Commercial Truck Insurance in High Point, NC

By Anne Blythe

Less than three months after High Point University held a groundbreaking ceremony for what will be the first private dental school in North Carolina, the founding dean has left; one of his assistant deans has been promoted to fill the post.

It’s not clear why Scott De Rossi, the founding dean and professor of the Workman School of Dental Medicine, left after being at High Point University since January 2021. Efforts to reach him by phone and text message were unsuccessful.

“HPU extends its heartfelt gratitude to Dr. Scott De Rossi for his remarkable contributions and wish him the very best in his future endeavors,” read a statement provided by the HPU media relations office.

Muhammad Ali Shazib, who had been the chief clinical officer and assistant dean for practice at the Workman school, has been selected as the new dean.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community of High Point University, its patrons and our North Carolinians in breaking down barriers and to come together for the mission of putting those who need our care at the center of everything that we do,” Shazib said in a statement provided by the HPU media relations office. “To wake up every morning and be able to serve our faculty, staff, learners and patients is a dream come true for me.”

Prepping for students’ arrival

The dental school being built in High Point is expected to welcome its first students in the 2024 fall semester — 60 in all.

It will be one of three schools in North Carolina educating the next generations of dentists. The state’s two public dentistry schools are at UNC Chapel Hill and East Carolina University.

In a phone interview with NC Health News after the groundbreaking ceremony in late September, De Rossi said the dental school in High Point had been in the works for nearly a decade and a half. First the Great Recession sidelined those plans, then the COVID pandemic tossed planners a few unexpected hurdles in the timeline.

The school had touted the possibility of opening to students in 2023, but accrediting requests to the Commission on Dental Accreditation got backed up during the pandemic, De Rossi said, and the opening date was pushed to 2024.

That has not stopped the school from setting up High Point University Health, a private network of dental offices within a 65-mile radius of High Point that are owned and run by the university.

Dental students will be able to get practical experience at the offices. Additionally, revenue from the practices, which could number as many as 30 if the planning goal is met, will be streamed to the dental school to help offset operational costs.

State-of-the-art innovation

Eventually, the Workman School of Dental Medicine will be housed in a 77,000-square-foot building on the High Point University campus in an area where other health care schools are clustered.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Nido Qubein, president of the university since 2005, and others who spoke described the new dental school as one that would be “innovative” with “state-of-the-art technology.”

In the release sent to NC Health News by the HPU media relations office, Shazib is described as someone who “seeks to advance the school’s mission of becoming a leader in innovation, experiential education and life skills in oral health care.”

Shazib became interested in oral health as a youngster working in his father’s lab. He went to Lahore Medical and Dental College in Pakistan’s second largest city from 2005 to 2009 and received a bachelor’s degree in dental surgery.

After that, he did a stint in Singapore, working at a cellular and tissue engineering lab from 2010 to 2012.

Shazib then came to the United States and earned a doctorate of dental medicine from the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine in 2014. He then completed a postdoctoral residency in oral medicine at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Making a mark in NC

In North Carolina, Shazib has worked as an assistant professor of oral medicine at the UNC Adams School of Dentistry.

In 2020, when he joined the Chapel Hill dental school faculty, Shazib’s interests included oral health outcomes for cancer patients and events associated with chemotherapy, a topic he became interested in while working in his father’s cancer biology lab.

“I always had an interest in science,” Shazib said in a video posted to a Novant Health website. “I grew up in my father’s cancer biology lab, teaching his students how to culture and grow cells. I had a fascination with doing things with my hands and problem-solving. And in my journey of exploring what I wanted to do when I grow up, this was sort of my calling, to be here as a health care provider, to help patients that suffer from diseases of the mouth, face and jaw.

“I love the fact that in my field I have been able to solve problems that patients have often been suffering for many, many years or months.”

Shazib maintains active patient care in oral medicine, oncology and medically complex dentistry at Novant Health, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and the HPU Health-Oral Health network.

