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.
After 125 years, we鈥檝e learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don鈥檛 see what you鈥檙e looking for on our website, please contact us directly!
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.
The Office of Alumni Engagement fosters lifelong connections by engaging alumni with the university and one another in activities, programs, and services that support the university鈥檚 mission and alumni needs.
As the pandemic continues to impact mental health, students, faculty, and staff at 萝莉社 have access to TAO Connect鈥檚 behavioral health platform as a standalone service and as an extension of counseling visits.
As the pandemic continues to impact mental health, students, faculty, and staff at 萝莉社 have access to TAO Connect鈥檚 behavioral health platform as a standalone service and as an extension of counseling visits.
, a digital platform designed to make behavioral health therapy more accessible and effective, has partnered with North Park to bring its mental health resources to the entire university鈥檚 community. All students, faculty, and staff now have access to TAO Connect鈥檚 wellness tools on the go, and North Park Counseling Support Services can assign curated psychoeducational materials and assessment tools to students through the TAO platform.
The partnership comes at a time when the challenging events of this year have significantly impacted the mental health of young adults and college students and altered how university counseling centers provide mental health services. North Park responded to the need for digital health resources by partnering with TAO Connect to provide online, 24/7 access to mental health support. Additionally, the technology allows the university鈥檚 counseling center to reach traditionally underserved groups, such as out-of-state students, distance learners, or non-traditional students.
鈥淎dding TAO Connect to our services will provide an added layer of support for our community,鈥� said MaLinda Lee, director of Counseling Support Services at North Park. 鈥淭he platform鈥檚 tools and resources are all evidence-driven and delivered digitally in a way that is preferred and familiar to students, which we believe will encourage them to better prioritize and take care of their mental health.鈥�
TAO Connect recently launched its V3 platform, which contains more than 150 interactive sessions on anxiety, depression, substance abuse, anger, sexual violence, and more. Additionally, the platform offers a library of mindfulness exercises and journal prompts鈥攚hich include an anxiety monitoring log and a relaxation and mindfulness log. The platform also features The TAO Assistant, an AI chatbot that guides students through the platform for a personalized experience specific to their needs.
The platform can be used in two ways: the counselors at North Park can individually assign the online-based sessions to students as a way to enhance virtual appointments, or users can sign up independently for a completely self-guided experience. The Self-Help feature is personalized and helps users develop helpful thinking patterns through sessions and exercises focused on stress management, problem-solving, mindfulness, and more.
鈥淵oung people鈥檚 mental health has been particularly affected by the stress and uncertainty brought on by the pandemic, and with all the changes they鈥檙e experiencing, it is vital that they have access to the tools they need to manage their mental health,鈥� said Dr. Sherry Benton, founder and chief science officer of TAO Connect. 鈥淣orth Park鈥檚 counseling center now offers its students mental health tools that are easily accessible to all of its students.鈥�
TAO Connect is available for free to all University students, faculty, and staff members. Students, faculty, and staff can register for TAO by visiting North Park鈥檚 Counseling Support Services webpage. To learn more about TAO and its technology, please visit聽.
Nine new members have been named to the 萝莉社 Board of Trustees. Four are serving in an advisory capacity this year before being slated on the ballot at next year鈥檚 ECC annual meeting.
Nine Named to 萝莉社 Board of Trustees
New members bring diversity, dedication, and a wealth of expertise.
Nine new members have been named to the 萝莉社 Board of Trustees. Four are serving in an advisory capacity this year before being slated on the ballot at next year鈥檚 ECC annual meeting.
The new trustees are:
Michael Harper
Michael Harper earned a BA in economics from 萝莉社 in 1980. From 1978鈥�80, he led the North Park Vikings to three consecutive Men鈥檚 Basketball NCAA Division III National Championships. His jersey (#33) was retired in 1981, and in 1988 he was entered into the 萝莉社 Viking Hall of Fame. In 2005 Michael was honored with the 萝莉社 Distinguished Alumni Award.
From 1980鈥�88, Michael played basketball professionally, first for the Portland Trailblazers and then in Europe (Italy, France, and Spain). He was a three-time All-American, a Most Outstanding Player in the NCAA Tournament recipient, became the 56th pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and is considered by some to be the greatest D3 Men鈥檚 basketball player ever.
In addition to serving as an assistant coach at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, OR, Michael has worked as an insurance agent since 1991. In 2010 he founded the Grassharper Foundation, whose mission is to help children, families, and local community members through fundraising, community outreach, and collaboration with local nonprofit organizations.
