At an event today, High Point University announced the major donor for the new School of Dental Medicine, which is expected to enroll its first class in fall 2023. The announcement comes as the university continues to grow with several new academic programs and buildings in development at HPU.
HPU is blessed by the $32 million donation from the Rick and Angie Workman Foundation. Dr. Rick Workman is HPU’s Dental Innovator in Residence and the founder of Heartland Dental, which supports more than 1,600 offices nationwide. The new school will be named the Workman School of Dental Medicine.
“We are blessed by the generous donations from people like Dr. Rick Workman and his wife,” said HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “This is what keeps our community and HPU family growing. Our growth is on merit and by design, and we appreciate the faithful courage from the entire HPU family as we expand our academic schools and campus.”
This donation is part of a record-breaking $100 million investment from three separate families, which was announced at a press conference in March regarding HPU’s continued expansion.
“HPU’s values and focus on Life Skills are both unique and desperately needed today in higher education,” said Dr. Rick Workman. “My family and I are grateful to be a part of such a dynamic institution and partner with the amazing leadership of President Qubein.”
More on the Workman School of Dental Medicine:
- HPU will establish the only private dental school in the state of North Carolina, which will be housed in a new 80,000-square-foot building on HPU’s Innovation Corridor.
- HPU’s dental school will partner with dentists in the local community and across the region.
- The total investment in the program is expected to be $100 million.
- At full capacity, HPU’s highly competitive and prestigious dental program will bring 240 new students to campus.
- Dr. Scott De Rossi is the founding dean of the new school.
“This is an incredible, transformational gift for the School of Dental Medicine,” said Dr. Scott De Rossi, founding dean for the new school. “Dr. Workman is a pioneer in the field of dentistry dedicated to excellence in our profession. He knew a gift this size would enable us to lead the way in oral health care and education. With this gift, we will create a dental program second to none. It is an honor for our school to now carry the Workman name.”
About Dr. Rick Workman:
Workman serves as Heartland Dental’s executive chairman. Before founding the company in 1997, Workman practiced dentistry for nearly 20 years. It was during his time as a practicing dentist that he realized there had to be a better way to balance the clinical and business sides of the field. This is when he created Heartland Dental and started growing his team to provide dental support.
Today, Workman provides leadership advice to the more than 1,600 dental offices nationwide through various speaking engagements. Heartland Dental supports dentists as they provide high-quality care to offices in 37 states through non-clinical, administrative support services. He graduated from the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.