News of the exit of the founding dean had been circulating last week, but few knew what prompted the change.

De Rossi, who received his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania dental school, joined the High Point University dental school in January 2021 after four years as dean of the UNC dental school.

Previously, De Rossi told NC Health News that he liked the idea of building a program from the ground up that wouldn’t be bogged down by the wheels of bureaucracy that sometimes turn slowly in public state-supported schools.

“The Workman School of Dental Medicine will be groundbreaking with its innovative care curriculum, its novel admission processes, its unprecedented oral health networks distributed across the Triad, across the state, delivering care to the citizens of North Carolina, ensuring our students receive pre-eminent clinical and didactic education in authentic environments,” De Rossi told the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony in September. “We will be relentless in our pursuit of integrating medicine and dentistry to improve health outcomes.”

HIGH POINT, N.C. - The High Point men's basketball team came up short in overtime, 80-79, on Saturday afternoon in the Hercules TIres Big South Tournament semifinals, despite a game-high 32 points from Kezza Giffa and 15 points from Duke Miles.

Site: Qubein Center Score: High Point 79, Longwood 80 Records: High Point (25-8, 13-3), Longwood (20-13, 6-10)

Head Coach Alan Huss: "Credit to Longwood. They were the most connected, more physical, tougher basketball team today. It was an extremely physical game… Right from the jump they got a foul on Bodo which really changed the complexion of the game. I thought they were really aggressive, they threw the ball inside… I do not want to take anything away from Longwood, they came in here in a really hostile environment. Our fans did their part, everybody but coach Huss did their part… They got us in a ton of foul trouble and we did not execute with some different lineups on the floor at the end of the game so credit to Longwood. I am really disappointed for my guys because it is really difficult to put together special seasons like this. It is really difficult to find these groups and to keep these groups together. It is just the magic that gets created to get you to these points. It is hard to recreate year in and year out. I hope that this group stays together and we have opportunities in the future to redeem ourselves."

Miles put the Panthers on the board after rattling down a pair of three-pointers to give HPU an early 6-1 lead.

— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 9, 2024

A steal from Kimani Hamilton led to him finding Juslin Bodo Bodo up the court for a rim- shaking two-handed slam.

Bodo Bodo slam #?1? of the day!#BigSouthMBB | @HPUMBB pic.twitter.com/0IigeyhhNe

— Big South Conference (@BigSouthSports) March 9, 2024

Titas Sargiunas gave the Panthers a 22-18 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half after drilling a triple from the corner.

Let it FLY 7?? ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/1EC5aFCGFg

— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 9, 2024

Denzel Hines checked into the game and provided an immediate scoring impact off the bench as he drained a three-pointer. Back-to-back three-pointers, the team's fifth and sixth of the half, from Giffa and Trae Benham gave HPU its largest lead of the game, 34-24, with 1:51 left to play before the halftime break.

Just doing what they do best ?? Cashing in from DEEP ??#GoHPU pic.twitter.com/owamiar598

— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 9, 2024

High Point headed into halftime with a 36-29 lead as Giffa led the way in scoring for the Panthers with 13 points off the bench. A tough turnaround jumper from Miles gave him his third bucket of the game and the team's first points of the half.

Benham and Thiam knocked down a pair of buckets from beyond the arc to give HPU its largest lead of the game, 44-32. Giffa attacked the basket for two points to advance HPU's lead to 15 points, 50-35, with 14:25 remaining in the second half.

Miles stayed perfect from beyond the arc as he sank his third three-pointer of the game. Miles' tremendous shooting continued as he drained a wide-open three-pointer to push HPU's lead to seven points, 65-58, with 3:47 remaining in the second half.

Trailing by two points with 42 seconds left in the game, Bodo made a clutch game-tying layup to send the game to an overtime period with the team's all tied up at 69 points. Longwood was forced to call a timeout after Giffa hit a much needed, side-step, three-pointer to give HPU a one-point advantage, 76-75, with 1:57 left in overtime. A last second basket from the Panthers would not be enough as HPU fell in overtime 80-79.

