HIGH POINT, N.C., Sept. 9, 2024 – Dr. John C. Maxwell, the bestselling author and internationally renowned leadership expert who serves as High Point University’s Executive Coach in Residence, will lead the Baccalaureate service that precedes HPU’s two undergraduate Commencement ceremonies in early May.
Maxwell will deliver an inspirational message to the Class of 2025 during the Baccalaureate service at 4 p.m. on May 2, 2025, at the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church in High Point. Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress Jane Seymour will give the Commencement address to undergraduate students the following day on May 3, 2025.
The Baccalaureate service is a private event for HPU graduates. While Commencement ceremonies are also a private event for graduates and their families, they will be streamed live at https://testwww.highpoint.edu/live.
“Dr. John Maxwell is the authority on values-based leadership, and our new graduates will benefit from hearing from an individual who has helped so many others achieve success and significance,” HPU President Nido Qubein said. “We are excited to welcome him back to campus for what will surely be a substantive and enlightening message for our graduates.”
Maxwell is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling author, coach, speaker and pastor who has sold more than 31 million books in 50 languages. Five of his books — “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” “The 360-Degree Leader,” “Developing the Leader Within You,” “Developing the Leaders Around You” and “The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader” — have each sold more than 1 million copies. He has received the Mother Teresa Prize for Global Peace and Leadership from the Luminary Leadership Network.
Maxwell regularly visits HPU’s campus and mentors students through the university’s Access to Innovators Program. As the founder of The John Maxwell Company, The John Maxwell Team, EQUIP and The John Maxwell Foundation, he has trained more than 5 million leaders globally. He speaks every year to Fortune 500 companies, presidents of nations and many of the world’s top business leaders.
The Baccalaureate service is an occasion of thanksgiving and a tradition dating back to Oxford University in 1432.