRC. The Survey Research Center, home of the High Point University Poll, launched six years ago. Since then, 800 students have taken part in more than 17,000 survey interviews.

They’ve nailed down numbers and information that gauge the mercurial nature of public opinion.

The center gets questions from HPU professors, local newspapers, state agencies and from HPU students themselves.

Students like Underwood.

The results are reported by newspapers and on local and national TV and become the grist of TV and online commentaries everywhere.

The HPU Poll demonstrates the credibility of the university.

And the survey equips the students with skills necessary for 21st century working environments.

“We see this as something that we’re doing for the civic life of North Carolina and the nation.

Public opinion is the people’s voice.”

– Dr. Martin Kifer, director of the HPU Survey Research Center

At minimum, students get comfortable making cold calls and learning how to talk to anyone about almost anything in an objective, professional manner. That includes the most sensitive of topics — political views, religious beliefs and beyond.

More Than a Phone Call When students take a step back, they realize their survey work lays the groundwork for whatever they want to become. And with research playing an integral part in almost any profession, that could be anything.

“I know a lot of students don’t get a chance to do this,” says Gabrielle Hayes, a biology major from Asheville, North Carolina. “Maybe it’s the scientist in me. But I love seeing the whole picture.”

The whole picture begins in the Survey Research Center as Underwood, Hayes and their classmates listen to SRC director Dr. Martin Kifer give them tips. The students who surround him often use phones to text rather than place a call. Some even feel like Underwood. They don’t like using the phone.

When that happens, Kifer gives them a bit of context. He tells the story he heard from one of his former professors. His professor interviewed Hillary Clinton and asked her why her husband as president was so poll-driven. It was simple, Clinton told him. Her husband talked to voters at county and state

RESULTS FROM HPU POLLS HAVE BEEN FEATURED IN NATIONAL MEDIA OUTLETS INCLUDING:

fairs, and he shook hands and gathered information with every person he met.

A poll, Kifer tells the crowd of students, is the next best thing.

“We see this as something that we’re doing for the civic life of North Carolina and the nation,” Kifer says. “Public opinion is the people’s voice.”

Final Results On a Friday morning after making hundreds of phone calls together, Underwood and her classmates talk about the results of their survey. They marvel over questions they asked to more than 400 people — some about the Academy Awards, others about college. The questions they’re asking, their professor tells them, are significant. Then, they all tell stories.

And they all have stories from phone conversations. Like Underwood. She stayed on the phone with someone for 30 minutes, listening to his opinion about Washington, Congress and everything in between.

She didn’t expect that. But the “pretty shy” student from Laurinburg, North Carolina, discovered something new during her hours in a headset.

“People were really nice,” Underwood says. “They liked that I was calling. I didn’t get laughed at. I was able to do it, and you know what, my nerves went away.” ■ highpoint.edu | 45

FACULTY FOCUS

A Hero, Model and Mentor Dr. Linda Sekhon Leads PA Program Dr. Linda Sekhon leans forward in her white coat and barely takes a breath between sentences when she talks about the new Physician Assistant Studies program.

She loves to teach and make the golden moments happen for students — the ones when they really “get it.”

Sekhon previously helped create PA curriculums at Chatham University and Seton Hill University, and taught PA classes at the highly-respected Duquesne University. She came to HPU in 2012 with a vision and a mission to lay the groundwork for a new Physician Assistant Studies curriculum and department. She hired new faculty, designed core course objectives, created partnerships with local providers, and implemented state-ofthe-art technology in learning labs.

“We need to prepare health care providers for what the world is going to be,” Sekhon says.

The curriculum she and her team drafted was extensive — a 15-month didactic phase and a 12-month clinical

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phase, designed to provide better health care for people in North Carolina as well as nationwide.

“Knowing that in a small way I have succeeded in helping a student identify their passion for the PA profession, and provided them with an avenue to impact humanity in a significant way, is my definition of doing what you love,” Sekhon says.

For Sekhon, the immense growth in the last 40 years of the PA occupation makes this an exciting time to chair the new department at HPU. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for PAs is

projected to grow 30 percent by 2024 — much faster than average.

“It has been a great experience going from being an HPU undergraduate to becoming a part of this PA program,” says Jamey Williams, 2015 HPU graduate and now a PA student. “I want to see this program grow tremendously and 10 years from now have a patient come into my office and say, ‘How did you get into HPU’s PA program? They are exceptional and one of the best.’”

Thanks in part to Sekhon, the future is bright for the Physician Assistant Studies program.

And the future is bright at HPU. ■

“Knowing that in a small way I have succeeded in helping a student identify their passion for the PA profession, and provided them with an avenue to impact humanity in a significant way, is my definition of doing what you love.”

FACULTY FOCUS

Generation

NOW

Dr. Shaun “Wes” Davenport Inspires the Millennial Generation and Beyond Right now, it’s all about the millennials.

They are America’s largest generation, and by 2020, they will make up half of the workforce. They are the most inclusive generation to date, driven by passion, living in the moment and constantly connected.

Dr. Shaun “Wes” Davenport, assistant professor of management in the Earl N. Phillips School of Business, studies millennials. In fact, his research influences how he instructs students and the advice he gives them on finding success in their careers.

“My interest in generations grew out of my desire to better understand my students. When I first started teaching, I could easily identify with them, but as the years passed I realized I was aging but my students weren’t. I became interested in understanding what is ‘normal’ for 18- to 22-year-olds,” Davenport says.

He came to HPU in 2008, where he teaches classes and chairs the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. His research on how generations use social media has gained popular attention in publications such as Time, The Atlantic and The Daily Mail.

Davenport designs his courses with millennial preferences in mind. He combines videos, lecture, class exercises and social media, and changes his method of instruction every 10 to 15 minutes. He posts course readings and lectures for students online while spending class time on interactive, group-based projects.

As a professor, he teaches courses on organizational behavior, human resources and leadership. As a career counselor, he explains how to harness the networks his students create online to land jobs and excel in their careers. As a life coach, he encourages students to take initiative, give back to the greater good and view setbacks as growth opportunities.

“The most valuable lessons students learn in my class are life skills, such as perseverance or how to identify a problem and generate possible solutions.”

– Dr. Shaun “Wes” Davenport, assistant professor of management

Real-World Preparation Through his research and teaching methods, Davenport has learned how to make a positive impact on HPU students and their futures.

“The most valuable lessons they learn in my class are life skills, such as perseverance or how to identify a problem and generate possible solutions,” Davenport says.

“These students face mammoth competition as negative perceptions persist and the United States produces more college graduates than ever before,” Davenport says. “The key to their success is to shine light on how their differences are actually strengths — not weaknesses — and leverage them in the world.” ■

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THIN SLICES Associate professor Dr. Kirsten Li-Barber shared her research at the American Psychological Association Conference in Toronto on the direct and indirect impact parenting can have on college students’ academic success.

The School of Education hosted HPU’s first-ever STEM camp for 53 local children. Graduate students who helped facilitate the camp gained valuable experience and feedback in teaching techniques, classroom management and experiential learning.

Dr. Joseph Blosser, the Robert G. Culp Jr. director of service learning, received $10,000 in a fellowship from the Earhart Foundation to support his research regarding what it means to be a moral economic actor in a global context.

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Roxy Daneman, Madison Jordan and Ashley Siebeneichen danced, sang and shared their talents in the San Jose National Theatre and several other venues in Costa Rica after receiving an exclusive invitation to perform there.

Dr. Nahed Eltantawy, associate professor of communication, is the editor of a book published by Routledge, titled “Women and Media in the Middle East: From Veil to Blogging.”

Students traveled to six continents and 16 countries — including France, Chile, China, India, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom — during HPU’s “Maymester” global experience courses.

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THIN SLICES The Department of Physical Therapy joined with the School of Physiotherapy at the University of Otago, New Zealand, in a partnership that will expand future academic and research opportunities for students.

The two departments collaborate on student and faculty exchange in support of teaching, research and clinical opportunities.

Allan Beaver, artistin-residence, was inducted into The One Club Creative Hall of Fame, which recognizes lifetime achievement in the advertising and design industry.

HPU awarded freshmen Kayla Mitchell and Dominya’ Donahue this year’s First Generation Scholarships, which cover full tuition, fees and books to Guilford County Schools students who will be the first in their family to pursue a college degree.

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For the fifth year in a row, High Point University was named to the Colleges of Distinction list. The list is based upon exemplary commitment to engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities and successful outcomes.

Dr. Paul Ringel, associate professor of history, published a book that explores 19th century marketing practices, titled “Commercializing Childhood: Children’s Magazines, Urban Gentility, and the Ideal of the Child Consumer in the United States, 1823 –1918.”

Dr. Cynthia Hanson’s article about the increased use of advertorials in magazines appeared in the 2014 edition of the Academy of Marketing Studies Journal. highpoint.edu | 51

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ENVIRONMENT Water is life. It is a tradition during the first week of class for all new students to walk behind the 15-foot tall waterfall at the Hoffman Amphitheatre in David R. Hayworth Park. As students place their hands in the falling water, they absorb its energy and let it penetrate their soul. This tradition, the first of many traditions students will participate in during their four years at High Point University, serves as a symbol of good luck for both academic and personal success at HPU.

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INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

An Engaged

Community The HPU campus thrives on connection.

Liz Reichart pulled up to her freshman residence hall with a smile on her face and a flutter in her heart.

She dreamed of becoming a High Point University student since her junior year in high school. And the moment had arrived.

But it didn’t stop the questions from entering her mind on the drive from Ohio.

Would she make friends? Would she fit in? Would she be happy away from home?

Five smiling faces rushed toward her no sooner than the family car came to a stop on campus.

What they did next answered — and silenced — those questions forever.

“That moment when I drove up to my dorm and five people came to unload all of my things from my car, it was reassurance,” Reichart says. “Reassurance not only to myself, but to my family, that I was in a place where I’d excel academically and socially and in all aspects of my life.”

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A Holistic Approach

Opportunities to Create Impact

Those strangers, who turned into friends, celebrated the arrival of families that day as members of the Welcome Week Crew — upperclassmen, faculty and staff who volunteer to help move freshmen into their new home.

A turning point for Louisville, Kentucky, native James Ensor was the Activities Fair.

A wave of activities for Welcome Week began, and Reichart discovered their positive attitude wasn’t uncommon.

Throughout the events — a luau for new students in the R.G. Wanek Center arcade, the opening Convocation ceremony, the signing of the Honor Code, meetings with Success Coaches and more — she found it was the standard.

“Everyone was so kind and so interested in who I was as a person,” says Reichart. “I was welcomed right away.”

Her experience reflects HPU’s holistic approach to education.

Academics are the focus, but faculty and staff know that for students to be successful, they must also be engaged outside of the classroom.

When students are connected to one another, they thrive.

“Research shows us that students who build strong relationships and find success in their first year are prone to be more successful throughout their four years of study,” says Dr. Dennis Carroll, provost. “Engaging students throughout the entire campus, at all times, also fosters creation and collaboration.”

It brings a sea of faces to the John and Marsha Slane Student Center, where HPU’s 100+ campus organizations set up tables of information and sign-up sheets. Students browse the aisles to find clubs and causes that interest them.

That’s what Ensor did. He signed up for the things he liked and some things he had never tried.

“It’s a good time to see what’s out there and what’s available,” says Ensor, now a junior. “I signed up for the student newspaper and the rowing club. I became interested in Greek life. I found my niche there that helped me succeed as a freshman.”

Through the rowing club, he met Reichart, and the two became friends. He recruited her to work for the student newspaper, and today they serve as editors.

They went on to be part of a group of students who founded HPU’s Alpha Kappa Psi, an academic fraternity for businessminded students.

Their network of friends continued to expand with every new organization, class project and event on campus that came their way.

And there’s always something on the horizon at HPU.

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“The people here — they’re connected to each other. Something about this campus makes you put your phone down without realizing it.”

