High Point University President Nido Qubein announced David S. Congdon as the major donor for the new School of Entrepreneurship, which will be North Carolina’s first private school of entrepreneurship and one of only two schools of entrepreneurship in the state when it opens in 2025.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Feb. 12, 2024 – At an event today, High Point University announced the major donor for the new School of Entrepreneurship, which will be North Carolina’s first private school of entrepreneurship and one of only two schools of entrepreneurship in the state when it opens in 2025.
HPU recently received a substantial and generous 8-figure gift from David S. Congdon, executive chairman of Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., one of the nation’s leading transportation logistic companies. The new school will be named the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship.
“It is a mammoth undertaking to begin an academic school at a university,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “We are grateful for David Congdon’s spirit of generosity and continued advocacy for High Point University. Like David, HPU has an entrepreneurial mindset. We set our minds for something. We get on our knees. We thank God for showing us the way and then we march forward. We are an actionist school, and we are grateful for the support of David and Helen Congdon.”
Qubein recognized Congdon and his family as close personal friends for more than 40 years. Congdon said the concept of entrepreneurship guided the development of Old Dominion Freight Line, which took risks through the years to grow the company. He said he was impressed by the faculty and staff who will be part of the School of Entrepreneurship, as well as the university’s leadership.
“First of all, I knew it would be done right and first class because Nido Qubein and this university know of no other way than to put their all into it,” said Congdon. “Secondly, I am so proud of High Point University and the way it has grown and succeeded. I am confident our investment will be used wisely, and this school will be a tremendous success.”
The Congdon family has been longtime HPU supporters. The university officially opened Congdon Hall, a 222,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility that houses two academic schools – the Congdon School of Health Sciences and the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy.
Plato S. Wilson Hall will be home to the School of Entrepreneurship. Signage for the new school was unveiled inside the building during today’s ceremony.
With an already successful entrepreneurship major and center established at HPU, students will benefit greatly from HPU opening the School of Entrepreneurship. With its interdisciplinary and business foundational approach, this new school will equip students with the life skills and mindset to start their own businesses and create economic opportunities and social value.
The School of Entrepreneurship will offer multiple undergraduate degree options, starting with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Entrepreneurship, a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Sales, a Bachelor of Arts in Event Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management.
In addition, HPU’s Access to Innovators program gives students the opportunity to be mentored by highly successful entrepreneurs who regularly visit campus.
Netflix Co-Founder Marc Randolph serves as HPU’s Entrepreneur in Residence. Bestselling author and internationally renowned leadership expert Dr. John C. Maxwell works with students as HPU’s Executive Coach in Residence. In addition, Dr. Sue Downes, CEO and co-founder of MyEyeDr., joined as HPU’s Health Care Expert in Residence in 2022.
The School of Entrepreneurship is part of HPU’s $400 million academic expansion that is expected to be completed by the end of the 2024-25 academic year. The number of academic schools has increased from three to 14 since Dr. Qubein became president of his alma mater in 2005.
More details about more expansions can be found here:
- Construction is underway for the Workman School of Dental Medicine and Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law, which have deans appointed and are enrolling their first class of students for fall 2024.
- A gift from retired business leaders John and Lorraine Charman helped fund the new $100 million library, which is expected to be completed in 2025-26.
- Dr. Catherine Heyman has joined as founding dean of HPU’s new School of Optometry, which will be North Carolina’s only School of Optometry.
- Dr. Racquel Ingram is founding dean of HPU’s School of Nursing, where students are learning in a 50,000-square-foot nursing complex in Parkway Commons on campus. The Bachelor of Science in nursing program welcomed its inaugural class in fall 2022, and graduate-level programs are under development.