High Point University Announces $400M Academic Expansion

Officials at High Point University in High Point, N.C., recently announced a $400-million academic expansion to include four new schools, including a law school. The announcement came on the heels of the university receiving three gifts from three totaling $100 million within the last month. The project is slated for completion by the end of the 2024–25 school year, according to a university press release.

“At HPU, we’re on a rocket ship to the moon,” said High Point University President Nido Qubein. “Our growth is truly a miracle with God’s hand on it. Students and families across the country appreciate that HPU delivers an education founded on values and framed with life skills. Our future has never been brighter, and our faculty and staff continue marching forward with faithful courage.”

According to the announcement, the university will use $100 million to establish four new academic schools for Law, Optometry, Nursing and Dental. Each will receive a new facility to be built on the school’s main campus. Other upcoming academic centers include an $80-million, 150,000-square-foot library and a new home for the School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health.

The university will spend an additional $115 million on student life facilities to accommodate an additional 500 undergraduate and graduate students. These include $80 million for a “Panther Commons,” which will include living space and retail stores for students; $10 million for 32 new student cottages and houses; and $25 million for a new parking garage with a capacity of 1,200.

The announcement also includes a variety of campus improvement projects adding up to $75 million and dental clinics adding up to $30 million.

“Thanks to Dr. Qubein’s leadership, support from families such as these, operational surpluses and university revenues, no new debt will be acquired to complete the projects,” said HPU Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Brown.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • MiEN Releases White Paper on Community College Space Innovation

    MiEN Company recently released a new white paper called “Designing New Innovative Spaces for Community Colleges” to address the needs of community colleges post-pandemic, according to a news release. The eight-page guide by Dr. Christina Counts, MiEN Company VP of Education and Marketing, covers topics like the enrollment drop that these schools have seen since COVID-19, the roles they play in higher education and local workforces, and five suggested key changes that can improve students’ experiences.

  • Design Firm Populous Acquires Fentress Architects

    Design firm Populous, which specializes in sports and entertainment venues, recently announced its acquisition of Fentress Architects, based in Denver, Colo., according to a news release. Fentress’ primary focus is aviation projects and public buildings like museums, convention centers, and government facilities

  • Tennant Company Launches Autonomous Floor Scrubber

    Cleaning equipment and solutions provider Tennant Company recently launched the new X6 ROVR, a mid-sized robotic scrubber designed for large commercial and light-industrial environments, according to a news release. The autonomous machine can clean up to 75,000 square feet peer cycle with minimal needs for manual assistance.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

Digital Edition