Rising Through Resilience: “Have faithful courage”, With Dr. Nido Qubein, President of High Point University
Have faithful courage. I was willing to take a calculated risk and sacrifice comfort in exchange for opportunities. Whether it was starting a consulting business, partnering to found a bank, speaking professionally or even becoming a college president, I’ve been blessed and have always worked hard to make the most of my blessings.
In this interview series, we are exploring the subject of resilience among successful business leaders. Resilience is one characteristic that many successful leaders share in common, and in many cases, it is the most important trait necessary to survive and thrive in today’s complex market. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Nido Qubein, president of High Point University.
Dr. Qubein came to the United States as a teenager with little knowledge of English and only $50 in his pocket. He came to America because he believed if you work hard enough and smart enough, you can create a positive impact. He was willing to work hard and smart and he followed the advice of his mother, who said “who you spend time with is who you become, so if you want to be someone of influence, surround yourself with people of influence. If you want to have a positive attitude, surround yourself with people who have good attitudes. If you want to deal with change confidently and competently, then surround yourself with people who have done exactly that in their own lives.”
His journey is an amazing success story and prepared him well for his current role as president of High Point University. An accomplished business leader and dedicated philanthropist, since 2005 he has led the university through an extraordinary transformation including major increases in enrollment (from 1,450 to 5,400 students, a 272% increase), the number of faculty (from 108 to 370, a 243% increase), and the addition of 112 new and acquired buildings on campus. Under his leadership, six academic schools have been added, including the School of Communication, School of Health Sciences, School of Art and Design, School of Pharmacy, School of Natural Sciences, and School of Engineering. New programs in entrepreneurship, interactive gaming, and commerce were added, along with new initiatives in physician assistant, pharmacy, and physical therapy. The university, during his tenure, moved to a doctoral degree-granting institution and added masters and doctoral programs, invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology and resourced academic programs with personnel, facilities, equipment, and budgets.
High Point University’s rankings have soared from №17 in 2005 to №1. The university was named the №1 Regional College in the South for the eighth consecutive year in “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report. High Point University is also recognized in “America’s Best Colleges” as the №1 Most Innovative Regional College in the South for making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities, in addition to №1 for undergraduate teaching. The Princeton Review named High Point University among “The Best 385 Colleges: 2020 Edition” for its academic programming, as well as positive survey responses and feedback from students, parents and higher education leaders across the country.
President Qubein is a successful, sought-after speaker who has delivered more than 7,500 presentations across the world to corporations, associations and non-profit organizations. But as someone who came from humble beginnings, he lives by a principle found in the Gospel of Luke: “To whom much is given, much is required.” He teaches this principle to students through his seminar on life skills, and he works tirelessly to ensure that holistic learning and a values-based education remain the cultural focus of High Point University.
Thank you so much for joining us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’?
I grew up in the Middle East with a single mother after my father died when I was only six years old. In search of the opportunity to thrive, I came to the United States as a teenager with limited knowledge of English and only $50 in my pocket. I supported myself through numerous entrepreneurial endeavors while attending Mount Olive College, then High Point University to receive my bachelor’s degree and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for graduate studies.
My business ventures include a partnership that founded a bank in 1986, serving on the board of Truist, formerly BB&T and SunTrust, a Fortune 500 financial corporation with $440 billion in assets and 60,000 employees. I am also executive chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company with 200+ stores in all 50 states and serve on the boards of La-Z-Boy Corporation, nThrive and BakeMark.
Prior to accepting the role as the seventh president of High Point University, I served as chairman of an international consulting firm. As a professional speaker, I covered topics like change, leadership, and branding, Along the way I’ve been blessed to have written a dozen books and recorded scores of audio and video learning programs translated into many languages.
Can you share with us the most interesting story from your career? Can you tell us what lessons or ‘take aways’ you learned from that?
My story is about transformation and my purpose is to inspire others to transform their lives. I truly believe it’s not one’s circumstances that define the future, it’s one’s choices. What you choose is what you get. When I was asked to lead High Point University at the height of my professional speaking and consulting career, I prayed about it and agreed to do it, thinking I would stay a couple of years. I fell in love with this community, with the family of faculty, staff and students and I recognized the extraordinary opportunity to help transform not only the institution but more importantly the young people who enter college to learn and graduate to serve the world. Here, 15 years later, we have moved this university to new levels of achievement that no one thought was possible.
Everything I have done in my life prepared me for this. In my first 30 days as president, I raised more than $20 million. It’s amazing what happens when you have faith and courage and focus on the students. I believed High Point University could be extraordinary and I quickly reached out to my contacts, friends, and associates and persuaded them to invest in this vision to create a unique and highly relevant university. When you are passionate about something and determined to make something happen you go about it with all of the zest that you have.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Focusing on experiential education and holistic, values-based learning, High Point University is the premier Life Skills University. We prepare graduates to live a life of both success and significance. I teach a class to all freshmen titled, “The President’s Seminar on Life Skills.” In the course, I share with students the habits, skills, values and practical intelligence that one must apply to succeed in an ever-changing world. I relish the opportunity to encourage students by sharing my stories of both success and failure. At High Point University, 18-year-olds learn about fiscal literacy, stewardship, relational capital or energy, and time management. My mother taught me, “To be a great person, walk hand in hand and side by side with great people.” This approach is ingrained throughout our campus and our culture. Every faculty and staff member, from professors in the classroom to Miss Vernell, who works to keep the Slane Student Center clean and inviting, is dedicated to mentoring our students.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I came to America as a teenager with little money and little knowledge of the English language. I worked hard, but one day the president of Mount Olive College shared something with me that would change my life. He told me that there had been a gap between what I had paid and what I owed the college for my tuition. A doctor who wished to remain anonymous had paid up that gap so that I could continue my studies. I was blown away. “Who would do that?” I thought at the time. That night I went home and prayed to God and cried. I made a commitment then and there that I would help others as soon as I was able, which led to the development of the Qubein Scholarship Foundation. Paying it forward through the foundation, we’ve been able to support sending hundreds of students to college in the last four decades.
Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. We would like to explore and flesh out the trait of resilience. How would you define resilience? What do you believe are the characteristics or traits of resilient people?
They’re grateful. When you get beat down, if you aren’t grateful for what you have, it makes it difficult to carry forward. But when you have gratitude in your heart, that gratitude makes it possible to continue to move through and overcome life’s obstacles. If you’re willing to work hard enough and smart enough, nothing is impossible.
When you think of resilience, which person comes to mind? Can you explain why you chose that person?
My mother is the epitome of resilience. While she only had a fourth-grade education, her common sense could be equated to a doctoral degree. Growing up we were poor, but she never made my family feel like we were poor. Life is about turning points, and the first turning point in my life was when my father died. I was only six years old. My mother worked hard to take care of me and my four siblings alone. She instilled in us values for life and principles for living. She made us all believe we could accomplish whatever we were willing to commit ourselves to accomplish. That’s resilience. That’s faithful courage.
Has there ever been a time that someone told you something was impossible, but you did it anyway? Can you share the story with us?
That’s the story of High Point University. When I first started as president, skeptics were plentiful and didn’t believe we would meet the lofty goals we set out to accomplish. However, in the last 15 years, we have seen tremendous growth, and we are not done growing. Our transformation has been productive and purposeful. We have always believed that if you lead with faithful courage, anything is possible. We are excited to continue our university’s growth and broaden our impact locally, nationally and on a global scale.
Since 2005, High Point University has quadrupled its student enrollment from 1,450 in 2005 to 5,400 students today. In addition, the university expanded its size from 91 to 500 acres, achieved doctoral degree-granting status and founded six new academic schools, for a total of nine academic schools.
Did you have a time in your life where you had one of your greatest setbacks, but you bounced back from it stronger than ever? Can you share that story with us?
We broke ground on the Wanek Center, a $70 million, 277,000-square-foot building, the day the market collapsed. There we were, leading a total campus transformation smack dab in the middle of the greatest recession of our time. The growth has been amazing — especially in the midst of the worst economic disruption in the last 50 years of America’s history. Stellar educators with accomplished credentials are attracted to this academy in large numbers each year. Students come to campus with a desire to learn and grow. Alumni are getting involved with renewed enthusiasm. Parents have become our best advocates. College counselors recommend High Point University with spirited credibility. Our philanthropic investors are energized by the profound growth of the institution, and they generously resource it with a continuing reservoir of gifts.
Did you have any experiences growing up that have contributed to building your resiliency? Can you share a story?
When I was in college, I tried to sell recorded reel to reel tapes about the Holy Land to every radio station manager in the area. The tapes contained stories about Christmas. Every manager told me no. Every one of them! That’s when I learned it’s okay to be disappointed, but it’s never okay to be discouraged. The beauty of the story is, years later I would be syndicated across the nation with a daily radio program in one hundred markets. Resiliency and courage led that young boy to go from being rejected by every station manager to being one of the most successful speakers on the circuit. There is no such thing as an unrealistic dream; only unrealistic timelines.
Resilience is like a muscle that can be strengthened. In your opinion, what are 5 steps that someone can take to become more resilient? Please share a story or an example for each.
-It starts with your beliefs because your beliefs lead to your behaviors and your behaviors lead to outcomes.
-Have faithful courage. I was willing to take a calculated risk and sacrifice comfort in exchange for opportunities. Whether it was starting a consulting business, partnering to found a bank, speaking professionally or even becoming a college president, I’ve been blessed and have always worked hard to make the most of my blessings.
-Practice gratitude by documenting your many blessings.
-You have to have a vision. Then you have to have solid strategies. Then you have to execute. I came to the United States to believe in the American Dream. I’ve always worked hard and been self-directed in that work.
-Manage your energy and time. Eliminate the activities that contribute little or no value to your life — it’s a meaningless investment of one’s energy.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Gratitude and civility — I try to live my life each day where I can light a candle to another. In general, each day, focus on being grateful for what we have and being civil in our discourse.
We are blessed that some very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them :-)
I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting a multitude of transformational leaders and inspiring individuals throughout the years. From High Point University’s Innovators In-Residence to leaders like Condoleezza Rice and musician Josh Groban, each of these individuals has impacted my life in some way. Recently, through the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, I had the chance to meet Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of KIND Healthy Snacks. He shared his outlook on life and how he’s not an optimist, but an “actionist.” I’m a lifelong learner and appreciate every opportunity to learn from others.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
https://www.facebook.com/dr.qubein
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