– Josh Caudle, sophomore and First Generation Scholar

A Transformational Experience There’s Derby Day, when the Gene and Jane Kester International Promenade is filled with inflatables, rock climbing walls, food trucks, water slides — all fostering fun and friendship.

There are the fall and spring concerts, where major acts like country music star Lee Brice, hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco and music duo Timeflies have all performed.

There are sporting events by 16 Division I athletic teams to attend and dozens more intramural and club sports teams in which to participate.

There’s the Honors Scholar Program and other initiatives that offer unique opportunities for academic engagement.

There are major speakers who visit, like Netflix co-founder Marc Randolph and New York Times bestselling authors John Maxwell, Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Friedman and Seth Godin.

In the midst of it all, students have fun. But they also begin to transform.

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Josh Caudle transformed on the stage of the Hayworth Fine Arts Center. Caudle is a First Generation Scholar from the city of High Point. One of his earliest and fondest memories from freshman year is being crowned “Big Man on Campus” in front of 600 people.

He competed in the annual event, hosted by Zeta Tau Alpha sorority, to raise funds for breast cancer research. Each participant performed his own talent, dance and a number of other on-stage requirements. And Caudle won. But beyond that, he made history by becoming the first freshman to ever hold the crown.

“It might be the best moment of my life,” Caudle says through a smile. “That and choosing to come to HPU.” Big moments kept coming for Caudle. He was awarded Freshman Male of the Year and selected to serve in the Bonner Leaders — a group of students who act as volunteer coordinators for local nonprofits. They each dedicate a minimum of 300 annual service hours.

He began to grow in all directions. The same concept symbolized in the bronze tree sculpture that stands at the entrance to campus became a theme in his life.

“To live life, you must live in balance,” Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president, says to new students in his freshman seminar. “You must grow in all directions — mentally, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually.”

That’s what Caudle did.

Focused on Outcomes Fast-forward to today. Reichart is a junior double majoring in international business and graphic design, a member of Kappa Delta sorority and a foreign language tutor. She became the point person for organizing her sorority’s Super Hero Dash, a 5k race that raised $20,000 for Family Service of the Piedmont to prevent child abuse.

Ensor is a junior double majoring in business administration and actuarial science and double minoring in statistics and finance. He is editor in chief of the Campus Chronicle and a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He is also a University Ambassador who gives daily tours to prospective HPU students.

Caudle is a sophomore, continues to serve as a Bonner Leader and is also a resident assistant on campus.

Along with their peers, they will one day graduate from HPU with fond memories and lasting friendships.

Their degrees will help them start the lives they’ve worked to build.

So will their experiences — the culminating effect of being immersed in an environment that prepares students to work in a global marketplace. To thrive in collaborative environments. To build relationships and connect the dots wherever they go.

“The people here — they’re connected to each other,” says Caudle.

“That’s so important in a technological world. Something about this campus makes you put your phone down without realizing it.

There are people here you want to talk to. Seeing how welcoming everyone here is makes me want to be that welcoming, too.” ■

HPU HEADLINERS Major artists headline High Point University’s fall and spring concerts. Below is a list of musicians who have performed on campus: • Andy Grammer • Lee Brice Campus Tour featuring Chase Bryant and Cadillac Three • Timeflies • Lupe Fiasco • J. Cole • B.o.B. • Calvin Harris • OAR • The Fray • Gym Class Heroes • Dashboard Confessional • Gavin Degraw • Girl Talk • Croc’s Next Step Campus Tour featuring Young Joc, Cartel and MCLars • Cobra Starship • Jack’s Mannequin

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Brokaw Delivers Bold Challenge

to the

Class of 2015 He reported on the world’s most pivotal moments in recent history — the fall of the Berlin Wall, Watergate and the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, to name a few.

He coined the term that defines an age group —“The Greatest Generation” — and documented their courage during the Great Depression and World War II. He battled cancer.

And he took the podium wearing an HPU baseball cap to deliver the Commencement address to the Class of 2015.

Tom Brokaw, one of the world’s most trustworthy, distinguished and patriotic journalists, is the caliber of speaker regularly attracted to the HPU campus.

His speech was received by the largest graduating class in the university’s history.

“Don’t be afraid to be disruptive,” Brokaw said to the nearly 1,000 graduates and a crowd of 10,000 at HPU. “Find new ways to do the conventional and the useful; and don’t run from big and bold challenges.”

Named one of the top Commencement speakers of 2015 by the Huffington Post, Brokaw shared wisdom from his years as a respected journalist and spoke of interviewing war veterans, his dark days of battling cancer, and even proclaimed that gender equality would be the most important achievement of the century.

He also told graduates that they are the best educated generation in global history, which makes them unique and presents new responsibilities.

“We must all take a role in exporting the American ideals and culture and the American dream. I hope

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INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein addresses the Class of 2015 at the senior send-off.

Ron Wanek, founder of Ashley Furniture, receives an honorary business doctorate.

Rev. Dr. William H. Willimon provides the Baccalaureate address.

“Success framed without significance is a pedestrian way to define life.”

Brokaw’s address that each of you concluded the would dedicate Commencement a part of your life – Dr. Nido Qubein weekend for to the idea that families. It began with a senior send-off titled “Onward with American citizenship goes beyond our own selfish purposes. It Faithful Courage,” where Dr. Nido Qubein, HPU president, spoke is a privilege and an obligation and an opportunity not to be to students and their parents. taken for granted. It is hard earned.”

Brokaw has spent his entire journalism career with NBC News beginning in 1966 in the Los Angeles bureau, where he covered Ronald Reagan’s first run for public office, the rise of the 1960s counter culture, the assassination of Bobby Kennedy and the 1968 presidential campaign. From Los Angeles, Brokaw went to Washington as the White House correspondent during Watergate and as the principal backup for John Chancellor as anchor of “NBC Nightly News.” His next stop was the “Today” show in New York, followed by his appointment as anchor and managing editor of “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw.” He took over “Meet the Press” for the 2008 campaign when his close friend and colleague Tim Russert died.

In addition to his daily news gathering responsibilities, Brokaw reported on more than 30 documentaries covering subjects ranging from AIDS, Los Angeles gangs, race, education, medicine, immigration and global warming.

In 1998 Brokaw published his first book, “The Greatest Generation,” one of the most popular non-fiction books of the 20th century. He followed that with six other books, including “BOOM! Voices of the Sixties” and most recently his memoir, “A Lucky Life Interrupted.”

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“The issue isn’t whether or not you will succeed,” he said.

“You will succeed. The issue is to make sure that in that set of goals, in the list of objectives that you believe collectively and cumulatively define your success, you understand that success framed without significance is a pedestrian way to define life.”

In addition to these inspirational addresses, HPU also recognized the lifetime achievements of one of the furniture industry’s most successful leaders — Ron Wanek, founder of Ashley Furniture — with an honorary doctorate degree in business during the graduation ceremony.

“Ron Wanek exemplifies the promise of the American dream,” Qubein said. “His distinguished career in the furniture industry has been earned through hard work and determination coupled with his belief in free enterprise and service to humankind. It is for these reasons that High Point University will bestow upon him an honorary doctorate of business administration.”

As is tradition at HPU, a bald eagle soared over the graduates at the Commencement ceremony to symbolize the ideals of free enterprise, independence and the ability to pursue new opportunities in America. ■

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INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

Highlights from Tom Brokaw’s speech include: “The Greatest Generation gave you the world that you inherited today.

You are the beneficiaries of their values and their legacy.”

“Be the generation that sees a friend or a stranger for who they are and not just for the color of their skin. We can never completely fulfill the promise of this treasured republic if we are blinded by color.”

“This nation was founded on the principles of self-evident truth, the very big idea that we are born with certain unalienable rights that are available to all, not just to those with the right last name or those who happen to be on the winning side in a great war.”

“Big ideas have always defined America.”

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“The 21st century will be remembered as the century of women.”

“The American dream is whole and will survive if every day we each individually and collectively make a commitment to you.”

“Find people of common values, hope they respond and know that you have common ideals that have nothing to do with the nature of your last name, the pigmentation of your skin, or your political beliefs.”

“No other country in the world is graduating as many people in higher education as the United States in the history of mankind. You graduates are the best educated generation this country has ever produced, which makes you unique in global history. For that you should be proud, but you know you have obligations that come with that as well.”

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INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

Lessons in

Leadership At High Point University, students are surrounded with impactful heroes, models and mentors who challenge and guide their academic pursuits. That’s why HPU invites thought leaders, business executives and successful entrepreneurs to campus.

are these global luminaries super-humans. Rather, they become advocates for the success of our students — real people with real words of advice and encouragement.

The impact on the students is profound. The simple lesson learned — I can do it.

When students meet with accomplished leaders like the ones throughout these pages, something beautiful happens: They discover the art of the possible. No longer

Throughout the next few pages, discover just a few lessons in leadership that have made an impact on HPU students.

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STAFF PROFILE

Extraordinary

Patient Care Full-Time Doctor Promotes Student Health on Campus You could say Dr. Marnie Marlette is a rare breed.

She is High Point University’s full-time medical director of the on-campus student health center. She’s also one of only three full-time medical doctors serving in this way at private universities in the state — along with Duke and Wake Forest.

She was born in Montana and raised in Delaware, but Marlette says her heart has always been from North Carolina. Before coming to HPU, she previously served as the chief resident of family medicine at Wake Forest Baptist Health in WinstonSalem. She earned a Doctorate of Medicine from the Wake Forest School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry from Meredith College in Raleigh.

She also previously designed, opened and ran her own practice in Clemmons, North Carolina — just a few miles down the road from HPU. When she came to campus, she brought with her years of medical practice and a passion to serve.

“Our objective is to keep the students physically healthy, but we are also interested in their wellbeing as a whole: mental, academic, life fulfillment and also success in future goals and careers,” Marlette says. “We want to know any ways that we can be of assistance.”

HPU has provided services for thousands of students at the campus health center

My team is genuinely invested in the wellbeing and happiness of HPU students.

– Marnie Marlette, M.D. HPU medical director under Marlette’s leadership. In a partnership with Cornerstone Health Care, the center operates like a full-fledged primary care office. Marlette and her team of physician assistants, nurses and other medical professionals offer medical examinations, treatment of illnesses and injuries, referrals to specialists, immunizations and flu shots, laboratory testing, 24-hour nurse phone support, same-day appointments and more.

“The health and safety of our students is our number one priority,” says Gail Tuttle, vice president for student life at HPU. “Having a full-time physician has been an enormous benefit for both parents and students.”

Susan Disher, clinical coordinator at Student Health Services, says that parents are comforted knowing that

their child is being well taken care of, even though they may be thousands of miles away.

“We love keeping open communication with parents because they truly appreciate everything we do here,” says Disher. “When a parent calls and has some questions — and the student gives us permission to do so — they can always speak directly to the physician that treated their child.”

Dr. John Walker, former Chief Medical Officer for Cornerstone Health Care, says that both HPU and Cornerstone strive to reach the same goal — excellence.

A mother of twin boys, Marlette understands the importance of compassionate and quality care for students.

“I love working at HPU,” she says. “The students are energizing, the staff and faculty are so friendly, and the campus culture is inspiring. It’s great to know that my team is genuinely invested in the wellbeing and happiness of HPU students.” ■

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INSPIRING ENVIRONMENT

Planting Seeds of Greatness

Arboretum Inspires Learning Across Campus

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A walk across High Point University’s campus isn’t just your usual stroll. It comes with a view. It’s an educational and inspiring experience to remember.

“This work is a great representation of HPU’s vision in creating an intentional environment for student learning. Everything we’re doing here has a greater purpose.”

It’s also home to more than 30,000 honey bees.

Among the variety of bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs featured in the garden, the area now includes two – Jon Roethling, curator of grounds apiaries designed, built and Each and every detail has been maintained by HPU students placed in the space with a Liz Pruitt and Taylor Daniel. purpose. Flags from more than The apiaries’ bees pollinate flowering plants and 400 taxa of 52 nations fly along the Promenade to honor each student’s trees throughout campus. home country. Quotations, selected by students, provide ideas for reflection.

