I served in a non-tenured faculty position (FT) for approximately 3 semesters and departed High Point for a tenure-track position at a similar institution in 2009. I don't regret my stay at HPU, but I don't strongly recommend it as a place to work either. At HPU, the student is King, so ultimately anyone signing on (in any position) should be aware that potential disputes usually result with a ruling in favor of the student. This includes honor code violations, but typically excludes retention issues with respect to minimum GPA standards. Salaries are very low at HPU, but there was some attempt to offer better benefits to bolster the money issues. Newcomers will be surprised at the low wages because the campus is dripping with luxurious ammenities, and the students want for nothing. (Even the dorms have swimming pools, and singles for freshmen are apparently common.) Academic supervisors are sympathetic and will say so, but they don't have much decision-making power with respect to budgets.
Town/Gown issues were significant as well during my stay. The city of High Point is not affluent, and if you happen to live in one of the local neighborhoods, as I did, you may find a lot of resentment directed at the University, its rapid growth, and/or the omnipresence of the students. The school solved its "landlocked" issues by purchasing hundreds of homes and tearing them down, replacing them with student housing and greek houses. The HPU brand is everywhere, and the local media usually cover the issues with a bias that is always sympathetic to the university. I think this tendency frustrates local residents and business owners.
Frustration can set in for any employee who takes the time to look around and absorb the campus environment. HPU is a very student-friendly campus. The staff engages them constantly, and it would not be wrong to assume that at HPU what goes on outside of the classroom is viewed as more important than what goes on inside the classroom. It was not uncommon for me to find that students had skipped my classes (even exams) to attend a campus event or to hangout in the students' fitness center. I had the impression that the staff in the Student Life & Activities area were extremely overworked and very underappreciated. They worked a lot on the weekends and at nights. On most Saturdays, the admissions office "owned" the campus. That division of HPU is a marketing machine. Be prepared to do your part. Saying no is not usually an option.
