http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i43/43a00104.htm
>From the issue dated July 4, 2008 OFF BEAT Club Ed: This University Is at Your Service By THOMAS BARTLETT Lots of colleges treat students like customers. But how many have an ice-cream truck? And valet parking? And a concierge desk? And an enormous hot tub in the middle of the campus? Not too many. Actually, only one: High Point University. This once-sleepy institution in the hills of North Carolina has undergone a revival in the last couple of years, thanks in part to its jaw-dropping menu of student services. Behind it all is High Point's president, Nido R. Qubein, a motivational speaker and businessman who believes that the customer (that is, the student) should be not only satisfied, but wowed. To that end, he hired a director of WOW! The holder of that illustrious title is Roger D. Clodfelter, and it's his job to come up with ways to please current and prospective students. The ice-cream truck that circles the campus doling out free frozen treats (more than 500 to choose from!) is but one example. Another is live music in the cafeteria. One day might feature a folky guitar duo and the next a jazz quartet. When Mr. Qubein took over as president in 2005, he discovered that students spent an average of 12 minutes in the cafeteria per visit. It was not a "destination point," he says. After the addition of live music and a bevy of flat-screen TV's, the average visit is 34 minutes. Near the entrance to the cafeteria is the concierge desk. The chief concierge, Leslie Smith, takes care of maintenance requests, gives restaurant recommendations, and sends out dry cleaning, among other services. Students can also sign up for automated wake-up calls. Right now the voice is generic, but there is talk of adding a recording of the president himself urging students to get out of bed. Birthdays are big events at High Point. Each undergraduate — and there are 2,000 — receives a birthday card from the university, signed by the president, with a Starbucks gift card tucked inside. Plus balloons. What's more, when birthday boys and girls visit the cafeteria, their ID cards electronically alert the kitchen staff. The staff then fixes a slice of cake, and the featured musicians sing "Happy Birthday." Employees aren't left out. They get a phone call from the president on their birthdays — all 551 of them. The list of frills goes on. Snack kiosks are located strategically around the campus offering free bananas, pretzels, and drinks. Gifts await students in their dorms when they return from breaks. That's on top of the gifts they receive for no reason. The university keeps track of each student's preferences (movies, candy bars, sodas, etc.) so all of them get exactly what they want. If it sounds like too much, well, maybe it is. But it's in keeping with the president's philosophy, as summed up in the university's slogan: "At High Point, every student receives an extraordinary education in a fun environment with caring people." Mr. Qubein, a High Point alumnus, came to the United States from Lebanon as a teenager. According to his up-by-the-bootstraps bio, he had only $50 in his pocket. Now Mr. Qubein, 59, is chairman of the board of the Great Harvest Bread Company, which has more than 200 stores. He's also written a shelf full of books with titles like How to Get Anything You Want and Close Like a Pro: Selling Strategies for Success. His strategy for High Point has so far been a success. Since Mr. Qubein took over, freshman enrollment has tripled, even though the university is charging more. He's raised more than $100-million, mostly by tapping the wallets of wealthy friends. Seven buildings have been torn down, 12 new ones have been built, and six more are under construction. One of those new buildings, informally dubbed "The Multiplex," will house a movie theater, a sports bar, and a steakhouse. Yes, a steakhouse. Students, not surprisingly, seem to love it. Some objected when trees were chopped down to make way for the rapid expansion. And some seniors and recent graduates complain that the new students are lazy and feel entitled. One possibly apocryphal story involves a freshman who opened his fridge (the freshman accommodations are two-person suites with kitchens) and asked: "Where's the food?" Someone had to explain that he needed to purchase his own supplies. Faculty members seem to be mostly on board, too. That may have something to do with the 2-percent bonuses they get at Thanksgiving. Or their snazzy new office chairs. Also, according to several professors, many of the classrooms have been renovated, and departments now have more money for travel and research projects. Mr. Qubein is acutely sensitive to the suggestion that High Point emphasizes goodies over substance. Even the silliest-seeming extra, he contends, has a larger purpose. "When the students know you care, they reward you by doing well in the classroom," he says. "Then they reward you by telling their friends and by their parents' becoming your donors." Other colleges are taking note. Mr. Qubein says he receives inquiries from presidential-search committees about once a month. And he says "spies" visit the campus regularly. Liberty University, in nearby Virginia, recently added its own ice-cream truck during final exams (a Liberty official couldn't confirm that the idea came from High Point). Another way of making students happy is by prettifying the campus. Six fountains have been added in the last two years (with six more on the way), along with numerous statues — including Atlas holding an enormous globe on the front lawn of the main administration building. On the promenade, unseen speakers play classical music throughout the day. Not everyone is thrilled to hear Brahms and Beethoven on the way to class, but the president thinks it is important to expose students to a little high culture. He does, however, make a concession to their musical tastes. "On the weekends," he says, "we funk it up." http://chronicle.com Section: Short Subjects Volume 54, Issue 43, Page A1 -- Jim Devine / "Nobody told me there'd be days like these / Strange days indeed -- most peculiar, mama." -- JL. _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
