North Park has served five generations of students and continues to grow in diversity, academic relevance, and Christian commitment. Our Chicago location is a great asset that reflects the School鈥檚 global reach and outlook.
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North Park offers more than 40 graduate and undergraduate programs in liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Classes average 17 students. 84% of our faculty have terminal degrees. Academics here are rigorous and results-oriented.
North Park Theological Seminary prepares you to answer the call to service through theological study, spiritual development, and the formative experiences of living in a community with others on a similar life path.
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A testament to 萝莉社鈥檚 distinct Christian identity and Professor Alice Iverson
This is a staff blog post written by Andy Meyer, C鈥�06. Andy graduated from North Park in 2006 with degrees in math and biblical and theological studies. He鈥檚 currently Head of Electronic Resources and ILL at Brandel Library.
A testament to 萝莉社鈥檚 distinct Christian identity and to Professor Alice Iverson
萝莉社 recently hosted Dr. Chris Gehrz from Bethel University to deliver a lecture titled The Pietist Option for (Current and Former) Evangelicals. In this lecture, Dr. Gehrz reflected on how pietism, a historical movement and ethos central to the Evangelical Covenant Church, could renew Evangelical Christianity.
This lecture inspired me to look back at my own experiences as a 萝莉社 undergraduate to see how this unique aspect of North Park鈥檚 Christian identity shaped my experience as a student. And in my reflecting, my thoughts have coalesced around a particular moment in the classroom that I see as embodying the Pietist ideals for higher education that define North Park鈥檚 mission.
As an undergraduate, I double-majored in mathematics and biblical and theology studies and eventually became interested in the intersection between the two fields. For some, the connections between mathematics and theology might seem laughable or even highly suspect. However, many Christian colleges and universities take these connections seriously. Within this realm, integrating faith and learning might look like understanding how Christian beliefs relate to mathematical axioms and truths. Another general approach would ask how Christian beliefs might guide the eventual application of this study鈥攖oward what end are you doing math? These are critical and important questions at Christian institutions. They are questions that I wrestled with as a North Park student. But, as I hope this story will illustrate, my experience as a student moved beyond these standard approaches and offered something unique.
The class was Real Analysis鈥攁 class that focused on abstract concepts and proofs. We started with a few simple axioms and progressed until we proved the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus. I remember one class period toward the end of the semester when the entire board was covered in what I thought to be a mess of unconnected thoughts. Then, in a powerful moment of surprise, Professor Alice Iverson connected the dots and I understood this otherwise incomprehensible mess.
I remember a profound feeling of awe and even gratitude that鈥檚 hard to put into words. In that moment, I remember Professor Iverson putting the cap back on the marker and telling us: 鈥淪omewhere it is written: 鈥榳hatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable鈥攊f anything is excellent or praiseworthy鈥攖hink about such things.鈥欌�� And then, while gesturing to the board, she said: 鈥淎nd this is True. And this is Beautiful. And we should think about such things.鈥�
At stake here was not our intellectual understanding of the subject matter or the proof on the board. The real lesson was that we should pursue the true and the beautiful in all areas of life. In this moment I was transfixed and transformed. Or, to borrow from language the Pietists, I was converted and reborn. This is a distinctive of North Park鈥檚 Christian identity. North Park focuses not only on forming correct opinions or on providing a Christian approach within a given discipline but also focuses on building a lifelong orientation toward the good, true, and beautiful.
And Professor Iverson鈥檚 concluding remark that 鈥渨e should think about such things鈥� was not a command from a teacher to a student. It was an exhortation that applied to us all鈥攖eacher and students鈥攅qually. Friendships with fellow math majors and my relationship with Professor Iverson embodied North Park鈥檚 focus on community-based Christian higher education.
This memory stays with me. The verses that Professor Iverson recited that day were read at my wedding and encapsulate much of what I learned as a student at North Park. In my current role in the Brandel Library, I work to support this educational missional by serving a community of students, faculty, and staff engaged not only in learning but also in transformation.
Over my spring break, I traveled with a group of students and professors to Italy.
This is a student blog post submitted by Melanie Lofgren, C’18. Melanie is a psychology major, with a biblical and theological studies minor. She spent her spring break in Italy with a group of 12 students and two professors. On the trip, students considered the continuity between the life of the earliest Christians in their cities and present-day Christians in the city of Chicago.