Pruitt and Daniel will start a beekeeping club at HPU to share their passion for ecology with other students. The honey and It’s a characteristic of the Mariana H. Qubein Arboretum and wax that’s produced through the apiaries are distributed to Botanical Gardens that brings holistic learning to life at HPU. students as well.

Promenade Renovation Every aspect of campus has been engineered to teach and inspire, including the outdoor spaces surrounding the academic buildings.

The Gene and Jane Kester International Promenade underwent a major renovation. Pedestrian traffic and building entry points were considered in updating the pattern of the walkways.

The promenade’s redesign also considered the placement of its permanent guests: the lifelike sculptures of famous historical figures found on many of the benches. The sculptures, which are now located closer to the academic buildings housing their respective disciplines, are frequently used as a learning tool.

For example, assistant professor of political science Dr. Martin Kifer frames an entire class on civil rights history around the bronze figures. He takes students on a guided walk around the Promenade, stopping at the sculptures of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and more. It engages students in an intellectual, out-of-classroom discussion about how these leaders changed the course of history.

“The renovations have given the space a new, improved look,” says First Lady Mariana Qubein, who’s guided the vision of the Arboretum and Botanical Gardens since 2006.

“It’s hard to believe we could improve on a place that was already so serene and beautiful. It goes to show our students that hard work always pays off. Never settle, but continue to make improvements.”

Honey Bees, Hardscape in the Hillside Garden A walk along the winding paths of the Woodland Hillside Garden leads to one of the most peaceful parts of campus.

“Our main goal is to spread the knowledge of beekeeping to others, including people who may have just the slightest interest or those who want to know more about honeybees to help re-grow the honeybee population,” says Daniel.

New Amphitheater Added An open amphitheater seating nearly 1,000 people now serves as a connecting point between Cottrell Hall and the Centennial Square II residential community.

An attractive outdoor study space or a quiet place to take a break, the terraced risers and steps also allow for 360-degree views. The annual Arbor Day celebration, concerts, intellectual discussions, and other events and speakers are hosted here each year.

“This serves as a great outdoor space for our students to gather under the open skies or stars,” Qubein says. “It creates a sense of togetherness, where people can experience theater, music and lectures surrounded by one another.”

Learning takes place everywhere throughout HPU’s 410-acre classroom. It’s just one of many ways HPU provides students and visitors alike with an inspiring environment and unique educational opportunities.

Jon Roethling, curator of grounds, says it’s this attention to detail that makes HPU so special.

“No garden is ever finished. The additions to our plant collections and expansion of our garden spaces is a continuous process,” he says. “This work is a great representation of HPU’s vision in creating an intentional environment for student learning. Everything we’re doing here has a greater purpose.” ■

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THIN SLICES

HPU welcomed 2,500 visitors to campus during its annual Fall Family Weekend, which offered a university update from Dr. Nido Qubein, faculty panels and lectures, athletic events, festivities and more to students and their families.

Slane Student Center was named the No.1 student union in the country by bestcollegevalues.org.

Jewish students shared their faith and holiday traditions with the HPU community during the annual Hanukkah dinner.

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Athletic teams have secured multiple championships and conference titles in men’s and women’s cross country, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, and men’s lacrosse since 2014.

HPU’s campus was named one of the top five in the nation by the 2015 Niche Best Campus Rankings.

A sculpture of Thomas Wolfe, considered to be North Carolina’s most famous writer, was installed on campus.

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ATHLETICS

Athletics Hall of Fame Honors Its First Eight One by one, they came onstage.

They received a plaque and a medallion for their athletic accomplishments, and after the crowd’s roar subsided, they put into words how they felt.

They talked about family, teammates, coaches and God. But mainly, they talked about memories made and relationships formed on campus that molded them into who they are today.

And always, they said they are forever grateful.

They are the chosen eight, the inaugural class of the Athletics Hall of Fame at High Point University.

“This is the grandest thing that has happened in a long time,’’ said Bob Davidson, who coached for 39 years at HPU. “I’ve seen so many familiar faces. They say they are happy to see me, and I am happy to see them.’’

One was Brian Payne, his former star hurdler from two decades ago. Payne is a Hall of Famer, too.

In front of 325 people inside the James H. and Jesse E. Millis Athletic and Convocation Center, Payne knew whom to thank first — the man he still calls Coach Davidson.

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“The love I have for you is immense,’’ he said. “I remember what you used to say when I was running the 55-meter hurdles.

‘Think of something positive,’ you’d tell me. And I did.”

Over seven decades, the eight members of the inaugural class of HPU’s Athletics Hall of Fame have created records and many memories.

Basketball greats Andreia Blanchard, Karen Curtis-McConico and Gene Littles. Baseball star Otis Foster and the family of former major leaguer Dick Culler, a three-sport alum who is considered the school’s best all-around athlete.

Then, of course, Jerry Steele. He is the High Point legend, the tall, barrel-chested man who coached basketball for 31 seasons and helped create the school’s athletics department as its director.

Because of declining health, he now gets around in a wheelchair. On this night, he sat near the stage with family and friends. After being pushed near the podium and handed a microphone, he asked his former players to stand.

At least a dozen — maybe more — rose.

“How fantastic,’’ Steele said.

A touching moment. One of many that night. And so many standing ovations.

Blanchard quoted Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr. Curtis-McConico asked the people who helped support her to stand. Nearly three dozen people rose.

Dick Culler’s son, Dick Jr., told how his dad paid for his college tuition. He worked third shift in a local hosiery mill, and after graduation, he played 13 seasons in the major leagues as a shortstop.

The push for a hall of fame started in 2014 with Bryan Norris, HPU’s assistant athletic director for development.

He wanted to find a tangible way to connect former student-athletes to the school.

After the 2015 inaugural class, the Hall of Fame committee will choose four to five new members each year. The members will become part of a hall of fame display in the Jerry and Kitty Steele Center and an information kiosk in the school’s proposed basketball arena.

“This is something student-athletes can strive for,’’ Norris says. “They want to be all-conference or All-America. This is something else. They can make the Hall of Fame in their sport. That makes the Hall of Fame a special thing.’’

It will always be special to Payne.

He’s the former kid from small-town North Carolina. He grew up without a father and was raised by his mother and aunt. When he came to High Point, Davidson became like a father to him.

Twenty minutes after the ceremony had ended, Payne stood near the stage, talking, smiling and hugging everyone he saw. He told anyone who asked about the future of his plaque and medallion.

It’ll go on his mantle above his fireplace. He wants to see it every day. ■

The Inaugural Class • Andreia Blanchard (’81).

A three-time All-American basketball player. Ranks second on HPU’s all-time scoring list with 2,374 points and led the school to its only national championship in 1978.

• Dick Culler (’36). A threesport athlete for High Point College. Played basketball, soccer and baseball. A 13-year major league shortstop.

• Karen Curtis-McConico (’98). A two-time All-American. Holds the school’s records in women’s basketball for scoring (2,612), career points per game (22.7) and career assists (645).

• Bob Davidson (’55).

Played baseball and basketball as a student.

Served as head coach of the school’s men’s and later women’s cross-country and track program. Coached for 39 seasons, the longest tenured coach in the school’s history.

• Otis Foster (’78). Holds nine baseball records

at High Point, including career home runs (60).

Only HPU baseball player ever drafted in the first round. Selected 15th overall by the Boston Red Sox in 1975. Played five seasons in the Red Sox organization.

• Gene Littles (’69). The school’s all-time leading scorer in basketball (2,398). Played six seasons in the ABA. Enjoyed a 28-year career in the NBA, which included coaching stints in Cleveland, Charlotte and Denver.

• Brian Payne (’93). Holds three of the school’s track records, all in hurdles.

Was the two-time NAIA national champion in the 110-meter hurdles. Won the individual title in the 55-meter hurdles in 1993.

• Jerry Steele. School’s athletic director from 1972–1998. HPU’s all-time winningest coach (MBB: 1972–2003). Guided the school to eight conference titles in NAIA and NCAA Division II.

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ATHLETICS

The Lacrosse Seeds of

Brotherhood

2010 HPU announces addition of men’s lacrosse program

2013

2014

2015

First NCAA Tournament Berth for program

Dan Lomas named Atlantic Sun Offensive Player of the Year

Win SoCon Tournament Title

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Win Atlantic Sun Conference

Dan Lomas named to the preseason Tewaarton watch list

Pat Farrell and Austin Geisler become the program’s first two players to be drafted and appear in an MLL game

They were tough, scrappy with something to prove.

Coach Jon Torpey’s “original guys,” as he calls them, expected to win. But they didn’t expect to bond.

First-year lacrosse players like Nick Bittner and Mitchell Dupere, Jeff Hale and Adam Seal saw that happen. But to get there, they went through a lot.

“Dad,” Seal once told his father, “I should’ve gone into the military if I knew it was going to be like this.”

Their Work Begins Practices began an hour before daybreak. Torpey coached his players through drill after drill, underneath a scoreboard lit up with one date: Feb. 2, 2013.

The team’s first lacrosse game, nearly a year away. Their opponent: The University of Delaware.

Players saw it with every conditioning drill — three hours a day, six days a week. Torpey along with his two assistants, Pat Tracy and Ron Garling, were always in their ear.

Day after day, month after month. The same thing.

Torpey yelled, prodded, urged them to be their best. They practiced, lifted and pored over a player manual that included the pillars of the new program: Personal Health, Family, Academics, Lacrosse, Social Life.

They learned more than just playing lacrosse.

“Coach Torpey,” Bittner says, “turned me into a man.”

Torpey is a psychologist, counselor, motivator, job finder, career advisor and surrogate father as well as coach.

He hails from Baltimore, a hotbed of lacrosse. He played at Ohio State, played professionally, and had coached for a decade before coming to High Point from Dartmouth in 2012 to build HPU’s first men’s lacrosse program from scratch.

Their Work Pays Off Hale, a defender from Bethesda, Maryland, became Torpey’s first recruit. The rest followed.

The second was Dupere, a midfielder from Raleigh, North Carolina. Later arrivals were Seal, an attackman from Cumming, Georgia; and Bittner, a defender from Monkton, Maryland.

For nine months, his new recruits practiced. They saw the date of the Delaware game on the scoreboard. It came; they lost. The next week, they played Towson. They won.

Finally.

“There’s something to be said for building something slowly when you do it the right way,” Seal says. “That was our moment. All that suffering. All that pain. I felt, ‘We deserve this one.’”

That’s how it started. They became one.

Their team became HPU’s first men’s program to make it to the NCAA Tournament. They also became one of three men’s Division I lacrosse programs since 2000 nationwide to make the NCAA Tournament in its first three seasons.

“We all took a leap of faith together,” Dupere says. “We got beat up day in and day out, but we all knew that if you looked to your right and to your left, the guy next to you wanted to be there. We’ll have that bond for the rest of our lives.”

More Than Just A Plaque Those first players were the bedrock of HPU’s lacrosse team. They all cherish the memories they’ve made together.

“I grew to love these guys because they weren’t just any group of seniors,” Torpey says. “They had become a part of my family. I told them, ‘I’ll always be there for you.’”

And he has. He made sure they got internships and found jobs. He made sure they kept their composure off the field and did well in the classroom. He made sure they felt at home in High Point.

So Torpey did something special for them: a plaque, a tableau of the first-year players in action, now housed in their new locker room. On the plaque is this sentence: Their positive mark on the program will forever stand the test of time.

Seal and Bittner, Dupere and Hale do love that.

“We did it for Coach, but for him to repay us with that plaque in the locker room, that was the coolest thing ever,” Hale says.