Of his North Park experiences, Michael has said, 鈥淚 can sum up the importance of NPC on my life as a beginning to an incredible adventure. North Park turned a little kid from the South Side of Chicago into a world-traveled giant. North Park provided the environment for growth. Safe and secure housing. An outstanding athletic experience. A challenging academic curriculum. But most importantly, North Park surrounded me with dedicated and caring people. I had a choice to attend any school I wished. I am extremely thankful North Park chose me.鈥�
Michael and his wife, Lisa, have three children and live in West Linn, OR.
Paul Johnson
Paul Johnson graduated from North Park with a BS in finance and youth ministry in 1997. He most recently worked as Executive Director of Ministries at Willow Creek Community Church. As an undergraduate, Paul was involved in a variety of activities including Global Partnerships, intramurals, Ja Team, men鈥檚 volleyball, the聽North Park Press聽newspaper, Student Government Association, and Urban Outreach.
After his graduation, he joined the 萝莉社 staff and served in a variety of roles from 1997 until 2010, including Campus Ministry Director in University Ministries. Paul played a key role in the creation of the Sankofa experience, the Office of Sustainability, and worked on a number of renovation and new construction projects including Holmgren Athletic complex, Helwig Recreation Center, and the greening and beautification of the interior campus.
Paul鈥檚 father and two of his sisters are North Park alumni. He has longstanding Covenant roots and relationships and played a significant role in the planning and execution of each CHIC from 2003鈥�2018. Paul and his wife, Rhianna Godfrey, have been married since November 2015. He is a proud stepfather of two boys and father of a one-year-old daughter.
Joanna Kanakis
Joanna (Ericson) Kanakis is a 2006 magna cum laude graduate of 萝莉社 with dual degrees in philosophy and French. As a student, she was a Presidential Scholar, sang in the University Choir, received the Lindahl Prize for Excellence in Philosophy, and studied abroad in Paris for a semester. Joanna grew up attending Faith Covenant Church in Wheaton, IL, and is the daughter of Theodore (C鈥�72) and Meredith (C鈥�72) Ericson and granddaughter of the late Anne (C鈥�46) and the late Leslie Daniel (C鈥�46) Ericson. Her sisters, Katherine (C鈥�01) and Elizabeth (C鈥�98) also graduated from North Park.
Joanna has been a member of the SBNM Advisory Board since 2015 and was honored with The Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Following an internship at Calyon Financial, she entered into a career path that has included roles at Soci茅t茅 G茅n茅rale Corporate and Investment Banking as Vice President鈥擲ales Trader, and Vice President, then Director, of Prime Brokerage Sales. In July 2019, she accepted a role at financial tech startup Halo Investing as Director of Enterprise Sales鈥擜mericas.
In addition to her service on the SBNM Advisory Board, Joanna has served as Co-Chair of the Leadership and Learning Committee, Soci茅t茅 G茅n茅rale America Women鈥檚 Network, and as a member of the Board of Chicago Financial Women.
Joanna is married to Damon Kanakis. They have two sons and live in Chicago.
Curtis Ivanoff
(ECC Superintendent Representative)
Curtis (S鈥�08) is the 萝莉社 Board of Trustees ECC Superintendent Representative. He received his master of arts in Christian ministry and theology with high honors. He attended the University of Oklahoma as an undergraduate and earned a BA in mathematics in 1992. He also attended Regent College in Vancouver, BC, from 2000鈥�04, focusing on theological studies. Curtis, who has both Russian and Inupiaq heritage, grew up in Unalakleet, Alaska, and identifies as Alaskan Native. He is the first Alaskan Native leader to serve as superintendent of the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a role he has held since 2011. Previously, he served as Associate Pastor at Unalakleet Covenant Church, Campus Pastor at Alaska Christian College, Director of Admissions at Alaska Christian College, and Field Director for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. Curtis and his wife, Kristi, have one daughter and two sons.
Karen Stein
Karen Stein graduated from 萝莉社 in 1972 and earned her JD degree in 2005 from John F. Kennedy University. She is a retired attorney-at-law who was self-employed and specialized in elder law, estate planning, and trust administration. Before law school she was employed at International Business Machines in Systems Engineering and Sales from 1975 to 2000. She is a member of the State Bar of California (inactive). She and her husband, Richard (Rich), have two adult children and four grandchildren. Karen and Rich are members of Crossroads Covenant Church in Greely, CO.
