HIGH POINT, N.C. — High Point University President Dr. Nido Qubein unveiled a $30 million transformational lead gift from John and Lorraine Charman to help fund a new $80 million library, which is expected to be completed in 2025-2026.
The new facility will be named the John and Lorraine Charman Library in honor of their generous contributions to the growth of the university.
The Charmans have a love for literature, and particularly in printed books.
"Helping build a state-of-the-art library at HPU is the perfect opportunity for us to share our passion for books with the HPU community. It is our sincere hope that this library creates another environment on campus for students to learn, grow and challenge themselves," Lorraine Charman said.
The gift is part of the $100 million HPU recently received from three separate families, which was announced at a press conference in March.
"High Point University is committed to preparing students for the world as it is going to be," John Charman said.
The new library will be located on the main campus next to the R.G. Wanek Center on Panther Drive.
It will be focused on innovation and collaboration with ample study space for students. The four-story facility will provide 150,000 square feet of textbooks, digital databases, private study space, and a gallery featuring historical artifacts and displays of HPU's expanding collection of artwork.
It will also feature the Library of Congress Classification System and become the main library, supplemented by several existing satellite libraries across campus.