Natalie Haire crafts HPU’s relationship with community
By Alexis Ancel, Staff Writer //
Because High Point University is a cashless campus, your passport is your lifeline. From paying for meals to getting into your dorm, it’s nearly impossible to function on campus without it, but passports are useful in many places off campus as well. HPU prides itself in partnering with and supporting many businesses and companies in the High Point area. Whether at the local Panera Bread or the AT&T store, HPU pride is evident throughout the town, but it takes hard work from people behind the scenes to make this happen. Community Relations Manager, Natalie Haire’s main job at HPU is to form partnerships with local businesses by going out into the community and building relationships that benefit both High Point and HPU.
In total, HPU has about 125 to 150 partners between the Passport Partner program and the “Our City. Our University” program. The Passport Program means simply that passports are accepted and can be used at participating businesses such as Feeney’s Frozen Yogurt, Papa Johns, CVS Pharmacy and many more. The “Our City. Our Partners” program includes businesses such as The Shoppes at the Paladium, Courtyard Mariott and Cookout, which do not accept passports but still show their support for the school in various ways such as offering complimentary HPU magazines and books and displaying HPU flags and banners.
Haire has also worked toward branding the university name and has gotten HPU apparel and other various items on the shelves at stores such as Walmart and Target. Walmart in particular, has shown a great deal of support for our school by displaying a wall mural and selling HPU merchandise which, as Haire points out, “is not common for a Walmart to do.” Since Haire began working in this position in February, not only has support and participation increased greatly, but a much more diverse group of local businesses have shown interest in supporting our school. Even “purple Fridays” have extended to local businesses, and it’s becoming more and more common to see surrounding restaurants and stores sporting the color purple in support of the school. HPU brings in approximately 80,000 visitors per year, and it’s important that these people feel welcomed by the university wherever they are in High Point.
It’s clear that the university largely supports the town of High Point, but the town also supports HPU. “We are High Point’s University because we carry the name of the town, and we support our local university in the city. We like to say we’ve painted the town purple. Carolina’s Diner has painted its entire building purple. When students aren’t here, these businesses take a hit,” says Haire.
For example, the most commonly ordered item at Carolina’s Diner is the chocolate chip pancakes, and the chocolate chip stock increases roughly 400% when students are here compared to when they are not. The university largely impacts these local businesses, and it is for that reason that they are such proud supporters. “The community really embraces the university and they are excited to support us. HPU is invested in High Point and wants to be a valued partner with the city,” says Haire. Although High Point is still considered the furniture capital of the country, the town has evolved beyond that, as it has become further invested in HPU. Haire notes, “The University has undergone a lot of growth in the past 20 years. Previously we were known as a furniture town, and now we’re also known as a university town.” Though High Point is still well known for its furniture production, it is clear that the university has transformed the local community into a college town as well, and HPU continues to form new partnerships and relationships with the local community.