Giffa finished with a game-high 32 points after shooting 8-16 from the court overall and a perfect 14-14 from the free-throw line.

"I am pleased for him [Giffa] that he has had the personal success that he has had just because it is hard to find a guy that is talented number one, that will even talk about coming off the bench and embrace it… he plays with joy, he plays with thankfulness, he plays with passion all the time. He never let the bench, or the minutes role or the different roles bother him. He just came out and played every night so I am proud of him," said Huss.

Miles added 15 points and Hamilton had a game-high 10 rebounds including six offensive rebounds.

High Point finishes its terrific season with an overall record of 25-8 and 13-3 in Big South conference play.

"I know our guys are pretty heartbroken right now but I can also tell you that we all recognize it has been a special year. We were picked seventh. We have 11 new scholarship players on this team. One guy that played a significant role on the team last year. Even in the world of 2024 where there is so much change in college basketball, it is impressive the way this group has come together," said Huss.

#GoHPU

HIGH POINT, N.C. (WGHP) — There’s a new place to hang out in High Point, have a drink and play some arcade games.

Dive Bar opened Wednesday at 5 p.m. on North Elm Street. It’s the third location for the franchise that originally started in the Lake Norman area of North Carolina.

“We always hope to be fun. I told the staff that during training sessions, our number one thing is fun, fun, fun,” co-owner Rob Grosskopf said.

Right across from the High Point Rockers Baseball stadium and Stock and Grain, which is a food and entertainment hall, Dive Bar is in a prime space to entertain.

“I think that this location … is a huge reason we are going to be successful and a huge reason why we are here,” the owner said.

He says they chose High Point for the arcade because like their locations in Lake Norman, it’s true to their roots.

It’s an entertainment concept that’s bringing life to downtown High Point.

“This area is really going to keep growing,” City Councilwoman Monica Peters said.

Peters was thrilled to try her hand at the arcade games Wednesday night.

Lots of kids joined in on the fun, giving their best at a game of skee-ball, air hockey and the many turn based games.

“It’s cool to see High Point expanding with the new restaurants and bars like this,” patron Todd Shakespeare said.

Dive Bar was packed for opening night, and the people who came to check it out are thrilled to see a new place to let off steam in the furniture city.

“Look at the crowd. It’s ridiculous, I think it’s only going to grow as the word spreads,” Peters said.

And at the heart of the bright lights are high scores and deliberately low-price cold drinks. That’s the goal.

“I think that’s our main differentiator. We are really come one, come all,” Grosskopf said.

And even kids can come until 8 p.m., which is when it becomes adults only. You can check out their hours and specials on their new Facebook page.

Pictured from left are Nyila Johnson, president of the Volunteer Center; Lovelle McMichael, assistant director of the Center for Community Engagement; and Niyah Williams.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Jan. 25, 2024 – A team of two High Point University student ambassadors, Nyila Johnson and Aonesti Byrd, and their mentor, AmeriCorps VISTA Grant Hines, recently beat out more than a dozen other teams from four-year private schools to win the North Carolina Campus Engagement (NCCE) Hunger Challenge. Since 2010, NCCE has helped college communities address food insecurity.

The two student leaders from HPU’s Volunteer Center and their mentor were recognized on Jan. 6 for participating in the challenge to advocate for food security in the High Point area. As the top prize winner in the four-year private sector, HPU was awarded $5,000 to support its on-campus food pantry. Food Lion will present the checks to the winning university presidents at the NCCE Presidents Forum on Feb. 14.

