Engage Chicago
Through Catalyst, students step outside of the classroom, serving and learning within their local community and gaining a closer understanding and appreciation for the increasingly urban world they live and work in.
Gain Hands-on Experience
The three programs we offer through the Catalyst Hub are designed to incorporate experiential learning where students apply theoretical knowledge to real-life problems and deepen critical thinking skills, all while receiving focused attention from experienced faculty, staff, and members of the community.
Advance Your Career
Through the Catalyst Semester program, students are given first-hand experiences that allow them to identify vocational interests, get inspired by leaders in their field, and establish relationships with invaluable professional contacts.
Catalyst Courses
Afternoon classes that take advantage of the open Wednesday afternoon built into the North Park schedule. Courses will utilize two to three Wednesday afternoons as an experiential learning opportunity throughout the semester.
Catalyst Semester
A learning community of commuter and residential students who take Chicago focused classes together, work in a practicum at a Chicago community organization, and take advantage of Wednesday afternoon experiences.
Catalyst on Campus
Activities held at North Park on Wednesday afternoons invite the city of Chicago to campus.
Crux
Crux, North Park鈥檚 discipleship cohort for first-year students, provides a deep dive into all three of the university鈥檚 distinctive.
Chicago is our classroom.
All Chicagoans are our teachers.
Student Spotlight
“Catalyst has allowed me to relate my two majors鈥攂usiness and Spanish鈥攎ore to the real world. The conversation we had with the director of Centro Romero was entirely in Spanish. We were reading a book about Salvadorian Literature during the revolution in the 1980s. The director and her family were part of the revolution, and she told us about their activism and philosophy at the time. It was a better way to learn this information and gave us a local and global perspective.鈥� 鈥揅hristopher Lempa
Accelerated Urbanization
A聽broad understanding of city infrastructure is essential as companies, government, and nonprofits prepare for a population shift to cities.
- 66% of the world’s population will live and work in urban areas by 2050*
- cities will grow by more than 2.5 billion people; most human population growth going forward will be urban.*
Hands-on learning experiences in the very environment where change is happening鈥� this is a top priority and initiative for North Park.
*United Nations Report, .
Frequently Asked Questions
So how does it all work? We know you have a lot of questions, so we’ve provided a quick look at some helpful answers.