Over my spring break, I traveled with a group of 11 other students and two professors, all of us ranging in academic and professional disciplines . . . and in prior knowledge of Rome and Christian history. Despite being a Junior and a BTS minor, I actually haven鈥檛 taken many Bible or theology classes. I also never learned much of Roman history in junior high or high school, so this trip was going to be a whole new world and wealth of knowledge for me. Before the trip we read some books to brush up, or in my case learn about Christian and Roman history (it was a lot of information that did not care to remain in my brain during the trip).
As soon as we arrived, we were herded to our first three sights of the trip: The Pantheon, the Church of the Gesu, and the Ara Pacis. It鈥檚 important to note 鈥渉erding鈥� is a very appropriate term. We walked everywhere, led (or shall I say shepherded) by our two professors; we probably looked like a herd of unusual American tourists, and this is exactly what we were.
Stepping outside of your comfort zone is one of the greatest gifts God has given us and that we can give to God.
Professors Willitts and Veeneman know how to travel. If there鈥檚 one thing I took away, it was how to be a traveler. We had free audio guides (courtesy of Rick Steve), and guide books that had enough information to spark conversation while not overwhelming us. I loved all the walking, and I chose to walk when given the option, even going on a mini 鈥減ilgrimage.鈥� Walking is a great way to see the city. Walking through Rome made me take in more of the city, see the neighborhoods and their aesthetics change, experience the interactions between people, not look like a tourist (a huge plus for me), get great exercise (and not feel guilty about all the pizza and pasta I consumed!), and it helped me navigate and understand the city. Although taking a bus everywhere may have been less tiring, I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to grasp the immensity, extravagance, and culture nearly as well.
Let鈥檚 get back to what we did though. Every day we saw a few different places of significance to the Christian faith, to the Roman Empire, to western theology, and any combination of these. In this blog series, I鈥檒l talk about the places that I found to be the most intriguing, the knowledge and relationships I gained, and the topics that still lurk in my mind all while relating it to my life back in Chicago.
Before I wrap up this first post, I want to encourage anyone reading this to a) continue to read the rest of my series, b) study abroad or travel to other countries, and c) go on this trip! Traveling and experiencing a new culture is daunting and nerve-wracking. It is a humbling experience if you let it be (please let it!), and although the cons may seem to outweigh the pros in foresight, you will never regret the experience in hindsight, no matter how unplanned, disorganized, chaotic, and scary it may turn it out be.聽You still learn things years afterward, and stepping outside of your comfort zone is one of the greatest gifts God has given us and that we can give to God.
Interested in traveling with BTS next spring break?
I am so excited for everyone on campus to see the best poems, prose, paintings, drawings, and photography that the North Park student body has to offer.
This is a student blog post submitted by Kelsey Wilp聽C’17. Kelsey is聽an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is the Senior Editor of the North Branch Literary and Fine Arts Journal.
North Branch senior staff: Jonathan Love, Zoe Larson, and聽Kelsey Wilp.
Greetings from the Wilson Hall Computer Lab!
My name is Kelsey Wilp and I am the Senior Editor of the North Branch Literary and Fine Arts Journal. You may have seen me at one of our two incredible on campus events earlier this school year. I read alongside my fellow staff members from my cringe-worthy high school diary at 鈥淢ortified 萝莉社鈥� and read a piece detailing my hatred for Middle School dances at our Anti-Valentine鈥檚 Day Extravaganza 鈥淪tupid Cupid!鈥� We like to laugh at our pain here at the North Branch.
This is my second and final year working on the recently-revived literary and fine arts journal and I have to brag that the North Branch has gone through a lot of changes. Since last year, our staff has grown from four to twenty-four and the number of submissions received was at an all-time high. We have been working hard to forge a stronger bond between the English and Art departments by including more art majors on staff and collaborating with our events and in the process of selecting pieces for the journal. There are also students from other majors on staff whose different perspectives and talents are welcomed.
Spring semester is the busiest time for the North Branch. We began advertising for submissions in the fall and Senior Lit Editor, Jonathan Love, and I made promotional videos that Professor Reinhold Dooley gave 鈥淭wo thumbs way up!!!!鈥� Those short films can be found on the North Branch Facebook page. We celebrated the end of the submissions process with our 鈥淪tupid Cupid!鈥� event which drew a large crowd of lonely souls who needed a place to haunt on Valentine鈥檚 Day.