“When I see it now, I think, ‘It was worth it, every single drill. It was so worth it.’” ■

2015 Pat Farrell named USILA Scholar All-American

Austin Geisler Senior CLASS Award Nominee

Tyler Cook named CoSIDA Academic All-District

28 student-athletes on the SoCon academic honor roll

Dan Lomas named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year

Tyler Cook named Atlantic Sun Lacrosse Scholar Athlete of the Year

Nine Panthers named to the SoCon All-Academic Team (tied for the most in the conference)

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ATHLETICS

A Second Home Duval County.

For High Point University men’s basketball standout John Brown, those two words mean so much more than just “home.”

They are a source of pride, a project of passion and a reason to dream big about what a future in basketball holds.

From humble beginnings in Jacksonville, Florida, to his current status as one of college basketball’s most electric stars, Brown has risen past obstacle after obstacle in his life with astounding resilience.

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“The game can get taken away from you in the blink of an eye, so that’s why I try to go hard every practice, every workout, every day,” he says.

Just one rim-rocking dunk from Brown can focus an entire nation’s eyes in the direction of High Point basketball. He has appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 plays a whopping 10 times since 2012. And last February, his one-handed alley oop jam at Coastal Carolina went viral. In a span of seconds, Deadspin, SB Nation, NBC and CBS were tweeting out Brown’s dunk to more than 2.5 million people.

Humble Beginnings Raised by his mother and grandmother, Brown’s childhood was far from easy. In an area of Jacksonville filled with drugs, crime and countless distractions, he stayed focused on his future and learned nothing in life is ever given to you.

When you rewind the clock seven years, it’s hard to even picture Brown as a basketball star — let alone the No. 3 returning scorer in the nation for NCAA Division I basketball.

A quarterback in the making for much of his youth, he didn’t even pick up a basketball until his junior year of high school.

Despite the sizable experience disadvantage, Brown caught on quickly and by his senior season, the then-lanky forward was starting to draw interest from schools in the SEC and ACC. Brown committed to the Panthers. He enrolled for his redshirt freshman season and was excited to begin his college career.

But adversity would strike once more, when about halfway into the academic year, Brown would learn that his grandmother had passed on.

The loss hit him hard, but battling through hardship was nothing new for the forward. Brown kept his focus and when he made his HPU debut, his impact was immediate. Brown poured in a game-high 28 points. The rest is history.

With “JB” leading the charge, High Point accomplished a series of amazing firsts over the past three seasons. In 2015, the Panthers won a Division I record 23 games and became one of just six schools in the nation to win three-straight regular season conference titles, joining the likes of Kansas and Gonzaga and other basketball powers.

But it’s not just winning that draws fans and national interest in the All-American’s direction. It’s the raw skill, energy and how-did-he-do-that excitement that make it hard to look away when he’s on the floor.

Brown’s can’t-miss basketball talent, coupled with his infectious personality, have also caught the attention of the national media. In just the past year alone, he has been featured in Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, CBS Sports and on NBCSports.com.

Paying it Forward While Duval County will always be his home, HPU has certainly become his second. Brown knows HPU took a chance on him, and for that, he will always be grateful. And it was his teammates, coaches and entire High Point University family that he turned to when his mother suddenly passed away in December 2014.

But just like everything else in his life, Brown took the adversity and personal tragedy and overcame it. Just one day after paying his last respects to his mother, Brown flew to Virginia, joined his teammates at James Madison, and dropped in a game-high 24 points to lead HPU to victory in one of the most resilient performances the world has ever seen.

JB hasn’t found anything he can’t do. But through it all, he never forgets his roots.

His basketball future is bright, but once his playing days are over, Brown wants to return to Jacksonville and serve as a motivational speaker to young kids — to become the father figure he never had growing up.

“Kids need to know that you don’t have to settle. There’s more to life than just Jacksonville. Having a strong mentality can help kids get through anything and they need to know that,” Brown says.

Duval County truly has a special place in his heart. And after an unforgettable undergraduate experience at HPU, Brown is ready to make an extraordinary impact in his hometown for decades to come. ■ highpoint.edu | 81

STUDENT ATHLETE Q&A

Meet Jamie Schnuck Your path to college athletics is different than most. Talk about how you joined the track & field team.

Senior track & field studentathlete Jamie Schnuck is the definition of what it means to be a student-athlete. The exercise science major carries an impressive 3.98 GPA while starring as HPU’s premier thrower. In just two seasons of experience, the Millis scholarathlete has already set school records in both the hammer and weight throws. A native of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, Schnuck has enjoyed an unforgettable experience at High Point University.

The beginning of my sophomore year, the track coach approached me and explained he thought I could be a successful track athlete, specifically a hammer thrower. I was taken aback; not only had I never participated in track before, but I didn’t even know what the hammer throw was! He gave me the opportunity to try out for the team, and several months later I had earned my spot. I will always be thankful to Coach Eric Dudley for this opportunity because it truly has changed my college experience.

Fast forward to 2015 and you’ve gone from no experience to breaking two school records in less than two years. What do you contribute to your success?

Coach Dudley has the patience of a saint! He has put in so much effort to find ways to coach me that I understand. Most importantly, his confidence in me and the support of my teammates is what has encouraged me to keep pushing forward.

What have been your biggest takeaways as a student-athlete at HPU?

“HPU has the resources I need to get to the next step of my education and career.”

– Jamie Schnuck, track & field

As a Division I student-athlete, you learn excellent time management. I’ve learned to accommodate track practices, classes, weight lifting, labs and my duties as a tutor and a University Ambassador. That’s a skill I will take with me wherever I go.

Also, being a member of the track & field team is like being a part of a family.

It creates a “home away from home” atmosphere, especially since HPU is so far away from my home in Wisconsin.

One of the cornerstones of an HPU education is holistic learning. How has your internship at the biomechanics lab helped you prep for your career in exercise science?

I plan to attend medical school after graduation, and ultimately would like to become an emergency department physician. As I pursue a career in medicine, working in the Human Physiology and Biomechanics Lab has provided me with a firm foundation of advanced research techniques that I will be able to build upon in the future.

It has taken what I’ve learned in the classroom and helped me apply that in a hands-on manner.

What is it about HPU that prepares students for a life of success and significance?

HPU’s abundance of resources offers every opportunity for students to be successful. The professors at HPU, specifically in the exercise science department, inspire me to be the best person I can.

They not only share their passion for their respective disciplines but also exemplify the values that I strive to emulate. Whether it’s receiving tutoring for a tough class or being mentored by your advisor, HPU has the resources I need to get to the next step of my education and career.

STUDENT ATHLETE Q&A

Meet Kristina Renner Senior women’s lacrosse student-athlete Kristina Renner knows what it means to take control of an opportunity. As High Point University’s main draw control specialist for the women’s lacrosse team, Renner is responsible for gaining possession after each goal, an extremely important aspect of the game. She’s performed the duty with precision, as the East Rochester, New York, native set a new school record with 52 draw controls in 2015. A strategic communication major, Renner looks to begin a career in public relations upon graduation in 2016.

What does being a member of the women’s lacrosse team and wearing “High Point University” on your jersey mean to you?

I set a goal for myself when I was in fifth or sixth grade to play lacrosse at the Division I level. I wanted to prove to myself, my family, friends and coaches that I could do it. When I committed to HPU, I felt like my hard work had paid off. I would be able to proudly represent both High Point and my hometown.

What’s the best part about being both a student and an athlete at HPU? As a Division I student-athlete, I’m surrounded by opportunities to grow.

I have opportunities in the classroom to learn and grow as a student, and as an athlete I have the ability to push my limits mentally and physically.

However, it can be challenging to find a balance of athletics and academics. But as a Millis Scholar-Athlete, it proves to

me that hard work does all pay off. Plus, it is a nice thing to hand to Mom and Dad; they can see that I appreciate the sacrifices they make for me by working hard in the classroom.

How does HPU inspire you to succeed?

The HPU environment puts a certain energy into being better than you were yesterday. The professors take care of each one of their students. Real-world opportunities and internships prepare you for a successful future. You are constantly surrounded by stories of success from past or current students that show you will be successful if you work hard.

You’ve won two championships in your three years here at HPU. What are the most important aspects that go into winning a championship?

You have to be on the same page as the rest of your team. Hard work, skill and discipline go without saying.

What is really important is having your teammates’ backs — supporting them when they need confidence. When everyone works together as one unit, we can accomplish anything. Those same elements of being a good teammate translate well into the real world. Being supportive, being able to compromise, and being able to hold people accountable are vital.

What do the friendships and bonds you’ve made with your teammates mean to you?

The friendships and bonds I’ve made with my teammates mean just as much, if not more, to me than anything else I have taken away from my years at High Point University.

There is an inexplicable bond that many teams have, because when you go through all of your ups and downs with the same people for four years, you develop friendships that are unbreakable.

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CARING

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PEOPLE A hundred pairs of hands clapped and waved American flags when a bus full of veterans arrived on campus on Veterans Day. These men and women, whose service spans almost every war fought in the last seven decades, brought cheers and applause from students who lined up to welcome them.

High Point University students call it a Heroes Walk, and they organize it to thank a group of area veterans who come to campus for the annual Veterans Day Luncheon.

It’s all part of the 100,000 hours of service that HPU students, faculty and staff contribute each year.

Read more about the annual HPU Veterans Day celebration on page 95.

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CARING PEOPLE

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Commitment to Community Under President Qubein’s leadership, High Point University has become High Point’s University.

They feed the hungry and find new ways to grow and distribute food in their city.

They open books and share stories with refugee children who are learning to speak a new language.

With paint and elbow grease, they brighten community spaces.

And they do it all with a badge of purple on their back.

When Dr. Nido Qubein became president at High Point University, he created a transformational vision not only for HPU, but for what the campus could mean to its community.

In the last decade, HPU has transformed in significant ways, including its commitment to engaging students in service that enhances their education and the city they call home.

“We’re under the leadership of someone who took this presidency and transformed this university because of a commitment to the city it’s in,” says Dr. Joseph Blosser, the Robert G. Culp Jr. director of service learning. “Dr. Qubein cares about High Point and knows the university can be an engine for the city.”

Learning through Service One of the largest indicators of the university’s renewed commitment to communitybased programs is Qubein’s three-year appointment as chairman of the N.C. Campus Compact.

Campus Compact is a national organization headquartered in Boston that builds the capacity of colleges and universities to produce civically-engaged graduates and strengthen communities. In North Carolina, 30 colleges and universities are members.

Qubein’s leadership of the N.C. chapter reflects the infrastructure that’s been built at HPU to support and celebrate the value of service.

When Blosser arrived to serve as the university’s first full-time director of service learning in 2011, there were some professors and groups on campus focused on giving back in their own ways. But they weren’t united in a common cause. He advocated for service learning courses to be offered through HPU’s four-credit-hour model. Just as classes were already utilizing the fourth hour, or 25 percent of the course, for experiential learning such as undergraduate research, so, too,

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CARING PEOPLE

“Our students made connections between the literature they read on globalization and the cultural experiences they had in the community.”

– Dr. Cara Kozma, assistant professor of English

could professors use the fourth hour for service. And not only service, but service that supplemented classroom content. Thus service learning classes were born and students began to give back in ways relevant to their majors.

Exercise science majors taught immigrants how to cook healthy meals with American food. A history course led students to create a digital, historical archive for an African American community in the city.

“Our students made connections between the literature they read on globalization and the cultural experiences they had in the community,” said Dr. Cara Kozma, assistant professor of English. At the nearby Macedonia Family Resource Center, her English students tutored refugee children and families from Sudan, Pakistan and Iraq.

University-sponsored grants were offered to faculty to receive training on leading service learning courses. And Blosser established two major programs on campus — AmeriCorps VISTAs and Bonner Leaders — programs that have spiked service hours.

In a few short years, the university’s annual hours of service soared from 30,000 to 100,000.

A Day On, Not Off To understand the magnitude of those service hours, consider the one day each year when the impact of HPU’s service is amplified.

It happens on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and though classes are canceled, students and community members unite for “A Day On, Not Off.” In 2014, 400 HPU family members took to the community on this day and completed dozens of service projects totaling 1,200 hours of service.

