Chancellor’s Dare to Learn Lecture
Nido Qubein has served as president of High Point University since 2005. He is the longest serving university president in the state of North Carolina. An accomplished business leader and dedicated philanthropist, he has led the university through an extraordinary transformation including major increases in undergraduate and graduate enrollment (a 322% increase), the number of faculty (from 108 to 502), and the construction of 128 new or renovated buildings on campus with a total investment of more than $3 billion. The university, during his tenure, moved to a doctoral degree granting institution, adding master’s and doctoral programs, and invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology.
Throughout his career, Qubein dedicated time to serve as a director or chairman of organizations including YMCA of the USA, the High Point Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Greater High Point, the High Point Economic Development Corp. and the High Point Community Foundation.
Qubein’s life story is filled with both adversity and abundance. He grew up in the Middle East to a single mother after his father died when he was 6 years old. He came to the United States as a teenager and supported himself while attending Mount Olive College, then High Point University, to receive his bachelor’s degree and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for graduate studies. All three of his alma maters awarded him honorary doctorates.
Before accepting the role as seventh president of High Point University, Qubein served as chairman of an international consulting firm. He holds the record for being the longest serving board member of Truist (formerly BB&T) where he also chaired the executive committee. He was executive chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company and served on the boards of La-Z-Boy Corp. and Savista.