High Point University: Marking a High Point in Residence Facilities

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When choosing a university, an incoming freshman or a transfer student has multiple criteria to consider before making the decision that will be so important for his or her education experience.

The selection of a major, opportunities for student aid, class size, reputation of the school, and a host of other considerations will be on the list of pros and cons when making a choice. For many students, the residence facilities will be a primary concern.

High Point University in High Point, North Carolina, strives to meet the needs of everyone who enters their institution. In 2018 polls, niche.com notes that HPU earned the first place honor for having the best dorms in America. Also, the Princeton Review gave them seventh place for best dorm rooms in the nation. R.G. Wanek Center and University Center II is just one example of what they have to offer.

R.G. Wanek Center/University Center II

This impressive example of a combination student center and residence hall features a cinema on the first floor and an upscale restaurant on the fifth floor as well as a two-story state-of-the-art gaming and restaurant concept where students can enjoy fellowship all in one central location. This structure has 300 residential 21 rooms that house 548 students-first-year students and upperclassmen as well.

Gail Tuttle, Senior Vice President for Student Life at High Point University, confirmed that this center also features expansive study spaces, a satellite library, several dining options, including the fine dining restaurant that serves as a learning lab for etiquette, mock job interviews and food from different cultures. She states, “Every space on campus was intentionally designed to educate students and the Wanek Center is an example of that.”

Variety of Housing Options

Tuttle points out that HPU offers a variety of options ranging from apartment style suites to double occupancy shared facilities for both upperclassmen and incoming first-year students.

There is Finch Hall, the Honors dorm, that “provides a collaborative space for students with similar interests or similar majors to connect and create.” Academic Fellows, a scholarship program that is discipline specific, houses students together who take courses together. They also engage in co-curricular engagements with a faculty director. Tuttle explains, “We have 22 Honors Scholars, Media Fellows, Natural Sciences, and Business. We have fellows in all first year residential communities.”

Tuttle adds that HPU’s residential spaces are safe, inclusive and offer pet-friendly options as well. Incoming students complete a housing application that allows them to build a profile regarding their living needs and also rank their preferences of residential communities. “We then use this to match roommates,” Tuttle notes.

Keryne Locher, who just graduated from HPU in May 2018, had many good things to say about Wanek Center and University Center II. She loved the location, which was centrally located on the campus. She stated that she felt very immersed in HPU’s holistic environment.

Locher praised the staff which she said always maintained a positive environment. She went on to say that the university taught her to appreciate her surroundings and how to take good care of her space. Locher added that she loved the opportunity to interact with other students on her hall. After she left the classroom, she still felt immersed in the campus culture and part of a family. She shared, “Between the caring staff and the available resources, I couldn’t imagine spending four years at a different university or in another residence hall.”

More Than Just Dorms

U.S. News and World Report voted High Point University first place in 2018 as Most Innovative. When asked specifically about unique and interesting residential options at High Point, Tuttle was quick to say, “The first thing to know about High Point University is that 96% of graduates are either employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.” She reiterates that this statistic reflects everything about HPU’s mission “to prepare students for the world as it is going to be.”

She states that part of the mission is creating a campus that holistically educates students. As an example of this, HPU opened the 220,000-square-foot Congdon Hall in the fall, which houses doctoral programs in pharmacy and physical therapy, as well as a master’s program in physician assistant studies, the single largest investment in university history. The four-story facility includes a three-story, lighted DNA sculpture, “welcoming students to an environment of innovative learning.”

A beautiful campus with amazing residence facilities is always a bonus for interested students, and High Point University definitely has the finest amenities. While they are certainly proud of their buildings and grounds, the embellishments are not their focus. The investment HPU has made in academics and student/faculty resources has always been-and will remain-their highest priority.

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About the Author
Sheila Wagner has spent the last several years working as a professional editor and recently became the staff writer for Private University Products and News. Wagner can be reached at sheila@pupnmag.com.