The literature admissions process began the week of February 20th and was directed by Jonathan Love. He kept the staff on track and was able to get us through the process in three evening meetings. The staff met on the second floor of Brandel Library and read each individual written piece aloud and took a vote on what should be included in the journal this year. The next week, the art admissions process began, directed by Senior Art Editor Zoe Larson who got us through one single meeting in Brandel to choose the artwork that will be included in this year鈥檚 journal.
Now that the admissions process is complete, my staff and I are beginning the process of designing the journal, which will be sent off to the printer soon. Zoe and Jonathan worked together to weave the art and literature in one cohesive order so that thematic elements of both will complement each other.
Once the copies return to campus, we will have a distribution celebration in the form of our highly-anticipated release party! Like last year, there will be readings, live music, snacks, laughs, and good times. Be there!
I am so excited for everyone on campus to see the best poems, prose, paintings, drawings, and photography that the North Park student body has to offer.
鈥淵ou have an incredible opportunity to be a platform of change. That鈥檚 all I am. God is using me as His platform in here, but you can be a platform for the people on the outside.鈥�
This is a student blog post submitted by Thomas Cellilli, C’17. Thomas is a Biblical & Theological Studies major.
鈥淵ou have an incredible opportunity to be a platform of change. That鈥檚 all I am. God is using me as His platform in here, but you can be a platform for the people on the outside.鈥�
I shook his hand at least four times during our short conversation after the North Park Gospel Choir sang for and with the men of Stateville Correctional Center. He was sitting down, and I stood hunched over to hear his raspy voice through the roar of dialogues going on around us. He poured his heart out to me, and we laughed at our little connection鈥攈is middle name is the same as my first name, Thomas. We didn鈥檛 talk about why he was in prison, or how long he had previously waited on death-row. We simply looked each other in the eye as human being to human being鈥攏o walls or prison bars separating us鈥攁nd basked in the joy of connectedness we have in Jesus Christ our Lord who turns our Thomas-doubt into belief. He encouraged me with this: 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter where you start, even if its doubting. It only matters where you end up.鈥�
This was my second visit to Stateville Correctional Center with the Gospel Choir, and I have been infinitely blessed by the love and encouragement of the inmates to which we have ministered. North Park鈥檚 Gospel Choir has visited the prison three times to sing for the inmates: once with the Touring Ensemble and twice with the larger choir. The Gospel Choir鈥檚 relationship with Stateville is largely indebted to the continued work of Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom who has been teaching classes to undergrads, graduate students, and inmates inside of the prison. Her class, Peace, Justice, and Restoration, 鈥渆xplores the theological and ethical foundations of justice ministries鈥and] probes the grounds of the claim that 鈥榡ustice is central to biblical religion.鈥欌��
Thanks to the efforts of the North Park faculty, the Gospel Choir has been allowed to interact and sing with the inmates on multiple occasions. I am no singer, nor do I claim to be, but singing praises to our God with those who are in prison has been one of the most powerful experiences in my Christian walk to this day. Both last semester and this semester, I was moved to tears on several occasions as God鈥檚 Presence filled the theater at Stateville while we proclaimed the miracles and wonders of our One God.
I implore my brothers and sisters in Christ who had seen firsthand what powerful works God is doing behind bars and those who have been moved by this witness to continue praying for the men of Stateville. Hebrews 13:3 commands us, 鈥淩emember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body鈥� (ESV). Neither walls, nor bars, nor cells, fences, chains, nor isolation can divide the body of Christ. It is our job as brothers and sisters to use what platforms God has given us to speak out against injustice and pray for Heaven to come down to earth.
Remembering the Resurrected One is what will bring true reconciliation and freedom.
This is a student blog post submitted by Marcus Payne II, C’17. Marcus is a communications and biblical and theological studies major.
What is at the heart of being free as a black man?
That has been on my heart for a while. This passion to be more than a statistic started at the first college I attended, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). There, for the first time in my life, I had a black male professor, and it was one of the most mind-blowing and enriching experiences I ever had. He constantly made us aware of our vulnerability as black men, and how the world expected us to fail. He made sure we were aware that all 25 of the black men in that class could be more than the next rapper and ball player.
These experiences led me to a phase in life where I want to pair racial reconciliation with the truth of the Gospel.