In 2015 and 2016, those numbers increased to 600 students, faculty and staff completing nearly 1,500 hours of service,

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35 projects, raising thousands of dollars and packing thousands of meals.

This single day is held in honor of the legacy of the late King, and it shows that in a short amount of time, change can be made and relationships can be built.

“This day is always a great way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said 2015 graduate Kevin Garrity, while working on the landscaping team at West End Ministries. “He was concerned with forwarding the human race, and when you give back to any group, it honors what he did and his memory.”

The event is organized by students, including the VISTAs and Bonners. For some, it is an extension of service. For others, it is their first introduction to serving in the community.

But this single day has made service highly visible and highly accessible to anyone, and that’s the point.

“There’s no doubt in my mind the future of High Point will continue to be shaped by the growth and generosity of HPU,” says Bobby Smith, president of United Way of Greater High Point. “It touches every single resident in the greater High Point area.”

Bringing Something to the Table One of the most concentrated areas of service in the city is the elimination of food deserts — neighborhoods without access to fresh, healthy, affordable food.

A national report identified several such neighborhoods in High Point this year. In response, community leaders formed a Greater High Point Food Alliance to tackle the challenges. The alliance leaders included Blosser and the VISTAs, who quickly dedicated themselves to creating solutions that would alleviate problems.

A strategic communication class led by professor Shannon Campbell had a unique approach. They wanted to use their talents in marketing and communications to benefit the cause. So they did what strategic marketing professionals do

“Dr. Qubein cares about High Point and knows the university can be an engine for the city.”

– Dr. Joseph Blosser, Robert G. Culp Jr. director of service learning best — they planned and promoted a major community event where vital information could be shared.

It was called the Food Summit and it was held, with hundreds in attendance, at the High Point University Community Center for two days. Leaders gathered there and penned ideas that could serve as solutions — community gardens, mobile farmer’s markets and healthy cooking classes, to name a few.

After those communication students had done their part in successfully executing this event, they planned and executed another. This time, it was a cooking demonstration featuring well-known local restaurant chefs. It begged the questions: Can healthy meals be cooked quickly and at low cost? Can they be cooked using the items those in need receive from food pantries?

The chefs took the challenge to task and cooked meals with simple ingredients, which helped low-income neighbors understand better ways to eat healthy. It also made leaders of the city realize how challenging it can be to assemble a healthy dinner with items that are given away at pantries.

In the end, they successfully brought people together again to consider hunger and how to improve it.

Their efforts were honored by the High Point Chamber of Commerce and the Food Alliance at the end of the semester.

The students left with professional experience and new ways to relate their talents to community issues.

“I had no idea we would make such an impact on this community,” Campbell said. “I will never forget the experiences with any of the people we worked with.”

Moving Forward Together The service efforts on behalf of the HPU family have risen to a new level. They’re more visible and have increased

in quantity and improved in quality. And the numbers are impressive — thousands upon thousands of volunteer hours.

But for those who serve, the real impact is evident most often through smaller, anecdotal moments in the community.

At an annual meeting of the United Way of Greater High Point, packed with community volunteers and nonprofit leaders, one of the organization’s board of directors asked members of the audience a simple question.

“Raise your hand if your organization has been positively impacted by High Point University,” UWGHP board member Vicki Miller told the crowd.

A sea of hands went up.

“It was really impressive. Every nonprofit had their hand up,” Blosser said.

Blosser received the Spirit of Advocacy award at the event, where HPU students also spoke of their volunteer work and gratitude to be connected to the community.

Afterwards, he went back to his office and continued making plans — plans for the service learning classes for 2015 –2016 academic year, for the new VISTAs and their service sites, for the Bonner Leaders and much more.

All with this in mind: “We have moved to long-term, intentional partnerships,” he says. “In communities, there are anchor institutions. Anchor institutions are cornerstones that have been here for many years, and the rest of the community looks up to them. They have an implicit responsibility to their neighbors because of who and where they are. We are developing intentional partnerships based on that. We don’t want to help here and there. We want to help all the time and create major impact.”

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CARING PEOPLE

HPU $465 MIL 100,000+

BY THE NUMBERS

Economic impact of HPU on the state of North Carolina

Annual volunteer hours contributed by the HPU family

Gathering in the Garden HPU graduate and AmeriCorps VISTA Anna Mahathey knew the statistics and rules that classify food deserts. She read about them in a national report.

But serving at West End Ministries for two years showed her the faces of the people behind those statistics.

Each week, she scrambled around a food pantry to pack boxes of food for neighbors in the western part of the city. There was often an uneven supply in the pantry. Too much peanut butter or not enough meat. A hundred boxes of macaroni pasta, but no canned fruit. So she led groups of youth volunteers to pack the boxes as best as they knew how while keeping in mind things like nutrition, allergies and more.

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$230,000 $2.3 MIL 165+ Annual United Way giving

“We made food boxes every Thursday,” she said. “There were new faces all the time. One time a man who had not received food assistance in 13 years came for one. A back injury put him out of work, and he had a 13-year-old son and a wife finishing her nursing degree. It showed me that poverty does not discriminate.”

She didn’t know it when she started in fall 2013, but her role at West End Ministries became crucial in efforts to fight food insecurity in the city. Two more VISTAs hosted by HPU — Kemi Ademuyewo and Shannon Barr — played a part too.

HPU hosts the three VISTAs each year by providing free housing, meal plans, office space and access to its students, faculty and staff as volunteers. The VISTAs are assigned a service site — a local nonprofit — to act as the volunteer coordinator. While the positions are part of a federal government program that provides stipends as compensation to the VISTAs, their 60, 70 or 80 hour work weeks often go unnoticed. But their impact rarely does.

Like Mahathey’s. She was charged with creating a community garden that serves fresh, accessible, healthy food. She located a vacant lot within walking distance for most neighbors, and

Economic value of 100,000 volunteer hours

Community business partners

that lot happened to be in bankruptcy. So she approached the city to help secure it. She worked for months through legal and city processes to turn this vacant lot into land the organization could lease. It took nearly a full year to wade through the red tape.

At the same time, she had to recruit people in the neighborhood to serve as volunteers. Mahathey worried they would lose interest as time passed. But together, they remained focused.

“Sometimes they would ask me, ‘Well, what do you want your garden to be like?’ And I would say, ‘No — this is your garden.

What do you want it to be like?’ Then they understood. It was theirs, and they really came to own it.”

Nearly a year later in July 2015, Mahathey finalized a pilot program with the city where West End could rent the lot. The lease was signed just before her time as a VISTA was completed.

“I remember telling one of our neighbors that the city had finally approved the land lease and she said, ‘Wow, that is so exciting for us.’ That struck me that she used the word ‘us.’

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STUDENT PROFILE

Making the

COMMUNITY Your

CLASSROOM HPU’s Caring People Leave a Local Impact

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Dante Armstrong didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he signed up for an English class his freshman year.

He knew it would challenge him to be a better writer — most English classes do. And he knew there would be lots of reading assignments. But he didn’t know that ENG 1103 would change his view of community involvement and the role it plays in everyday life.

The class, “College Writing and Public Life” with Dr. Karen Summers, was a service learning course focused on enhancing students’ understanding of the immigrants and refugee population. Through reading and writing, students learned history and theory, but through volunteerism at the nearby Macedonia Family Resource Center, they put names and faces to the people they read about by tutoring children of immigrant and refugee families.

their homework, ran outside with them to promote physical activity, and played board games with them. And he realized he had something to offer.

Seeing Service Differently As a member of HPU’s Bonner Leader Program, Armstrong and more than a dozen other students commit six to eight hours of volunteer service a week to a local organization. In total, the Bonner Leaders contribute more than 3,000 hours of community service each year. That’s part of the HPU family’s 100,000 hours of annual service.

Armstrong is assigned through the program to work with the Community Writing Center, located just a few blocks away from HPU. He facilitates a lot of the same activities as he did at Macedonia: children’s writing activities, homework help and recess.

THIS SENSE OF CARE, RESPONSIBILITY AND LEADERSHIP THROUGH SERVICE IS EXACTLY WHAT OUR CARING COMMUNITY AT HPU IS ALL ABOUT. – Dr. Joseph Blosser, HPU director of service learning Through the eyes of those children, learning was brought to life.

Everyone Has Something to Give It didn’t happen immediately. And sometimes, it was scary.

Armstrong was hesitant to tutor kids and lead them in creative writing assignments. The children didn’t know who he was.

Some spoke broken English. As a communication major with a concentration in game and interactive media design, he didn’t believe he was qualified to teach a subject different from that.

But the class challenged him to do it anyway.

In the end, his major — the thing he thought made him unqualified to do this — became the vehicle that made it possible.

“To get them to open up, I related it back to my major and communicated the best way I knew how: through games,” says Armstrong. “After finishing homework, we’d play a game together and get to know each other better. We’d play strategy-based games like Chess, and others that would really get the pressure going, like Jenga.”

Suddenly, Armstrong’s eyes opened. Going to Macedonia became his favorite part of the week. He helped children with

“When we go outside or to the park for recess, they always insist that I play with them,” says Armstrong. “It’s my job to make sure everyone is having fun and doing what they’re supposed to. But sometimes I end up getting involved in their antics as well when we play basketball and swing on the monkey bars.”

But Armstrong is also there to mentor children when he needs to. When he notices a child who seems disheartened or is sitting alone, he feels it’s his duty to cheer them up.

“Even though they’re kids, they go through hardships at home and at school just like the rest of us,” he says. “I sit with them until I can help them get past the problem or ease any worries.

It’s my goal to be one of the people who helps them get through it and share a laugh along the way.”

“Dante comes to life in the Community Writing Center,” says Dr. Joseph Blosser, the Robert G. Culp Jr. director of service learning at HPU. “You can see how deeply he cares for each child. But even more than caring, you can see that he feels responsible. Responsible to help them achieve. Responsible to help them thrive. This sense of care, responsibility and leadership through service is exactly what our caring community at HPU is all about.” ■

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CARING PEOPLE

Helping

High Point Beta Theta Pi brother Dalton Sheppard guides Jecolein, a local student, through a homework assignment.

Helping High Point.

That’s the title and the mission of the philanthropy that the Beta Theta Pi fraternity of High Point University has established. It’s also what thousands of HPU students, faculty and staff do on a daily basis, contributing more than 100,000 hours of service each year to local organizations, which translates into an impact of nearly $2.3 million in the community.

“What our philanthropy entails is focusing on where High Point could use a helping hand, whether it is tutoring elementary students in an after-school program or delivering phone books to a section of the community,” says Will Trimble, chapter president. “This overarching name of ‘Helping High Point’ allows us to make the maximum amount of good for a large range of people.”

Throughout their annual philanthropy week, the brothers assisted with the adoption fair at the Guilford County Animal Shelter, tutored children in reading and math at the Macedonia Family Resource Center, and held percentage-based fundraisers at East Coast Wings and Chipotle that benefited the animal shelter, Macedonia and a local food bank. Finally, a canned food drive on campus collected cans of non-perishable items to be donated to food banks in the area.

“For each of these children at Macedonia, it only takes one person — one interaction — to change their life,” said Amy 94 | highpoint.edu

“Every time someone from HPU comes, we see a difference in a child, and it makes a huge impact.”

– Amy Hudson, Macedonia Family Resource Center program director

Hudson, program director at Macedonia and 2014 graduate of HPU. “Because of High Point University students who volunteer their time here, the children are exposed to a different set of mannerisms, and they will all do better on their EOGs because of this tutoring.”

Hudson first worked with the family resource center while she was a student as part of a service learning project through her “REL 2015: Faith and Ethics” class at HPU. “It’s not just about teaching these children how to read,” she adds. “They’re also taught how to be polite from HPU students. They’re taught life skills. Every time someone from HPU comes, we see a difference in a child, and it makes a huge impact.” ■

HONORING

Honoring Service HONORING SERVICE & Sacrifice & SACRIFICE Service & Sacrifice One by one they stood up in a room filled with young and old, male and female, black and white, to share the thing they all had in common.

