High Point, N.C. – High Point University President Nido R. Qubein was selected to receive the North Carolina Travel Industry Association’s Charles Kuralt Award on Nov. 16 at the Westin Raleigh/Durham Airport Hotel.

“My heart is filled with gratitude for your consideration of me as a recipient of this award,” said Qubein. “You may know I came to America back in the late ‘60s. My work took me across the world and across the country from border-to-border and coast-to-coast, but I always came back to my home right here in North Carolina. I’m proud to be a North Carolinian.”

This award recognizes an individual who brings exceptional, positive public attention to the State of North Carolina through some form of mass communication. Qubein was selected for this prestigious award for his partnership with PBS in the creation of the Side by Side with Nido Qubein series. He has said he is grateful to partner with PBSNC, which airs the series at 7 p.m. each Tuesday after PBS Newshour.

City leaders commended President Qubein’s contributions to the city as well. “Your leadership shines a positive spotlight for our state and our city,” said Melody Burnett, president of Visit High Point.

Qubein has been honored with numerous awards from local, national and international organizations throughout his lifetime. He is a member of the Piedmont Triad Partnership executive committee, which focuses on industry recruitment and job creation. He has previously chaired the Economic Development Corporation in High Point and the High Point Chamber of Commerce.

Qubein is inducted into the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans, along with Oprah Winfrey and Colin Powell. He is also the recipient of the DAR Americanism Award and, along with four U.S. presidents, the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He has also been recognized as both the Citizen of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year in his home city of High Point. He was named the Honorary Chairman for the internationally recognized PGA Wyndham Championship.

Since he became leader of his alma mater in 2005, HPU’s enrollment has grown to 6,040 total undergraduate and graduate students from 1,673 students. The campus size also increased from 91 acres to 520 acres and the number of facilities rose from 28 to 288. The number of academic schools is continuing to expand with announcements of the Workman School of Dental Medicine and the Kenneth F. Kahn School of Law, along with schools of nursing, optometry and entrepreneurship to provide more graduate-level degrees. The addition of these schools will bring HPU to 14 academic schools, up from just three in 2005.

Prior to his role as HPU president, Qubein rose in prominence as an internationally known author and consultant. He has served on the corporate boards of several Fortune 500 companies including Truist, the sixth-largest bank in the nation, La-Z-Boy and Savista. He also served as executive chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company. He was also awarded the Wade H. Hargrove Community Leadership Award by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters in September 2022. Business North Carolina recognized Qubein as one of North Carolina’s most influential leaders in its 2022 Power List. The magazine noted Qubein led a $3 billion mega transformation at HPU. In addition to the new academic schools, the current $400 million investment in construction projects includes the Charman Library. Recently completed is the $92 million Panther Commons residential community with suites for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as restaurants and retail businesses; more than 30 new student homes and a $30 million fully enclosed parking garage with 1,200 spaces.