HIGH POINT, N.C., Nov. 06, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Point University welcomed nearly 3,000 veterans, family members and community guests to the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center today for its 16th Annual Veterans Day Celebration, honoring those men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country.
HPU’s Veterans Day Celebration is believed to be the largest of its kind on a college campus, and this year’s program drew the largest audience in the event’s history. Despite a heavy storm in the area, hundreds of veterans of all ages and from every military branch arrived at the arena with their families this morning. HPU students honored the veterans by cheering for them as they entered the arena.
“This is a school that believes in the great values that made this country in the first place,” HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein said. “This is a school that wants to honor those who serve it. This is a school that honors God and appreciates the grace that is bestowed upon us every day. We’re delighted to have the veterans here, their spouses and their families.”
Qubein noted the record-breaking crowd during his opening remarks. He mentioned that the conference center was full and extra tables needed to be set up on the arena’s basketball court to accommodate all the guests.
Liberty University President Dr. Dondi E. Costin, a retired major general with more than 30 years of service in a military career, delivered an inspirational message as one of the event’s featured speakers. Costin served as the 18th Air Force Chief of Chaplains, and after retiring from the military, he was named president of Charleston Southern University before he began his tenure as Liberty’s president in July of 2023.
“This event is a reminder to all of us that the freedoms we enjoy did not come by our own hands,” Costin said. “The freedoms we enjoy have been preserved and protected and defended through the generations by men and women wearing the nation’s cloth. If you know your history, you know that even before we were a country, our first veterans were doing what veterans have always done. They put their lives on the line so that other people can be free.”
This year’s Veterans Day program included a complimentary breakfast, a patriotic salute and recognition of students who are leading initiatives to support veterans. As is tradition at the event, students gave the veterans an HPU blanket as a special gift. It was another way to thank them for their service.
Veterans also signed the Star of Service and Sacrifice as they entered the conference center and left after the program. The star is five feet tall and will be displayed on HPU’s campus as a reminder for students of the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom.
High Point City Council member Tim Andrew, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1984-2010, attended HPU’s Veterans Day Celebration for a fifth consecutive year dressed in his military uniform. His son, Micah, graduated from the university in 2024.
Andrew said the combination of being a veteran and an HPU parent who serves his community compels him to attend the event every year.
“It is a great opportunity to be thanked,” Andrew said. “Veterans don’t serve because they want to be thanked. They serve because they love the country and they’re filled with service. But for people to take the time to thank the veterans for their sacrifice and their families is just an incredible moment. It’s also a time to take a step back and reminisce and fellowship with different veterans and share stories. And for some people, it’s healing. It’s just an opportunity to share what they’ve gone through and know that there are other men and women who have gone through similar challenges in life.”
The program ended with a bald eagle named Clark soaring over the packed crowd inside the conference center as the HPU Chamber Singers performed “America the Beautiful.”
HPU Fraternity Gives $75,000 to Support Veterans
In addition, HPU’s Kappa Alpha Order raised $75,000 this year to support two efforts through The Independence Fund – Operation K.A.R.E., which provides Track Chairs to critically wounded veterans, and Operation Resilience, a veteran suicide prevention program.
The fraternity began raising money for veterans in 2016 to purchase Track Chairs. Their efforts have spread to more than 75 KA chapters at colleges across the country and have raised nearly $2 million through efforts that began at HPU.
Last year, KA provided a Track Chair to a wounded veteran, a specialized recumbent bike to a wounded veteran and an all-expenses-paid vacation to two wounded veterans and their family members.
This year, Army Sgt. Andrew James Kraszewski received an all-expenses-paid vacation and attended today’s Veterans Day Celebration.
Gen. Gaddis Leadership Award Presented
HPU junior Westyn Woodard was awarded the Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis Leadership Award during the program.
The Gaddis Leadership Award is presented to an HPU upperclassman who exemplifies the leadership and character qualities exhibited in the U.S. military. The award was established in September 2022 by HPU alumna Dr. Mary Jo Hall and her husband, retired Col. Emmet E. “Jay” Stobbs Jr., to honor Gaddis. He was a distinguished Air Force officer and fighter pilot who served in World War II and the Korean War before being held as a prisoner of war for more than six years during the Vietnam War. He passed away in February 2024.
“I’m so honored to go to a God, family and country school for three years now, and to be able to live that out in service to my community, service to this campus and service to our country is huge,” said Woodard, who is a biochemistry major on the pre-dental track.
Woodard is an Air Force ROTC member who has served as a basic cadet leader squadron commander, and he recently received the Silver Medal of Merit. He also is a Presidential Fellow, a Natural Science Fellow and a member of the HPU Chapel Board of Stewards.
HPU seniors Isabelle Juarez and Bernadette Scheeler were named finalists for the Gaddis Leadership Award. Along with Woodard, they received a monetary award and a military challenge coin for demonstrating academic excellence and leadership in their communities. The coins recognized their extraordinary accomplishments, leadership and patriotism.
As part of the event, HPU donated approximately 100 American flags to local nonprofits, schools and government buildings. In addition, the arena features several patriotic displays that celebrate HPU’s commitment to God, family and country for veterans to enjoy.
HPU’s Annual Veterans Day Celebration is supported by the Sheriff Family Veterans Awareness Endowment, the MJ Hall and Jay Stobbs Leadership in Military and Veterans Awareness Endowment, D.H. Griffin Construction, River Landing at Sandy Ridge and United Rentals.
Attachments
Alex Abrams High Point University 3369517926 aabrams1@highpoint.edu