Some shared tales from the Navy or the Army. Others experienced combat while some had never left the country.

A few never served but felt the sting of separation through family members who had. The consensus in the room was this: Everyone there had done their job and contributed to making the United States a great nation.

Those people were residents of the city of High Point who are veterans or family members of veterans. They filled the Wilson School of Commerce ballroom at High Point University for a Veterans Day Luncheon that honors their sacrifice each year.

Students, faculty and staff, some also veterans, came to eat with them and say thank you.

Between bites of food and sips of coffee, they got lost in memories of faraway times.

“I didn’t serve, but my father did in World War II,” Marianne Royle said as she stood up. “He was 35 and had a wife and two kids at home. He didn’t have to go, but he chose to. I always thought it was a great thing that he went and didn’t have to, and that so many people went who didn’t have to.”

Don Kelsey, a former infantryman who served in the 1950s, sat next to HPU senior Sean Danielczyk. Kelsey shared his wisdom with the student who plans to join the Army Reserves.

“This was wonderful, emotional and made me even more proud to be an American,” said Danielczyk after the luncheon.

It was the third year in a row the university held the event and offered a blanket to each veteran as they left. The blanket symbolized the warmth and comfort all veterans have brought into the lives of Americans.

“You’ll hear us say often on this campus, ‘We are a God, family and country school,’” said Dr. Don Scarborough, vice president for special projects, at the event. “We want to thank you for your service and honor you on this campus today.” ■

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THIN SLICES

Pi Kappa Alpha raised more than $23,000 dollars for cancer research during the fraternity’s Jimmy V. Week.

Theatre students created and donated 29 child-sized superhero capes to the High Point Fire Department. The fire department will keep the capes in their trucks and offer them to children during a tragic moment as a way to lift a child’s spirit.

For the second year in a row, 10 students spent their spring break taking part in a week of service in Haiti, which was ravaged by an earthquake five years ago. Students taught English in local schools and planted crops in the rural village to help with food insecurity.

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Zeta Tau Alpha sorority raised $18,000 for breast cancer awareness and research at the sorority’s 10th annual Crown Classic Golf Tournament.

Students, faculty and staff impacted 270 lives by donating 90 pints of blood at the university’s blood drive.

Students collected 2,000 pounds of food to honor fallen Muslim students from UNC-Chapel Hill.

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THIN SLICES Students, faculty, staff and members of the community dressed up as their favorite superhero for the second Superhero Dash co-hosted by HPU’s Kappa Delta sorority and the Guild of Family Service of High Point. More than 350 people participated in the dash and over $20,000 was raised for Family Service of the Piedmont.

Cuts for Cancer allowed students to donate at least 8 inches of their hair for Pantene Beautiful Lengths to make into wigs for cancer patients who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it.

HPU hosted a festival for Montlieu Academy of Technology honor roll students. Children enjoyed face painting, competed in an obstacle course, ate pizza and wrote messages in cards to U.S. troops overseas.

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The fifth annual Community Christmas attracted a recordbreaking 20,000 community members who enjoyed complimentary Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, photos with Santa, Clydesdale carriage rides, choir performances, a life-size Nativity and more.

Alpha Phi Omega, a co-ed service fraternity, spent their spring break in Los Angeles volunteering and completing construction projects with Habitat for Humanity.

Education majors surprised children at Kirkman Park Elementary with books and blankets just as cold weather rushed into the Piedmont Triad.

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ALUMNI

Framing Life with Significance

By Daniel Miller, ‘98

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“Be the anchor of your own show.”

– Dan Miller, ’98, morning news anchor at WFXT in Boston I wait for the cue of the red light each day.

Moving Forward with Faithful Courage

When it turns on, so does my passion. It’s my time to tell stories of real people and bring them to life on TV screens.

That road brought me here, to the seventh largest television market in the country where I serve as a weekday morning news anchor for WFXT, Boston’s Fox affiliated network. My position allows me to greet and meet people face-to-face and share their stories with the rest of the community.

On my journey as a journalist, I’ve found that every person has a story to share. And each one matters. Their lives, triumphs and tragedies all have purpose.

I know this because I get the emails, the phone calls and the Facebook messages after they air. Someone’s always watching.

Someone’s always reacting.

Within the frame of the camera, I have the opportunity to demonstrate what it means to live a life of significance. To tell stories that inspire, inform and encourage others.

It’s a major responsibility, but High Point University taught me how to do it long before I stepped into a professional news studio.

Learning to Dream Big I graduated from HPU 18 years ago, but I still feel the butterflies in my stomach from that summer day in May, walking across the stage.

It was a special moment; it was my ticket to start moving.

It’s amazing to look back on my experience at HPU as I write this.

It was liberating and significant. I was elected Freshman Class President by my peers, but what I remember most were my weekly walks around campus as a University Ambassador, giving prospective students a glimpse of an institution I knew was changing me. The university pushed me to be extraordinary, even before that word became prevalently known across campus.

HPU also taught me a lot about who I am. It opened the door to service. It was there where I joined my fraternity and had the opportunity to study abroad in England. It was also the place where I developed friendships with people whom I remain close with today.

In October of 2010, I went back to campus to receive the university’s first Young Alumni Achievement Award during Alumni Weekend. I realized then how much had changed about campus and about me. I’ve come a long way spiritually and professionally.

Through these years of my life, I can now see and appreciate that learning in an environment where leadership and service are expected, and where lasting connections are made, prepared me for the road I’ve traveled.

It wasn’t a straight shot. My post college life and career has taken me from my hometown in Greensboro, North Carolina, to Indiana, Tennessee, back to Indiana and now Boston.

But I’ve always been able to find my way, thanks to God and my parents who continue to pray and believe that all things are possible for me. And I’ve been rewarded beyond measure for my work. The biggest honor of them all was winning my first Emmy Award (I honored my alma mater by donating it to the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication in 2010) for an assignment I turned around in less than 24 hours.

My life and my success are true testaments that God has a plan for each of us that is bigger and greater than the plan we could even dream for ourselves.

High Point University knows that. That’s why they tell you: Dream Big. Choose to Be Extraordinary. Live a Life of Success and Significance.

And I’m so glad they did and continue to do. It’s allowed me to give back in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Values-Based Living I’ve interviewed a lot of people in this country. Some have been on top of the world. Some have just had their lives turned upside down.

Telling their meaningful stories has given my life meaning.

Sharing their message has given me my own message.

And it is simply this: Find your own red light — the thing that makes you say, “It’s show time.”

Be the anchor of your own show.

You may not spend your life in front of a camera, waiting for the red light to come on like me, but know that someone is always watching. While I don’t work 24 hours a day, I try to conduct every day of my life with this in mind. Always be the best version of you. If you choose to be extraordinary, you’ll not only be different — you’ll be significant.

And when the red light turns on, you’ll be ready. ■ highpoint.edu | 101

ALUMNI

Theatre Alums Upstage the Competition

QUICK FACTS ABOUT HPU THEATRE:

Clockwise from top: Madison Jordan plays Truffaldino in HPU’s production of “The Servant of Two Masters;” Sarah Thompson is one of four students worldwide attending Yale University’s prestigious M.F.A. program for stage management; Courtney Feiman stars as Dopey in the Florida Repertory Theatre’s production of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs;” HPU theatre department chair Ed Simpson (left) and Lauren Henkel Engler pose at Engler’s performance in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” with the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company.

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• No. 1 “underrated” theatre college in the Mid-Atlantic Region by OnStage • 2011 College/University Award recipient by the North Carolina Theatre Conference • Four areas of emphasis: – Performance – Design/Technical – Dramatic Writing – Collaborative Theatre • Four “mainstage” productions and one Spring Dance Concert each academic year/season

“I was able to trust my professors completely and broaden my acting skills exponentially at HPU.” – Lauren Engler, 2013 graduate It looks like fantasy come to life, this set for the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company’s performance of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

It feels like one too for Lauren Henkel Engler when she takes the stage as Hippolyta.

The 2013 graduate is just three years into her professional career. Yet she’s basking in the limelight of the CSC in Baltimore, one of the top Shakespeare companies in the country.

HPU’s Department of Theatre and Dance, the one that prepared Engler to land the coveted spot, creates the arts advocates of the future. The program’s graduates, students, faculty, community members who attend performances and many in the world of theatre know of the program’s quality and successful outcomes.

Engler is one of them.

Making it Big in Baltimore A native of Severn, Maryland, Engler is responsible for making the stage come to life as the CSC’s lead scenic painter, stage manager and actress.

In her role as Hippolyta in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” she had a dance solo, played the clarinet and was one of the scenic artists for the production.

Ed Simpson, theatre department chair, made the trip to Baltimore to see Engler in action and cheer on his graduate.

“Lauren’s performance illustrated her impressive versatility as an artist,” Simpson says. “She demonstrated one of the strengths of our theatre program at HPU: Our students leave HPU with a variety of production skills. They all have a specialty area — acting, design, dance — but also have a number of other arrows in their quivers. This allows our graduates to be even more valuable in the real world of theatre.”

Numerous HPU theatre majors have worked at the CSC since 2007. The founding artistic director, Ian Gallanar, says his company likes working with HPU students so much that they permanently reserve at least four internships each year exclusively for HPU students.

Finding Fame in Florida In another, warmer part of the country, Courtney Feiman is using her broad set of skills on the stage, too. During her four years at HPU, she showcased and sharpened her talents

through theatre performances, presentations, conferences and classes. Her decked-out resume and seasoned repertoire landed her a spot with the Florida Repertory Theatre a few months after graduating with degrees in music and theatre performance in 2014.

“My professors at HPU were always there to help me out, whether I was having trouble connecting with my character, or the music I was learning was extremely difficult,” says Feiman.

“Their doors were always open. We were a family who looked out for one another. They taught me how to present myself in a professional manner and gave me the technique and performance skills I needed to succeed.”

Feiman, from Dunwoody, Georgia, is also earning Equity Membership Candidate (EMC) points which will enable her to join the prestigious Actors’ Equity Association.

“To have the added opportunity to not only perform but to receive EMC credits is an outstanding bonus,” says Simpson.

“Courtney’s enrollment in the EMC program is an acknowledgment of her talent and work ethic and will eventually lead to her earning her Equity card — a significant artistic and professional achievement.”

Well-Rounded Relevance There are many others out there, too, standing in the spotlight, supported by their HPU education.

There’s recent graduate Madison Jordan. After landing a role in nearly every HPU theatre production, teaching music lessons in Costa Rica, interning for legendary songwriter Charles Strouse and more, Jordan is living in New York City as an assistant to the producer for the Broadway musical “Amazing Grace.”

And Jordan’s fellow Class of 2015 graduate Sarah Thompson is one of four students worldwide attending the country’s most prestigious drama department: Yale University’s M.F.A. program for stage management. It’s the same program in which Meryl Streep studied.

“Each of the professors in the Department of Theatre and Dance gave me the confidence in my own abilities to know that I could succeed, as well as the training to give me a competitive edge in my field,” says Engler. “They fostered a safe environment in which students could try new things, spread their emotional depth in acting, and dream big knowing that they would have honest, yet supportive feedback. I was able to trust my professors completely and broaden my acting skills exponentially at HPU.” ■ highpoint.edu | 103

ALUMNI

Fueling the Future HPU Graduate Dan Short Leads the Way in Fuel Technologies at Marathon Dan Short, a 2010 alumnus of High Point University, is making a big impact on the future of the fuel and automotive industries as a fuel technologist at Marathon Petroleum Corporation.

“It is really an important time in mankind to reduce emissions, and I am so grateful and excited to play a role in that.”

– Dan Short, Class of 2010

A native of Cambridge, Maryland, Short received a B.S. in mathematics from HPU with minors in both chemistry and physics. He also recently completed his Ph.D. in chemical and environmental engineering from the University of California, Riverside, in four years — a program that usually takes six.

