-On their birthday, every single one of the 2,000 undergrads receives a birthday card signed by the school president with a Starbucks gift card inside. Oh, and balloons! When that student’s I.D. card is swiped at the cafeteria, the kitchen staff is alerted that the birthday boy or girl has arrived, so they know to prepare a slice of cake and dispatch a group of musicians to sing “Happy Birthday.”
-The university’s cafeteria features live music on a daily basis. A jazz quartet may play one day, while a folk duo may show up the next. Music not your thing? A bevy of flat screen TVs are also available.
-Snack carts around campus hand out free bananas, pretzels and drinks.
-When students come back from breaks, gifts await them. Not like that’s a big deal, since the school just gives out presents on random days for no apparent reason. The university keeps track of each student’s preferences (movies, candy bars, sodas, etc.) so everyone gets what they want.
Why all the stuff? High Point president Nido Qubein reasons, “When the students know you care, they reward you by doing well in the classroom. Then they reward you by telling their friends and by their parents’ becoming your donors.”