In America, oppression and marginalization exist even while people claim the country to be Christian. I feel that this is the direct opposite of how Christ envisioned the kingdom of God. Lupe Fiasco says in his song Strange Fruition: “Now I can’t pledge allegiance to your flag because I can’t find no reconciliation with your past / When there was nothing equal for my people in your math / You forced us in the ghetto and then you took our dads.”
As a black man, my life is honestly expendable to America. However, North Park showing a sign that they care for people who look like me, by hosting a Black Lives Matter rally鈥攖hat was a step back into the realm of reconciliation and the Gospel’s true message of liberation.
In today鈥檚 society, there is an obvious lack of love and that is what is missing in the reality true freedom. For author and pastor Dwight Hopkins, love is freedom and allows oppressed and marginalized people to find their true image, which is the Imago Dei.聽For Hopkins, both love and freedom are keys to having a healthy theological anthropology that pushes us to the image of God and directs Christians towards God鈥檚 mission. “‘Freedom and justice for all’聽isn鈥檛 a reality for people of color because there is a lack of love in society,” he .
So what is the solution? In his book , James Cone uses the resurrection of Christ to show the need to liberate those who are oppressed. For Cone, Christ鈥檚 resurrection is the theme that shows the ultimate power over oppression. “To say no to oppression and yes to liberation is to encounter the existential significance of the Resurrected One.”
Easter is approaching and, from a Christian perspective, remembering the Resurrected One is what will bring true reconciliation and freedom.
Listening to his peers in a campus rally opened one student’s eyes.
This is a student blog post submitted by Stephen Nielsen, C鈥�19. Stephen is an English major with a concentration in creative writing.
Listening to his peers in a campus rally opened one student’s eyes.
萝莉社 held a Black Lives Matter rally on campus back in November of 2016. The first of its kind on campus, it highlighted injustices faced by students of color. Students stepped up to the mic and told the stories of their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Having grown up in Denmark for most my life, I鈥檝e been ignorant of the challenges facing people of color in America, and of the privilege afforded to me because of the color of my skin. I heard stories, saw the news, but never experienced it first-hand. I鈥檓 not oppressed, and I don鈥檛 find myself an oppressor, so it doesn鈥檛 affect me. I could watch from the sidelines, I could claim my ignorance, and chalk it up to my time spent in a foreign country; it鈥檚 not my problem. Emily Bourne, seminary student and resident director of Ohlson Hall says otherwise. 鈥淥ppression affects all of us whether we realize it or not; whether conscious of it or not. To hear another people group cry out and say their lives seemingly don鈥檛 matter; this should be something that we pay attention to.鈥�
Although the civil rights movement made great strides for racial justice, profiling is still prominent in American culture. Black Lives Matter intends to expose the injustices facing black Americans today. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not walking around in chains, but we still have a lot of things that are causing us to be held down in bondage, and to still have these systems of oppression,鈥� remarked Jacqueline Strapp, director of diversity at 萝莉社.
I finally understood why racial problems still exist as I stood in Anderson Chapel, as it overflowed with an arresting array of faces. Why had so many entered this place of raw peace and genuine expression, gathered in the name of Christ? 鈥淏ecause change doesn鈥檛 happen without your participation, because it shows your support to those who are suffering, and especially because we鈥檙e a diverse community, it鈥檚 also empowering yourself to learn how to make change,鈥� said Michael Emerson, Provost, 萝莉社.
There is work to be done, but making change isn鈥檛 complicated. Stephen Kelly, worship arts coordinator for University Ministries at 萝莉社 says that 鈥渇or there to be racial reconciliation it has to be a re-humanization.鈥�
鈥淓ven if you don鈥檛 agree,鈥� Strapp said, 鈥測ou should at least listen,鈥� because ignorance doesn鈥檛 solve problems. Choosing to ignore the social and racial injustices still affecting black people across the country won鈥檛 make the movement stop. I鈥檓 not saying that you must become an activist, I鈥檓 not saying that because these issues have deeply affected me, that they should affect you too. However, like Strapp told me, 鈥渂e educated so that you can be informed when you choose a side. Don鈥檛 choose because it鈥檚 always been this way for you. Choose it because you have heard both sides, and understand why you are the way you are.鈥�
The stories of injustice I heard from those who spoke and those I interviewed were horrible and troubling. I couldn鈥檛 believe what was happening. I want to change something, I want to help the current change happening across America; the change on campus. The opportunity to participate in Sankofa, a University Ministries led trip, arose and I accepted.
The account of my Sankofa experience will be the topic of a future post.
