Nido Qubein: Innovative Growth in Academia and Leadership by Example
Nido Qubein: Innovative Growth in Academia and Leadership by Example
Meet Nido Qubein
Dr. Nido Qubein came to the United States as a teenager with little knowledge of English and only $50 in his pocket. His journey has been an amazing success story. The Biography Channel and CNBC aired his life story titled “A Life of Success and Significance.”
As an educator, he is president of High Point University, an undergraduate and graduate institution with 4,300 students from 40 countries. He has authored two dozen books and audio programs distributed worldwide.
As a business leader, he is chairman of the Great Harvest Bread Company with 220 stores in 43 states. He serves on the boards of several national organizations including BB&T (a Fortune 500 company with $185 billion in assets), the La-Z-Boy Corporation (one of the largest and most recognized furniture brands worldwide), and Dots Stores (a chain of fashion boutiques with more than 400 locations across the country).
As a professional speaker, Dr. Qubein has received many distinctions including the Golden Gavel Medal, induction into the International Speaker Hall of Fame, and as the founder of the NSA Foundation in Arizona.
He has been the recipient of many honors including The Ellis Island Medal of Honor (along with four U.S. presidents), The Horatio Alger Award for Distinguished Americans (along with Oprah Winfrey and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas), the DAR Americanism Medal, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, Sales and Marketing International’s Ambassador of Free Enterprise, Leadership North Carolina Governor’s Award, and Citizen of the Year and Philanthropist of the Year in his home city of High Point, North Carolina.
Meet Your Host, Alan Weiss
Alan Weiss is one of those rare people who can say he is a consultant, speaker, and author and mean it.
His consulting firm, Summit Consulting Group, Inc., has attracted clients such as Merck, Hewlett-Packard, GE, Mercedes-Benz, State Street Corporation, Times Mirror Group, The Federal Reserve, The New York Times Corporation, Toyota, and over 500 other leading organizations. He has served on several boards of directors in various capacities.
His prolific publishing includes over 500 articles and 60 books, including his best-seller, Million Dollar Consulting (from McGraw-Hill) now in its 30th year and sixth edition. His newest is Your Legacy is Now: Life is not about a search for meaning but the creation of meaning (Routledge, 2021). His books have been on the curricula at Villanova, Temple University, and the Wharton School of Business, and have been translated into 15 languages.
Get to know AlanShow Notes
- Nido has raised over $400 million this year for Highpoint University with no formal development effort.
- His growth over the past 17 years at Highpoint University looks like this:
- In 2022, in US News and World Report, Highpoint was named “best regional college in the South” for the tenth consecutive year, and most innovative college in the South for the eighth consecutive year. It was recognized for “best undergraduate teaching in the South,” best value, and in the top 50 in the nation for first-year experiences.
- Nido discusses the pros and cons of student debt forgiveness and implications for both public and private schools.
- Learn how a business approach in academia, and an attitude of “Why can’t we be the best?” along with a solid grounding in values created dynamic growth. None of this was immediately accepted, but when you lead by example, others eventually become supporters.
- The importance of providing free bus transportation to and from airports for the holidays IF the students wear clothing with the university’s name on it!
Show Notes
- Nido has raised over $400 million this year for Highpoint University with no formal development effort.
- His growth over the past 17 years at Highpoint University looks like this:
Students
1,673
6,000
Full time faculty
108
347
Campus acreage
91
520
Academic schools
3
11
Square footage
650,000
6.5 million
Campus buildings
22
126
Total positions
365
1,856
Economic impact
$160 million
$756 million
Operating and capital budget
$38 million
$337 million
United Way giving
$28,000
$260,000
- In 2022, in US News and World Report, Highpoint was named “best regional college in the South” for the tenth consecutive year, and most innovative college in the South for the eighth consecutive year. It was recognized for “best undergraduate teaching in the South,” best value, and in the top 50 in the nation for first-year experiences.
- Nido discusses the pros and cons of student debt forgiveness and implications for both public and private schools.
- Learn how a business approach in academia, and an attitude of “Why can’t we be the best?” along with a solid grounding in values created dynamic growth. None of this was immediately accepted, but when you lead by example, others eventually become supporters.
- The importance of providing free bus transportation to and from airports for the holidays IF the students wear clothing with the university’s name on it!
Alan Weiss’s The Uncomfortable Truth® is a weekly broadcast from “The Rock Star of Consulting,” Alan Weiss, who holds forth with his best (and often most contrarian) ideas about society, culture, business, and personal growth. His 60+ books in 12 languages, and his travels to, and work in, 50 countries contribute to a fascinating and often belief-challenging 20 minutes that might just change your next 20 years.
Introduction to the show recorded by Connie Dieken
