The award recipients, Dr. Craig Curty, Valerie Miller and Dwayne Lee, each received $5,000 funded by the Kahn’s endowment.
The Kahn family and University Business Magazine of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, established the Kenneth F. and Jana S. Kahn Extraordinary Staff Awards in 2018 to honor three HPU employees who provide dedicated service to the campus community and live out the university’s mission to provide students with an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.
Curty, director of academic services, has worked at HPU since 1995 and is responsible for the peer tutoring and Supplemental Instruction programs.
“Craig’s integrity and dedication to the university is evident through the service he provides to our students and their families,” said HPU President Dr. Nido Qubein. “In addition to his role as director of Academic Services, he graciously accepted the position of QEP director and continues to provide outstanding leadership to our campus community.”
“I am humbled and honored to be selected for the Kenneth F. and Jana S. Kahn Extraordinary Staff Award,” said Curty. “Receiving this award and working with professional staff who are so dedicated to providing the highest quality service to HPU students and their families is great motivation to be at my best every single day.”
Miller, transportation manager, has been with HPU for three years. She oversees the daily operations of all transportation needs of the university.
“Valerie has been instrumental in making sure each student had the necessary transportation set up during COVID-19, and it was not a simple thing to do,” said Qubein. “She has stepped forward to provide individualized service to each person, ensuring that they felt cared for during this time. High Point University is extremely blessed to have Valerie Miller as a part of our team.”
“I am honored and blessed to be a recipient of the Jana and Ken Kahn Extraordinary Staff Award this year,” said Miller. “I am beyond thankful to be a part of the extraordinary HPU family and for the extraordinary Kahn Family. It is a pleasure coming to HPU every day. This is a higher education campus that God has blessed and continues to bless in so many ways. I love working with extraordinary people and seeing everyone’s common goal – the success of our students, our future.”
Lee, manager of concessions, has been with HPU for nine years and during that time has worked at various foodservice locations. Currently, he runs eight concessions areas in the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center, as well as three other locations on campus. He also serves the university community with his support of the catering department.
“Dwayne is a consistent presence at all of our events and is always willing to step up to help out internally and to help our guests,” said Qubein. “It wasn’t a part of his job description for COVID-19 meal deliveries, yet at 11 p.m., he could be found on campus delivering necessary foodservice items to students.”
“I don’t normally get excited or surprised very often, but I was truly shocked to receive the Kahn Extraordinary Staff Award,” said Lee. “I would like to thank the Kahn Family and those who nominated me. Many thanks to my wife, my bishop and my friends who came to share this special day with me.”
Ken Kahn graduated from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree and from Harvard University with a law degree. He is president of LRP Media Group, a multimillion-dollar global media company serving education and business professionals, which he started in 1977. In 2018, LRP Media Group acquired University Business, a multimedia resource that provides cutting-edge coverage of education news, technology, academics, facilities management, security, financial services, policy, profiles and opinion. Kahn serves on various boards, including the HPU Board of Trustees, and has been honored by many business and civic organizations for his involvement. In “Florida Trend’s” annual issue, “Florida 500,” he was recognized as one of the most influential business leaders in the state of Florida. Jana Shellington Kahn graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with a bachelor of business administration in human resources and management and currently serves as chief marketing officer with LRP Media Group.
The Kahns were recently recognized for their philanthropic support of the university with the naming of the Jana and Ken Kahn Hotel, a 30-room boutique hotel, at the Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena and Conference Center. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in September to open the new academic learning lab.