Johnson, a senior entrepreneurship major, and Byrd, a sophomore, planned six events throughout the fall semester to collect food donations and educate their peers. From Sept. 11 to Dec. 22, 2023, HPU competed against 13 other schools in the state. The two student ambassadors assisted with the collection of nearly 3,770 nonperishable items for three local food pantries at the HPU Pro Bono Clinic, Macedonia Family Resource Center and D-Up, a local nonprofit and afterschool program aimed at teaching children how to live healthy lifestyles.

Partnering with the neighboring Food Lion, the students hosted a drive to spread the word within the community. Some of the other events included fundraisers and a no-sew blanket-making session.

“I’m so grateful to have been chosen to help lead this challenge,” said Johnson, president of the Volunteer Center. “It was another great way for us to promote service within our campus community and build more meaningful relationships in the city of High Point.”

One of the more popular events they executed was the Volunteer Center’s Hunger Games. In partnership with the HPU men’s basketball team, guests for the Nov. 29, 2023, game against Morgan State University were encouraged to bring three cans of food in exchange for an athletics T-shirt. In the weeks leading up to the game, student organizations, residence halls and community partners competed against one another to collect as many nonperishable items as they could. The winners were recognized during the game and presented with a prize for their hard work.

The High Point University Board of Trustees has appointed three new members to its Board of Ambassadors. From left are Aaron N. Clinard, Jackie M. King and David L “Dusty” Maynard.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 18, 2023 – The High Point University Board of Trustees has appointed three new members to its Board of Ambassadors. Among the new members are distinguished Triad community leaders, attorneys and business owners.

“High Point University is blessed to have the support and advocacy of all our extraordinary Board of Ambassadors members,” said HPU President Nido Qubein. “I am delighted to have these new members bring their voices and experiences to the board as HPU prepares students to achieve greatness.”

Previously known as the Board of Visitors, this impressive group of people serves as ambassadors for HPU within their communities and helps advance the university through their participation in activities related to student support, advocacy, community engagement and fundraising. The newly appointed members are as follows:

Aaron N. Clinard, the owner of Clinard Consulting and a Legal Shield group sales associate, has served the High Point community in many capacities. He held the highest rankings for an attorney while practicing law for more than 40 years. His corporate client base included many furniture companies that participated in the High Point Market and represented nearly 15 different countries.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Law, Clinard has served in the past on the HPU Board of Visitors and is an honorary alumnus of HPU. He has received many awards, including the Chamber of Commerce’s Businessman of the Year and the North Carolina State Bar’s Centennial Award for Outstanding Community Service. His most outstanding service to the community involved more than 15 years of leadership, laying the groundwork and building momentum in the role of recreating the downtown/uptowne area in High Point.

Jackie M. King, a former McDonald’s franchise owner, was born in northwest Indiana and graduated from Purdue University. She became a McDonald’s owner-operator at age 27 and went on to own eight restaurants in the High Point area alongside her late husband, Herschel King.

Over the past 25 years, the Kings focused their charitable giving toward children in High Point. She sold the restaurants in September 2021 and now enjoys spending time with her daughter, Alexis. A member of Wesley Memorial Church, King rows competitively in national regattas and enjoys golfing and snowboarding.

David L. “Dusty” Maynard was born in Belmont, North Carolina, and moved to High Point in 1966 upon his marriage to the former Katherine “Kay” Kearns. They have two children.

Maynard graduated from Duke University and Duke University Law School. He is past president of the High Point Bar Association and the N.C. State Bar 18^th Judicial District. He practiced law with the firm of Robinson, Haworth and Reese in High Point for 50 years until he retired in 2009.

He is a former member of the Trinity Board of Visitors of Duke University, a member of the B.N. Duke Scholarship Advisory Committee and the Duke Alumni Board.

The Maynard family supported several projects at HPU, including the Maynard Pool at the Slane Student Center and the hydrotherapy area at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena.

Maynard is past president of the Family Service of the Piedmont board. He served on the boards of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church and chaired the finance committee. He also served on the boards of the A. Pat and Kathryn Brown Foundation and the Burroughs and Chapin Company of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.