Carl Wistrom honored for 35 years of service in Physical Plant, following the legacy of his forebears
Carl Wistrom honored for 35 years of service in Physical Plant, following his聽father and grandfather
CHICAGO (February 27, 2017) 鈥� Carl Wistrom has served in Physical Plant since 1981, first as assistant director and then as director. Physical Plant is responsible for all of the behind-the-scenes work keeping North Park’s spaces functioning. Winter after winter, Carl oversees snow removal. Summer after summer, Carl’s led his team in the maintenance of campus buildings in preparation for the new school year. For 35 years and counting.
But the Wistrom family legacy at North Park stretches further back still: three generations of Wistroms have served North Park by supporting its campus. Carl Wistrom came to North Park just three years before his father, Ivar, retired from his role as campus engineer, a position similar to Carl’s. Ivar’s tenure began in 1947, shortly after his own father, Carl Wistrom (the elder), retired from that same role.
The elder Carl Wistrom, janitor and campus engineer at North Park between 1910 and 1945
Carl does have fond memories of his own father, who trained him in his work at North Park. “My dad was the master. He taught me a lot and had know-how that I don鈥檛 have.” More than knowledge, though, Ivar had a “great passion for North Park.” Indeed, this passion was hereditary. Carl notes that he has been truly blessed by the people he works with, and he remembers how his “dad had great people working with him” too.
Ivar Wistrom, chief engineer and physical plant manager from 1947鈥�1984
At an all-staff gathering last month, President David L. Parkyn acknowledged that “as we celebrate Carl鈥檚 35 years at North Park, we simultaneously want to recognize and honor the nearly century of service extended to North Park by each of these three men, Carl, Ivar, and Carl.”
In honor of the Wistrom family, Dr. Parkyn presented a plaque to Carl, which will be located near the entrance to the Physical Plant building.
The plaque reads:
Carl said that he was humbled to have his family honored in this way.
As each school year begins, we welcome new undergraduates to our campus at a celebration we call 鈥淭hreshold鈥濃�攁 symbolic crossing from one place or time or period of life to another. At commencement we usher graduates across another threshold, this time leading away from their years at North Park toward another season in life鈥攏ow directed as a life of significance and service.
I鈥檓 writing today to inform you that Linda and I have decided to cross a special threshold of our own this year. Last week I confirmed with our Board of Trustees my intent to retire as university president, and Linda as a professor, at the end of the current academic year.
This past September we joined with alumni and friends to celebrate North Park鈥檚 125th anniversary. As I considered the story of the University over these many years I also reflected on my own, more limited, years on our campus. I found this to be a valuable exercise which prompted some larger questions for Linda and me.
In my inauguration address, I spoke about the unique voice each individual brings to life. Then I asked whether an institution might also have a voice. I commented: 鈥淢ight 萝莉社 have a voice? Might North Park have a particular syntax and diction, punctuation and grammar that are uniquely its own?”
As a campus community, we have worked together over the past 11 years to build upon the school鈥檚 legacy commitments by advancing learning on our campus today in ways that are particular to North Park. This is the voice I hear at North Park today:
Out of a commitment to inclusion and student success, together we have cultivated a campus-wide spirit of hospitality to welcome all to North Park; we 鈥渃ontribute to the needs of the saints (and)聽extend hospitality to strangers.鈥�
We have advanced in impressive ways the Board鈥檚 1995 objective to significantly increase diversity at North Park, accomplished in a pronounced way in student enrollment; 鈥減eople (are coming)聽from east and west, north and south, to eat at the kingdom of God鈥� on this campus.
We are actively leveraging our location in a global city as we embrace Chicago as our classroom; today we 鈥渟eek the welfare of the city.”
With the deep generosity of friends from across the country鈥斺�渓ike trees . . . which yield their fruit in its season鈥濃�攚e successfully completed Campaign North Park, leading to the design and construction of the Johnson Center to advance learning in the classroom and far beyond.
This is an exceptional voice in the higher education landscape. We have much to celebrate!
