High Point University hosted its 16th annual Veterans Day Celebration this week, drawing nearly 3,000 veterans, family members and community members to the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center in what the university called the largest gathering in the event's history. Veterans from every branch of the military showed up despite severe weather moving through the region, filling the arena for a morning of tributes, music and fundraising for wounded-veteran causes.
According to WFMY News 2, HPU students greeted arriving veterans, who received a complimentary breakfast, commemorative HPU blankets and patriotic tributes throughout the ceremony. University leader Dr. Nido Qubein delivered remarks at the event, which the university said it believes is the largest Veterans Day celebration held on any college campus.
A Retired General Takes the Stage
This year's featured speaker was Dr. Dondi E. Costin, president of Liberty University and a retired major general with more than 30 years of military service. The station's report notes Costin brought decades of command experience to the podium as he addressed the packed arena.
The size of this year's crowd continues a run of growth for the celebration. Per the same account, approximately 2,500 people attended High Point University's 2025 event, which the school had already described as similar in size to the prior year's record-setting turnout. More than 2,500 veterans and community members attended the 2024 celebration, according to Spectrum News, and HPU has previously said it believes its annual event is the largest Veterans Day celebration on a U.S. college campus.
Fraternity Fundraiser Benefits Wounded Veterans
Beyond the ceremony itself, HPU's Kappa Alpha Order fraternity raised $75,000 to support wounded veterans and suicide-prevention programs through The Independence Fund, the article notes. The organization is set to receive the full amount raised by the fraternity's members.
The celebration also recognized student leadership tied to military values. HPU junior Westyn Woodard received the Brigadier General Norman C. Gaddis Leadership Award, which honors students who demonstrate the leadership and character traits associated with military service.
Eagle Flight Closes Out the Ceremony
As the celebration concluded, HPU's resident bald eagle, Clark, flew across the arena while the HPU Chamber Singers performed “America the Beautiful.” The university also donated about 100 American flags to local schools, nonprofits and government buildings as part of the day's observance.
HPU's Veterans Day tradition has featured notable guests in years past, including Grammy Award-winning singer Lee Greenwood, who performed at the 2025 celebration, according to High Point University. This year's event kept the focus on honoring veterans directly, from the breakfast line to the closing notes of the anthem.