In his role at Marathon, Short leads the industry in researching new and developing vehicles fueled by gasoline, diesel and alternative energies like electric and fuel cell technology. He also coordinates with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create future policies and regulations to reduce greenhouse gases and emissions from vehicles — policies that will save consumers $1.7 trillion at the pump by 2025 and eliminate six billion metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution, according to the EPA. 104 | highpoint.edu

With the potential to improve the quality of life in the future, Short says this is a pivotal time for automotive and oil companies to be a part of the solution.

“I am honored to be in this prestigious role at Marathon,” says Short.

“We are doing great things here. It is really an important time in mankind to reduce emissions, and I am so grateful and excited to play a role in that.”

Short acknowledges HPU in giving him the effective communication skills necessary for his career with Marathon. He also credits Dr. Aaron Titus, professor and chair of the HPU physics department, in inspiring him to pursue graduate school and enter the fuel industry.

Paving the way for a cleaner future, Short applies daily what Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, said at HPU’s 2010 Commencement ceremony: “Leaders aren’t just leaders in one area. They are leaders in all areas they go into.” ■

ALUMNI CONNECTIONS: Building Bridges in Baltimore

Paige Sigmon has loved the city of Baltimore ever since she was a young girl. Growing up as an Orioles fan in Leesburg, Virginia, the city’s character, history and post-industrial waterfront were never too far away.

But Sigmon could never have imagined that she would be working her dream job and living in the Inner Harbor— especially just months after graduating from college.

Until she met Jim Mugele, that is.

Sigmon graduated Summa Cum Laude from High Point University in December 2013 with a degree in business administration and minors in finance and economics.

She attended HPU’s 90th anniversary networking event in Baltimore in September 2014. There, she met Jim Mugele, an HPU alumnus of 1978, member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors and senior vice president at Robert W. Baird & Co., a major financial services firm in Maryland.

“Jim was eager to help me start my career in Baltimore,” Sigmon says. “He began sending my resume to contacts he had in the financial industry.”

“Living and working in Baltimore: it’s a dream come true, and none of this would have happened without hard work and the support of HPU.” – Paige Sigmon, Class of 2014

From that, Sigmon interviewed with major investment companies like T. Rowe Price and Legg Mason.

She was then contacted by Brown Advisory, an independent investment management firm committed to delivering a combination of first-class performance, strategic advice and the highest level of client service. Brown Advisory has a long legacy, continuing Alex Brown & Sons’ 200-year tradition of investment success, absolute integrity and unwavering devotion to their clients’ best interests.

“From the moment I received a call from Brown Advisory, I knew it was

a perfect fit. This was the company I wanted to build my career with.”

And just a few weeks later, Sigmon landed a position on the Client Services Team as an operations associate at Brown Advisory. She helps onboard new clients, builds client portfolios and assists with asset transfers — all skills she learned in her business and finance classes taught by HPU professors Dr. Phillip Norwood, Dr. Stephanie Crofton and Dr. Steven Lifland.

“The Office of Career and Professional Development stresses to current students the importance of networking with alumni,” says Sue Brien, associate director of employer relations at HPU. “We explain the enormity of connections they can make through a group of people that are all part of the shared HPU community. For instance, each year we have several alumni come back to assist their employers in recruiting new talent by attending the Career and Internship Expo.

There is pride attached to their alma mater and they want to give back.”

Because of Mugele’s pivotal influence in her career, Sigmon is now involved with HPU’s Alumni Association and wants to help other graduates land their dream jobs, too.

“You cannot find a position in today’s job market without networking.

Using the contacts that HPU gives you can be extremely beneficial,” Sigmon says. “Take advantage of every opportunity HPU offers, both before and after graduation.

You never know whose hand you’re going to shake. It can be life changing — it obviously was for me.

“Living and working in Baltimore: it’s a dream come true, and none of this would have happened without hard work and the support of HPU.” ■

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ALUMNI

The

Connection High Point University prepares students to succeed in some of the country’s most successful companies. One example is Krispy Kreme, now a household name in different parts of the world.

Much like HPU, Krispy Kreme has seen major growth over the years, transforming from a single bakery in Winston-Salem to an international franchise, with stores in 24 countries. Now, two of Krispy Kreme’s rising stars are proud HPU alumnae Cathleen Allred and Lauren McGraw.

Shortly after earning her MBA from HPU in 2012, Allred was appointed senior vice president of human resources and organizational development at Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation.

“The holistic approach that HPU takes to education truly prepared me for where I am today and anywhere I go as my career continues to grow.”

– Lauren McGraw, Class of 2010 106 | highpoint.edu

QUICK FACTS: • Krispy Kreme is ranked the No. 4 most reputable hospitality company in the nation

by The Reputation Institute • More than a dozen HPU alumni work at the Krispy Kreme headquarters in Winston-Salem • 718 international franchises total • More than 1,000 shops around the world with “Hot Doughnuts Now” signs “Earning my MBA expanded my knowledge base in overall business management,” says Allred. “I gained exposure and information about other areas of business that were important for my personal development.”

Allred joined Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation in March of 2002 as a human resources manager. She has worked her way up the ranks of this Winston-Salem based corporation and has been an integral part of the extensive growth they have had in the last 10 years, both domestically as well as internationally.

“Cathleen has proven herself to be a successful and strong business leader who understands the vital roles our team members play in growing our business and ensuring our commitment to outstanding customer service,” says Jim Morgan, Krispy Kreme executive chairman.

Inaugural Internships

One of Allred’s many responsibilities in her previous role was overseeing the hiring for the Krispy Kreme Management Trainee Program, and in 2010 she hired then-recent HPU grad Lauren McGraw. In the past few years McGraw has worked her way up from a manager trainee to becoming a member of the team responsible for the international franchising at Krispy Kreme. In 2013, she traveled to eight countries spanning from Singapore to Bogota, Colombia.

“My job and experience thus far has been a once in a lifetime opportunity, much like my experience at High Point University. When I took the job as a manager trainee at Krispy Kreme, I had no idea that I would be traveling the world in just four years,” says McGraw. “I believe the holistic approach that HPU takes to education truly prepared me for where I am today and anywhere I go as my career continues to grow.”

Allred and McGraw are not the only High Point alumni currently working at Krispy Kreme.

“There are a lot of HPU graduates here, both MBA and bachelor’s degree holders,” says Allred.

“It is always exciting to learn that someone else also attended High Point University,” says McGraw. “I have been able to reach out to new HPU grads that have joined our company and share my experience with them.” ■

For 2015 graduate Cassie Williams, a simple email was all it took to create a new position — just for her — at Krispy Kreme. Williams met with 2010 alumnae Lauren McGraw, Krispy Kreme’s international operations manager, for an informational interview to see where her international business degree could take her.

“Following our meeting, I asked her if Krispy Kreme currently had any internships available in their international department,” recalls Williams. “Lauren explained to me that they did not currently have an internship program but challenged me to create an internship program of my own for the department. If approved, she said that I could pilot the program as the very first intern.”

From there, Williams worked closely with HPU’s Office of Career and Professional Development to draft a winning proposal. After its approval, Williams began a semester-long stint as the very first International Department intern at Krispy Kreme.

She graduated in May with an impressive resume, including her experience gained through the internship. It enabled her to secure a full-time position at Lincoln Financial.

“My internship experience with Krispy Kreme was the most beneficial learning experience I have ever had,” Williams says. “I could not have created the program without the help and resources at High Point University.”

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CLASS NOTES Helen Paisley Sockwell (1965) is a retired teacher living in McLeansville, North Carolina. She has written a book about the history of her community titled, “Life, Lore and Legend of McLeansville.” She has also assisted in her grandchildren’s classrooms and taught a series of Biblically-based Sunday school lessons.

Oakie Canipe (1966) and his wife, Rachel Canipe, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Nov. 27, 2014.

The couple celebrated with a trip to Playa del Carmen, Cancun, Mexico. They have two twin sons, Ken and Chris Canipe.

Stanley R. North (1967) has practiced small animal medicine and surgery for 40 years as the owner of Brielle Animal Clinic in Brielle, New Jersey. He says he owes a sincere “thank-you” to HPU for giving him the initiative to seek out and achieve the profession of veterinary medicine — a profession that he loves to this day.

Tal Leverett (1968) is a creative consultant for Fly on the Wall Entertainment.

He recently wrote scripts for 13 episodes of the first season of “Gold Diggers,” a new reality television series. Leverett also provided stories for another series titled, “In Search Of…”

Fayetteville Kiwanis Club in 1995, Cooper has maintained perfect attendance and has been awarded three of the club’s most prestigious awards in the field of civic leadership, Kiwanis spirit and committee involvement. He also serves on the HPU Board of Visitors.

Billy Sorrell (1977) was inducted into the T. Wingate Andrews Athletic Hall of Fame in High Point. Sorrell began his baseball career at T. Wingate Andrews High School, pitched for three years as a student at HPU, and was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1978. He lives in High Point.

Lane Evans (1980), the director of tennis and wellness at Champion Hills Club in Hendersonville, North Carolina, spoke at the 2014 Australian Grand Slam Coaches Conference in Melbourne, Australia. He was also awarded the “2014 Fred Burdick USPTA Pride of the South” and the “2015 Industry Excellence” awards by the United States Professional Tennis Association.

Tom Gamble (1987) is the senior personnel executive for the San Francisco 49ers.

Sheri Wren Haymore (1975) presented her two novels, “A Higher Voice” and “A Deeper Cut,” at the City Lights Bookstore on July 26, 2014. Haymore lives in the Mt. Airy, North Carolina, area with her husband and dog.

Gary Cooper (1977) is the governor of the Carolinas District of Kiwanis International. Since first joining the

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Robert Shenigo (1988) completed his fourth and final Iron Triathlon race.

Bobby Garland (1989) is the director of sales at Scan Design, the largest contemporary furniture retailer in Florida. Garland has previously held positions at Rose Furniture in High Point; Whelan’s Furniture in Savannah, Georgia; Carl’s Furniture in Coconut Creek, Florida; and Sklar Furnishings in Boca Raton, Florida. Garland says he knows his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from HPU have helped him be successful throughout his career.

Tom Joseph (1990) is the managing director for Grant Thornton LLP’s Financial Services Advisory practice, based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Joseph has nearly 25 years of experience in enhancing business models, growth strategies, cross-functional enterprise business integration, sales and business development and leading new business startups in large Fortune 100 companies.

Amy Nail (1990) is the executive director of instructional and student services for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools in North Carolina. Nail, who previously worked with Stokes County Schools for nearly 25 years, received her bachelor’s degree from HPU and is currently completing her doctorate in educational leadership through the university.

Mary O’Keeffe (1992) is the director of sales for The American Home Furnishings Alliance in High Point. She graduated from HPU with a bachelor’s degree in industrial/organization psychology.

Jonathan “Fox” Simons Jr. (1993) is the assistant city manager of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Angela Silver (1994) is a data management specialist in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at High Point University.

Relations Management within the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The program is designed to place highly trained people into key positions in the Veteran’s Affairs health care management positions. Clayton was the only candidate in the state of North Carolina selected for the program.

Kelli Goins Dalton (1999) is the assistant director of human resources/ teacher recruitment and support for the Davidson County Board of Education.

Sheryl Green (1995) was selected as the Muscogee County School District’s 2015 Teacher of the Year. While at HPU, Green was MVP of the women’s soccer team, a recipient of the Tobias Scholar Athlete award, an Academic All American, voted Most Outstanding English Major, a Millis Scholar Athlete, achieved a cumulative GPA of 4.0 and was a summa cum laude graduate with All University Honors.

Keith Anderson (1996) published a new book, “The Digital Cathedral: Networked Ministry in a Wireless World,” about navigating faith and ministry in a digitally-integrated world.

Anderson serves as pastor at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler, Pennsylvania. He previously co-authored “Click2Save: The Digital Ministry Bible” with Elizabeth Drescher.

