THE PREMIER LIFE SKILLS UNIVERSITY.

• Author: Qubein, Nido R.

A college education should not only focus on the attainment of a diploma. An extraordinary, holistic education should be about professional development and personal transformation, too.

At High Point University, we don't focus on the "product"--the diploma. We focus on the product of the product--a life filled with meaningful success framed with purposeful significance. Educating the mind without educating the heart and soul is no education at all.

I ask our students, "What good is it to be an expert in an academic subject if you aren't able to connect and communicate with others who may not share your same knowledge base?" In other words, success comes from much more than earned knowledge. Sustainable success comes from owning a strong work ethic, a growth mindset, the ability to connect with others, collaborate and build bridges of understanding. At HPU, we refer to these characteristics as life skills.

Even Google, a company that attracts some of the most brilliant analytical minds in the world, recognizes that life skills are the most valuable traits of their workforce (Google's Top Characteristics of Success--2013).

HPU understands this with clarity and conviction. We are focused on preparing students for the world as it is going to be. Not the world as it is.

THE "FIGURE IT OUT" WORLD

If you own a business, lead people or work in a team environment, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Yet, the marketplace commonly views many recent college graduates as poorly prepared and out of touch. Modern commerce demands employees and leaders who are equipped to "figure it out." Connecting the dots of theories, business plans, and, certainly, people.

Students need context in life if they are to thrive as they exit the hallowed halls of the academy and enter the vast global economy. Communication skills, relational capital and an attitude of adaptability will take them far in life. Couple that with a solid understanding of their core discipline and you have a person ready to think entrepreneurial and add value to any organization.

MENTORSHIP MATTERS

We are intentional in our efforts to help transform students from the inside out. And it starts in my course for all freshmen--The President's Seminar on Life Skills. But it doesn't stop there. At HPU, student transformation is cultivated through meticulous mentorship efforts that are rooted in guidance by caring success coaches and learned faculty. And we see student transformation blossom...