Linda likewise has been part of the campus community during our years here. She has taught side-by-side with dear colleagues who love Spanish as much as she does. Beyond this, she has shaped learning at North Park by designing and teaching in the Honors Congress. Most significant, perhaps, has been her mentorship with a small number of students each year applying for Fulbright awards. We have achieved 10 consecutive years of successful student applications and in multiple years the University has been named a 鈥淔ulbright Top Producer.鈥�
Our decision to retire is set in these contexts. The past 11 years at North Park have been personally and professionally fulfilling for both of us. We have come to deeply love this institution, its students, and each of you. Together with you, we have made good (perhaps on occasion even great!) strides toward important objectives. Now is a good time for someone else to step into leadership and guide the school into the coming years. You鈥檒l have the great privilege of being part of this transition to a new leader, remaining constant in faith, learning, and service at North Park.
This has been a special community for Linda and me. Consider this: over these past 11 years, you have mourned with us the passing of our four parents, and you have celebrated with us the birth of our six grandchildren! Thank you for welcoming us when we came in 2006, and to all who have joined the University since that time please know of the joy you brought to us in your own choice to be part of North Park. Linda and I have been honored to be your colleagues.
Linda reminds me often that in Spanish the verb 鈥渢o retire鈥� is 鈥渏ubilarse,鈥� literally translated as 鈥渢o make oneself jubilant!鈥� Our plans for personal life after transitioning from North Park remain fluid. We will return to the east coast to be close to children and grandchildren, and we鈥檙e confident further plans will come into focus in due time.
Most certainly we look forward to being together with you during the remaining weeks of the academic year. We鈥檒l celebrate as our graduates cross their threshold from North Park, and Linda and I will follow soon after as we greet the next season of our own life.
With fondness for each of you,
David L. Parkyn (and of course, Linda as well)
President
Immigrant, refugee, undocumented, Dreamer, Muslim: You are welcome at North Park.
As a Christian university we acclaim鈥攕hout loudly from the cupola of Old Main鈥攐ur enduring welcome. Immigrant, refugee, undocumented, Dreamer, Muslim: our campus is yours; our classroom doors are flung wide open for you to enter. You are invited to learn with us. You are welcome at North Park.
President David L. Parkyn
CHICAGO (January 31, 2017) 鈥� On Saturday afternoon, I attended a memorial service for Professor Frank Steinhart. Others from North Park joined me, including a group of students and many of our faculty and staff. Frank was our teacher, colleague, and friend. Dr. Steinhart began teaching at 萝莉社 in 1973. He planned to retire this summer after more than four decades of service as a sociology faculty member, registrar, and assistant dean. Professor Steinhart loved North Park, completely.
Yet there is something more. I learned at this service that Frank was born in Latvia. When he was six months old his mother (along with his aunt, grandmother, and great-aunt) fled with Frank from their home, reaching Hamburg, Germany. For several years, little Frank and his mother lived in camps for displaced persons. They were refugees who eventually settled in Chicago when Frank was eight years old.
Is it any surprise that Professor Steinhart鈥檚 doctoral work at Loyola University Chicago focused on immigrant single mothers with children?
I now know why Frank loved North Park so completely. He saw himself reflected in the lives of so many of his students; his story as a refugee immigrant to America alone with his mother was also their story.
Professor Frank Steinhart
In a twist of irony, on the same weekend as Frank鈥檚 memorial service, our nation imposed an indefinite halt of immigration for citizens from Syria, a 90-day suspension of immigration for citizens from seven countries, and a 120-day suspension of refugees from anywhere in the world. While sitting in the service on Saturday afternoon, hearing these stories about Frank, I was struck clearly: if eight-year-old Frank and his mother, refugees immigrating to America, landed at O鈥橦are Airport today, they would be turned away, sent back, not welcomed in our country. Any potential little Frank held for teaching students at North Park for 44 consecutive years would be crushed, forsaken, quashed.
As students and educators at North Park, we have little immediate influence over executive orders issued in Washington, D.C. What we can do, and must do, is ensure that North Park continues to be a place of welcome to all who desire to study with us.
Recent changes in our national policy and practice relative to those who come to America from other countries raise real and significant concerns for some students on our campus today. This is true for international students who study with us for one or more semesters. It is disproportionately true for students recently new to America, those who have come with their families over the past decade or two. Documented or not, they face increased uncertainty about the level of welcome they can expect from America. It is also true for Muslim students whose religious commitment has been so mistakenly and despicably caricatured as inherently violent and terroristic.
As a Christian university we acclaim鈥攕hout loudly from the cupola of Old Main鈥攐ur enduring welcome. Immigrant, refugee, undocumented, Dreamer, Muslim: our campus is yours; our classroom doors are flung wide open for you to enter. You are invited to learn with us. You are welcome at North Park.