Ken Breath (1998) is a physical therapist at OrthoCarolina. He is also actively involved in providing physical therapy treatments and health care to NASCAR drivers, including team members with Joe Gibbs Racing and Kasey Kahne Racing.

Charles Clayton (1998), who has served in the U.S. Navy for more than 21 years, was selected for the Technical Career Field internship program in Human

Julie Messner (1999) was named one of the Triad Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty. Messner is the senior vice president for furniture leasing at International Market Centers in High Point and was recently elected to the board of the High Point Market Authority.

Pamela Hedrick (2000) is the assistant principal at Oak Grove Middle School in Winston-Salem.

Brandy Smith Lambeth (2000) and husband, George Finch Lambeth, had their second son, Smith MacNeill Lambeth, on Sept. 13, 2014.

Susan B. Gleason (2001) was named chief operating officer at Piedmont Trust Company, a private trust company and wealth management firm headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Larikus Scott (2001) led a discussion at Bermuda College about cyberbased risks faced by Bermuda’s businesses and community. Scott is a member of KRyS Global’s digital forensic team and lecturer at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

LaKuita Brittle (2003) received her Juris Doctor from the University of the District of Columbia School of Law. Kathleen McLean (2005) was engaged to Stephen Lugarich over the 2015 Easter weekend. McLean is the education manager at the Fort Pitt Museum.

Jason L. Walters (2005) was recognized as a 2015 Rising Star in North Carolina

by Super Lawyers magazine. Walters is a partner in the law firm of Davis & Hamrick LLP in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Chris Bancsi (2007) is the founder and president of Empirical Staffing, a Cleveland, Ohio-based direct hire staffing firm.

Jake Lawrence (2007) is a Battalion S2 (Senior Battalion Intelligence Officer) for a Heavy Brigade Combat Team with the U.S. Army.

Amber Prince (2008) is the vice president of Vanco, Inc., makers of the patented food safety product cleanTEMP, a self-sanitizing thermometer system.

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CLASS NOTES Jeff Cowan (2009) married Claire Makrobrad on Oct. 4, 2014, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Ivan Lee, II (2009) is a staff assistant for the United States Senate.

Development Conference held in Pinehurst. Davis, who received his M.Ed. from HPU, was recognized for his leadership and impact on students and student learning; creativity and innovation in his school; leadership and impact on his school and school district; and contribution to the state education profession.

Brennan Hand (2011) is the assistant to the athletic director at Southern Virginia University in Buena Vista. Hand is also in his third season coaching soccer at the NCAA Division 3 institution.

Lyndsay Rowley (2010) is a rink-side reporter for the Nashville Predators, a professional ice hockey team.

Russell Read (2010) is the deputy director of legislative affairs at Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), a D.C. think tank focused on Middle Eastern foreign policy. Read is also a featured columnist for a start-up company called wonkreport.com, and has been published and featured on other outlets such as The Blaze, Daily Caller and Breitbart.

Elliot Sloan (2010) is the chief business development officer at Macallan Marketing in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Kennette Burgess (2011) is an international product manager for www.shop.com. She also regularly volunteers with the nonprofit Empowered Girls of North Carolina.

Anthony Davis (2011) was selected as the “Outstanding Young Educator for North Carolina” at the North Carolina Association for Supervision and Curriculum

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Eric Karge (2011) was voted Maryland’s “2014 Country Music Artist of the Year” during the first-annual Maryland Music Awards held in Baltimore. He was nominated in three categories including “Country Artist of the Year,” “Songwriter of the Year” and “Breakout Artist of the Year.” Fans placed Karge in the top five for the three categories. Karge graduated from HPU with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science, pre-med.

Jasmine Paul (2011) is a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. Paul is currently stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana as an Inter-continental Ballistic Missile Combat Crew Commander.

Chris Eaton (2012) and Natassia Saquilan Eaton (2014) were married on Aug. 31, 2014, at the HPU Charles E. Hayworth Sr. Memorial Chapel.

Brittany Bradfute (2013) married Amy Gunkey on May 16, 2015, in Amarillo, Texas. Bradfute is a youth librarian with the Amarillo Public Library.

Leah Dansky (2013) was promoted to assistant general manager of marketing with the Coastal Plain League team of the Asheboro Copperheads. Dansky completed an internship with the team in 2012 before graduating from HPU with a degree in accounting.

Hannah Midgett (2013) served in 11 different countries throughout South America, Africa and Asia during an 11-month mission trip with the World Race.

Caitlin Alexander (2014) is the post production coordinator at Producers, a video production company in Baltimore.

Katerina Andrews (2014) is an employment specialist at Vocational Support Systems, Inc. Meredith Beck (2014) is the new morning producer for Good Morning Charleston in South Carolina. During her first month on the job, Beck covered two major national stories: the shooting at Emanuel AME Church and the removal of the Confederate Flag at the Columbia statehouse.

Jeffrey Ditcher (2014) is an investment banking analyst for Marlin & Associates, the top investment bank of 2014 that specializes in the financial technology space.

Laura Fritts (2014) is attending pharmacy school at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Jonathan Grimmel (2014) is the Board of Directors Treasurer at the Maryland branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

Brooke Lisson (2014) is an accountant at Duke Energy and is pursuing her master’s degree in tax accounting part-time.

Ted Mellas (2014) was hired as a deputy sheriff for Forsyth County, North Carolina.

High Point Honeymoon Cameron McGraw (2013) and Alexa Crawford McGraw (2014) were married on Sept. 20, 2014, at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville.

HPU President Nido and First Lady Mariana Qubein were in attendance, as well as dozens of other HPU students and alumni. The newlyweds credit HPU as the reason they were brought together: “We are still overwhelmingly grateful that our university’s president was in attendance at our wedding. From flying across the country to attend HPU, and then meeting one another through the University Ambassador program, we are grateful for Dr. Qubein’s leadership and answering God’s call.”

Henry Lakin Parr (2014) received his commercial real estate license and is serving real estate clients at Coldwell Banker Caine in the Greenville, South Carolina, area.

Jenna Parr (2014) spent seven weeks in Loreto, Italy, teaching English to pre-school through middle school-aged children through the InterExchange program.

Emily Slivka (2014) is an associate recruiter for The Select Group, a professional staffing company in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Caroline Stalvey (2014) is a secondgrade teacher at Reeds Elementary in Tyro, North Carolina.

Ashley Tizard (2014) is a designer at La-Z-Boy in Maryland.

Troy Zachary (2014) is a demand management executive for Ariba, an SAP company in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Duchante Davis (2015) is a secondary chemistry teacher through the Teach For America program in San Diego, California.

Zack Russell (2015) is pursuing his master’s degree in sport science at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He also serves as a volunteer athletic trainer at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Sarah Belle Tate (2015) is the director of communications at the High Point Chamber of Commerce. Tate received her bachelor’s degree from HPU in 2014 and a master’s degree in 2015.

Meka Timlic (2015) is an associate service manager at AT&T’s headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

Josh Walston (2015) is an inside sales representative at VMWare in Austin, Texas.

Michelle Scirica (2015) is a junior interior designer at Rogers Design Group in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Krista Willard (2015) is an associate content producer for CBS Interactive, the leader in the production and management of collegiate athletic sites, in San Diego, California.

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In Their

WORDS Students, alumni, parents, donors and friends frequently give high praise for High Point University. Here are just a few examples of online advocacy.

erinfoley11

semichael30

FOLLOW

Media Fellows

FOLLOW

33 likes

44 likes

erinfoley11 I graduated from college today Never imagined myself to be sitting here freshman year.

Thank you HPU for giving me wings and bringing me together with all my great friends! May still be in denial but filled with gratefulness #HPUGrad2015

semichael30 The Media Fellows program brought me to HPU, took me around the world and introduced me to my best friends. Thankful is a huge understatement. #HPUgrad2015 #3days

22 DAYS AGO

Melissa Sweredoski

Jim Cathcart

May 13 ˙

June 25 at 12:16 pm ˙

So glad I was able to hear Tom Brokaw speak at my graduation. High Point University always manages to create extraordinary experiences.

Sweredoski is a public relations manager at Kip Hunter Marketing in Florida.

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“I can’t wait for college. thanks @mshaw_shoes for my custom vans!” (#Repost from @emilyvlima)

It is so impressive to see what High Point University has done to serve their community, and I’m truly honored to be a part of it.

Dawn Kosmorsky u High Point University May 12 ˙ HPU helped grow our little girl into a fine young woman ready to take on the world!

Kara Kosmorsky is a graphic designer at The Creative Group.

HPU SOCIAL

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www.highpoint.edu/socialmedia

Our family is so thankful to have found HPU. It has been a perfect fit for both of our children. The environment HPU has created has shaped our son and daughter into mature human beings who understand that they must forge their own unique paths in life and hold themselves accountable as they travel that path.

– THE GJEBRE FAMILY Ben Gjebre is an account manager at CDW in Arizona. Devon Gjebre is studying communication at HPU.

If you have to relinquish the reins of parenthood (and apparently we do), then there is no better community in the world than High Point University in which to do it. If you want to see the changing face of higher education from the front line, visit HPU and spend 30 seconds with any one of the people there. My daughter could not have made a better choice.

Boyd Tinsley @bt_dmb · Jun 6 @JohnMarsicano

High Point has 1 of the most beautiful campuses I’ve ever seen. I loved visiting my daughter down there. #muchLoVE RETWEETS

FAVORITES

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11:34 PM - 6 Jun 2015

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– THE MIDDLEBROOKS FAMILY Mary Kelly @Mary_KKelly

I love my job, and for that I am forever thankful to High Point University.

I graduated from @HighPointU in 2012 & I just saw a professor I had a class with in 2010 in the grocery store & he remembered my name!

– CAROLINE STEWART, ‘12 Demi Lovato Management Team

7:20 PM - 22 Jun 2015 10

Kelly is an account manager at Creative Services in High Point.

I entered HPU as a shy, eager freshman and I am leaving High Point a confident, driven and outgoing young professional. I came to High Point to seek an education, but I’m leaving with a lot more than that.

– STEPHEN LILLIE, ’15 Dick’s Sporting Goods corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania It has been a very positive year, one that has brought us many joys in seeing how our son is taking wings in the right direction. We cannot thank High Point University enough for the outstanding support they have provided for him: academically, socially and emotionally. Thank you very much for creating such a supporting, nourishing, caring environment for our son.

– JOANNA SALMON Parent of sophomore Nicholas Salmon

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Sarah Sermonet @sarahks27

Bittersweet but I know I’m ready. #HPUGrad2015

FAVORITES

12 Sermonet is a sales representative at Bankers Life in Tennessee.

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Department One University Parkway High Point, N.C. 27268 USA 336-841-9000 highpoint.edu

High Point University is ranked the #1 Best Regional College in the South for four consecutive years and the #1 Most Innovative Regional College in the South by U.S. News & World Report.

#1

BEST

COLLEGES MOST INNOVATIVE

2016

Condoleezza Rice to Address the Class of 2016 Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state and national security advisor, will serve as the Commencement Speaker on Saturday, May 7, 2016.

Rice served under the administration of President George W. Bush. She was the first black woman to serve as secretary of state, and the first black woman to serve as national security advisor.

As secretary of state, Rice championed the idea of “Transformational Diplomacy,” which expanded the number of diplomatic governments throughout the world. She also helped successfully negotiate several agreements in the Middle East. One of Rice’s most successful negotiations was the signing of the U.S.-India Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy (123 Agreement), which would allow civil nuclear trade between the two countries. Rice has appeared four times on Time magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people. She currently serves as a professor at Stanford University.

Rice will become part of an extraordinary lineup of HPU Commencement Speakers, including broadcast legend Tom Brokaw; Gen. Colin Powell, former secretary of state, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and national security advisor; former First Lady Laura Bush; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas; Steve Wozniak, Apple Co-Founder; Rudy Giuliani, former New York City Mayor; Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan; NASA Astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin; and Muhtar Kent, CEO of the Coca-Cola Company.