$30 million lead gift from John and Lorraine Charman enables groundbreaking for university library
On August 25, 2025, High Point University marked a milestone moment with the ceremonial groundbreaking of the John and Lorraine Charman Library, a $100 million project set to redefine the campus landscape.
Members of the HPU community—students, faculty, trustees, and benefactors—gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction on what will become one of the most ambitious academic facilities in the university’s history.
The four-story library is scheduled to open in 2027, promising to serve as a hub for study, collaboration, and innovation.
The project is anchored by a $30 million lead gift from John and Lorraine Charman, whose longstanding relationship with the university has made them among its most transformative donors.
Their contribution is the largest single gift toward the facility and helped catalyze the expansion of the vision to a $100 million undertaking.
The couple has spoken often of their passion for literature and the printed word, and they expressed the hope that the library would inspire generations of students to learn, explore, and challenge themselves in a space purpose-built for both tradition and the future of scholarship.
John Charman, a globally recognized insurance executive who built and led major firms in London and Bermuda before heading Sompo Holdings, and his wife Lorraine, who worked extensively in human resources and employee relations, have both emphasized that this gift is rooted in a belief in HPU’s values-driven education.
They have been closely aligned with the vision of HPU president Nido Qubein, who since 2005 has overseen the university’s extraordinary growth in size, scope, and national reputation.
Under his leadership, HPU has secured hundreds of millions of dollars in philanthropic support, fueling new academic programs, professional schools, and campus facilities.
The groundbreaking of the Charman Library follows a surge of major gifts in recent years. Earlier, three families together pledged $100 million to the university within a single month, supporting not only the library but also facilities for law, dental medicine, optometry, and entrepreneurship.
Those commitments form part of a wider $400 million expansion plan designed to establish High Point as one of the nation’s premier comprehensive universities.
Throughout this transformation, the institution has underscored its ability to finance growth through philanthropy and revenue generation, avoiding additional debt while expanding its academic footprint.
For the HPU community, the celebration on August 25 was more than a construction kickoff; it was a statement of identity and direction.
The John and Lorraine Charman Library is envisioned not only as a repository of books and digital resources but also as a vibrant environment where collaboration, critical thinking, and interdisciplinary learning will flourish.
As the steel rises over the coming months and years, the project will stand as both a tribute to the Charmans’ generosity and a testament to High Point University’s continuing evolution as an institution committed to equipping students for success in a rapidly changing world.