HPU’s Hannah Robertson Awarded 2023 Havertys Cup

Furniture World News Desk on 4/26/2023

From left, Steve Burdette, president of Havertys Furniture, with HPU senior and Havertys Cup recipient Hannah Robertson and Scott T. Miles, senior vice president of stores for Havertys Furniture.

Hannah Robertson, a Class of 2023 interior design and visual merchandising major from Richmond, Virginia, was honored as the 2023 recipient of the Havertys Cup.

“I was really surprised and happy to receive it,” said Robertson. “I had heard about the award since I came to HPU and wondered who gets it and why. I was surprised and grateful for receiving it.”

The Havertys Cup was established in 1986 by the late Rawson Haverty to honor annually an outstanding graduating senior in one of the home furnishings related programs at High Point University. The tribute was created to encourage students to pursue a career in the home furnishings industry.

Robertson recently accepted a job with Jennifer Stoner Interiors, a luxury residential design firm in Richmond, Virginia. She interned there last summer. At HPU, Robertson has proven to be an outstanding student. She has been a member of the Italian Club on campus and gained experiential learning experience by working at the High Point Market with Currey & Company. She was a Dean’s List recipient each semester since arriving at HPU and will graduate Summa Cum Laude. 

Robertson received a personal replica of the Havertys Cup and a $3,000 award. Her name will be engraved on the base of the Havertys Cup, which is on permanent display in the library of Norton Hall on HPU’s campus. Steve Burdette, president of Havertys Furniture, and Scott T. Miles, senior vice president of stores for Havertys Furniture, presented the award while they were in High Point to attend the spring High Point Market.  

“We’ve got a long relationship with High Point University,” said Miles. “We’re just pleased to be able to participate in the Havertys Cup scholarship. It’s an honor to continue a longstanding relationship with High Point University and to be able to honor Hannah for her scholastic achievement.”  

Havertys Furniture tries to hire recipients of the Havertys Cup unless they have landed other jobs first, Burdette said. Nearly half of the recipients have gained their first full-time jobs working for Havertys.

“We still think it’s great because it promotes the industry, promotes what we’re doing and gets more young people involved in retail,” said Burdette. “If you like people, it’s a great business. It’s a fun business.”

Havertys stays in contact with many HPU graduates, not only recipients of the Havertys Cup but those who have become employees, said Miles. Store managers have visited the HPU campus periodically to make presentations to furniture design students, said Burdette.

About High Point University
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.^® HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. U.S. News & World Report has ranked HPU the No. 1 Best Regional College in the South for 11 consecutive years and the No. 1 Most Innovative Regional College in the South for eight consecutive years. The Princeton Review named HPU in the 2023 edition of “The Best 388 Colleges” and on the Best Southeastern Colleges “2023 Best Colleges: Region by Region” list. HPU was also recognized among the Top 20 in the nation for Best-Run Colleges, Best Career Services, Most Beautiful Campus, Most Active Student Government Association, Best College Dorms and Best Campus Food, as well as a Great School for Business/Finance Majors and a Great School for Communication Majors. For 12 years in a row, HPU has been named a College of Distinction with special recognition for career development, business and education programs. The university has 64 undergraduate majors, 66 undergraduate minors and 19 graduate degree programs. It is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the web at highpoint.edu.