If you were to look up the word innovation in a dictionary, it would state the following; “A new idea, method, or device: a novelty.” 

So when seeing the title of “Most Innovative College in the South,” two questions probably come to your mind. 

1. How can a college be innovative? 
2. Out of all of the colleges in the South, what makes High Point University more innovative than the rest? Well, lucky for you I am here to help try and answer those questions through my personal experience witnessing this innovation progress in front of my very eyes. 

Innovation is the key to a growing and developing society. The same can be said for colleges and universities. Grow and adapt with the times or be left behind by others. Some people view innovation as having the best technology. Others think of it as a vehicle to distract students and allow their brains to relax every once in a while. While you will find many colleges have cutting-edge brand new technology and others will have extravagant rock climbing walls or gyms for students to utilize, High Point University (referred to as HPU from here on) has that and much more. 

Where the university truly excels, is not only its innovation inside the classroom, but also through the methods the school instills outside of it as well. While yes, if you walk into Slane Student Center, you will find a huge basketball court accompanied by a two story fully equipped gym, it is what the other buildings hold that makes HPU unique.

How many other universities can say they have a mock plane in a building to simulate having business conversations thousands of feet in the air? When walking around the campus of HPU, one will quickly learn that everything is there for a purpose, and was well thought out and executed.

As you walk to class on any given day, you will notice that our light poles will be waving a variety of flags representing the countries that university students and faculty call home. Not only will they show the pride of the diversity of students, but they will also accompany you with a variety of classical music that helps calm your mind. Along this path you will also walk past many benches that share statues of historical figures throughout history, from Rosa Parks, to Abraham Lincoln. The detail of these statues allows you to feel like they are there with you, which really empowers some students. Additionally, the fountains the university proudly displays across the campus reduce stress levels by allowing students to hear running water basically anywhere on campus.

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So other than fancy light poles, statues, and fountains, inside classrooms you will be mystified by the wide variety of tools at your disposal. Beginning with a trading room with a live stock ticker going along the ceiling and ending with the state of the art video game design and e-sports rooms, students will have an abundance of resources. Recently I took astronomy at the university, a course that I was able to enjoy in our state of the art planetarium, which allowed me to not only understand, but also see parts of space I never imagined or knew existed.

These innovations benefit academic growth as well as athletic growth. Our new biomechanics lab not only offers students resources to do incredible research but also gives our athletes additional resources to improve his or her game. This facility is 16,000 square feet, and also hosts a physiology lab that allows students to simulate extreme weather conditions, which include high temperatures above 100 degrees fahrenheit, 95% humidity, and air pressure 14,000 feet above sea level.  

In the summer of 2020, the university opened a brand new building called the Caine Conservatory. This indoor/outdoor hybrid building not only houses a new Mediterranean cafe with fresh ice cream but it also holds a state of the art greenhouse. This greenhouse will give students a unique opportunity to learn about the process of food manufacturing, while also growing food for campus restaurants. 

Along with the new conservatory, HPU is also building a brand new state of the art basketball arena called the Qubein Arena and Conference Center. Generously funded by the university president, Nido Qubein, this arena hosts basketball games in addition to a hotel that’s fully run by students in the hospitality management program. This facility has 4,500 seats and  serves as a learning experience classroom for students in the hospitality management field.

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Now, while having an entire hotel as a classroom may sound awesome, it still is not the best classroom on campus. This honor is owned by the university owned steakhouse 1924 Prime that sits on the top floor of the R.G. Wanek Center. This steakhouse and classroom hybrid serves as both a getaway for students to enjoy a full course meal and an etiquette classroom for students to learn the proper way to eat at a professional business dinner. From little things like not being allowed to be on your phone to finding out the proper way to eat a taco without making a mess, the experience at 1924 Prime is extremely unique and useful. Along with these etiquette lessons, the steakhouse also hosts many informative dinners as part of their “Professional Brand Series.”

The best part about High Point University is that while you have these awesome learning experiences in classrooms, you also never stop learning outside of them. Many students, including myself, help at the High Point Furniture Market. This is the largest furniture market in the country which draws every major name from HGTV hosts to millionaires who are coming to furnish their new houses. These experiences offer HPU students a week outside of the classroom to learn about sales as they observe how these business owners make outlandish deals, and pick the brains of some of the wealthiest people in the country.

At this point, you may be intrigued by this abundance of unique resources given to HPU students, however, I have saved the best for last. High Point University has an Innovator in Residence, who is none other than Steve Wozniak, a co-founder of Apple. This is what HPU refers to as Access to Innovators, which allows HPU students to have incredible experiences where they learn from industry leading innovators. Alongside Steve Wozniak, students can also interact with Marc Randolph, a co-founder of Netflix, and Cynt Marshall the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks, among other innovators as well. 

The University highlights all of these innovators and innovations on a weekend titled the Innovation Summit. This weekend is highlighted by interviews with these influencers such as Wozniak and Randolph, and also often serves as the point where the university announces future plans for innovation such as the Qubein Arena and Caine Conservatory. 

It is experiences like this summit along with the everyday access to unique opportunities that makes High Point University deserving of the title as the “Most innovative College in the South.” As I prepare to enter my senior year at HPU, I am extremely proud and thankful that I have had access to these innovations and innovators as they have enhanced my college experience more than I could have ever imagined. I will forever remember the day I met Steve Wozniak, and will use the information he gave me going into my academic and professional career going forward.

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