It is for this reason that some weeks ago I signed a letter, along with presidents of 600 other colleges and universities across the country, to affirm our support for the continuation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, and in support of our undocumented immigrant students.
We must do more than acclaim, however. We must turn our rhetoric into reality by actually receiving and welcoming all who study at North Park and whose residency in our country may be uncertain. Though meaningful, a signed letter is far from a sufficient institutional response. More significant is the daily care we extend to each other on campus. As president, I鈥檓 calling on all of us at North Park to be especially alert to the uncertainty and fear that now unsettles and disrupts the lives of some who study with us this year. We must care for each other.
Later this week I鈥檒l be meeting with students who have expressed interest in having North Park declared as a 鈥渟anctuary campus.鈥� Some colleges and universities across the country have already identified themselves in this manner, others have considered it and opted for alternative ways to support students, and many others are actively considering the potential for responding in this or other ways. I鈥檓 grateful for the initiative of our students to prompt this topic for discussion by our campus; certainly, it merits careful deliberation both for its real and symbolic value. Perhaps other students (as well as faculty and staff) will want to add their voice to that of these students as our campus discussion unfolds. In doing so we may also find other ways to stand by those students who are personally unsettled today.
Why should North Park care in this way? Perhaps because if Frank Steinhart were here he would be a champion of refugees, both documented and otherwise. Or perhaps because David Nyvall, the founding president of our school, deeply believed that at North Park 鈥渉ospitality should be especially insisted upon.鈥� Both are good reasons.
Yet there is a deeper reason for loving the stranger among us鈥攖he immigrant, displaced person, refugee, Dreamer, or person of a faith different from my own. Simply this: Jesus calls us to love God and love our neighbor.
Who is our neighbor? Our neighbor is the person in need within our reach. This commitment to the care for others is a common thread in Scripture.
鈥淭he alien who resides with you in your land . . . shall be to you as the citizen among you.鈥�
鈥淚 was a stranger and you welcomed me.鈥�
鈥淒o not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.鈥�
鈥淐ontribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.鈥�
This week, this semester鈥攍et鈥檚 love God and welcome our neighbors as Jesus taught us to do. May God鈥檚 light, enkindled through our lives, shine brightly along Foster Avenue.
It鈥檚 launch week! We at University Marketing and Communications have been working hard on a new Northpark.edu for several months, and we wanted to share with you a few features we think you鈥檒l love.
1. Mobile-Responsive Design.
First and foremost: the new website works on your phone. No more squinting, flipping your phone horizontal, and trying to zoom in. The site responds beautifully to different devices, so you can easily navigate to all the resources you need鈥攐n the fly.
2. Reimagined My North Park.
When we kicked off this project, we held meetings to hear from faculty, staff, and students. We asked questions like, 鈥淲hat was most frustrating on the website? What were you looking for in the new site?鈥�
We heard you loud and clear: Navigating to your email, WebAdvisor, Moodle, and other vital resources was difficult. My North Park was a major source of frustration.
Introducing . . . ! We spent a lot of time prioritizing, reorganizing, and decluttering. Then we represented it in a visual, clean way.
You can now select your profile as Student, Faculty, or Staff Member, and you鈥檒l be served the resources that are most useful to you. Your browser should even remember who you are.
We hope this makes your busy 萝莉社 life just a little bit easier.
3. Awesome. Content. While our on-campus constituents were a major priority while redesigning the website, our number-one goal was to help prospective students get to know North Park more easily鈥攁nd consider it as a choice for their college education.
To that end, we put together some pretty cool new content to roll out with the new site, which you can enjoy too:
A that you can view on any device, or with VR glasses or .
4. Find Your Faculty. We鈥檝e put together a streamlined , where you can get to know (and easily reach) North Park鈥檚 accomplished professors and professionals.
5. #萝莉社BrandNew. Alongside the website project, we鈥檝e also been rebranding the University. You鈥檝e probably seen our . This website is our first major, public rollout of the new brand. We hope you enjoy the visual identity and feel it鈥檚 a great representation of 萝莉社.
Honorable Mention Ever get frustrated figuring out who to call or email with your question? We鈥檝e put together a for all the departments and resources on our campus. So you can call, email, or get to know whomever you鈥檙e looking for!
Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Blog, Stories
Dear members of the North Park Faculty and Staff,