Karen serves as the liaison to the 萝莉社 Board of Trustees on behalf of the ECC Executive Board. She has been an ECC Financial Coach since 2018 and served on the CHET Executive Board from 2012鈥�2015. She served on the Church Council and as Financial Secretary at Crossroads Covenant Church, in Concord, CA. In 2001, Karen designed and built a prayer garden. She has taught Confirmation, two鈥檚 and three鈥檚 classes, assisted in Vacation Bible School, and participated in pastoral searches.
These four trustees are serving in an advisory capacity this year before being slated on the ballot at next year鈥檚 ECC annual meeting:
Sally Carlson
(ECC Clergy)
Sally Carlson graduated from 萝莉社 with dual degrees in biblical and theological studies and in Spanish. She earned her MA in Christian Formation and MBA from North Park Theological Seminary in 2011. Sally is also an alumnus and former staff member of Covenant Bible College in Strathmore, AB. She has served in a variety of ways throughout the ECC, including serving on the CHIC Council for CHIC 2015, as a member of the ECC Executive Board, and was the Financial Officer for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada. She is married to fellow Seminary alum Daniel G. Larson. Sally has previously served as a pastor at Norquay Covenant Church in Saskatchewan (where she co-pastored with her husband) and at Hope Community Covenant Church in Strathmore, Alberta. In 2019, Sally joined the staff of Bethany Covenant Church in Mount Vernon, WA as Associate Pastor of Congregational Care.
Christine Rosell
Christine Rosell earned a BA in Business Communication and is married to Jack, a fellow North Park graduate. Together they have three children; one is a North Park alum, and one is a current student at North Park. Christine has previously served on the North Park Board of Trustees, from 2014鈥�2019. She was a member of the Finance Committee, Advancement Committee, and the Student Recruitment and Retention Committee. She also served as the liaison to the ECC Executive Board. Christine has previously worked in marketing for Covenant Retirement Communities (now Covenant Living) and has been an active volunteer in her local community. She and her family are longtime members of North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, IL.
Gricel Medina
(ECC Clergy)
Pastor Gricel Medina is ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church. She holds degrees from Oswego State University, Oral Roberts University, and the Centro Hispano Estudios Teologicos where she majored in Hispanic theological studies and minored in marriage and family counseling. Gricel has served as a bilingual church planter for the Evangelical Covenant Church as well as serving alongside the superintendent, giving leadership to Hispanic, Asian, and African American pastors. She has developed prayer summits for Hispanic congregations and has served on the board of the Hispanic Clergy Association, as well as the ECC Commission for Biblical Gender Equality. She publishes, speaks, and teaches about racial egalitarian justice. Pastor Gricel has published widely on biblical gender equality, mercy, and justice for CBE journals, the Covenant Companion, and Covenant Home Altar. She has received the Christians For Biblical Equality (CBE) International Lifetime Achievement Award and was the first Hispanic individual to serve two terms as chairperson of the ECC Commission on Biblical Gender Equality. In March 2019, she was featured as one of 11 鈥淲omen Shaping the Church鈥� by Sojourners. Gricel was born in New York to parents who migrated from Puerto Rico. She speaks, translates, writes, and preaches fluently in Spanish and English. Gricel and her husband, Luis, live in Carrollton, Texas.
Beth Fredrickson
Beth Fredrickson earned a BA in English from North Park and a master of arts in journalism at Marquette University. Beth is married to John, a fellow North Park alum, and together they have a daughter and two sons who all graduated from North Park. Beth has had a diverse career, beginning as a teacher at Mundelein High School, where she taught journalism for three years. After teaching, she served as the Church Relations Coordinator at Harbor Point Ministries from 1997鈥�99. During this time, Beth also worked as Public Relations Counsel at First Edition, until 2005 when she accepted a role at Bottom Line Marketing & Public Relations Firm as PR Counselor, then Senior PR Counselor, for 11 years. In October of 2016, she returned to Harbor Point Ministries as the Executive Director, a role she still serves in today.
Beth values volunteer service. In the City of Wauwatosa, WI, where she and John live, she has served as Chair of the Marketing Communications Advisory Committee as well as a general member. She co-founded the Historic Heights Neighborhood Association and has served in a variety of volunteer roles for the Wauwatosa School District. She also has served in many leadership roles at Milwaukee Evangelical Covenant Church. Finally, Beth has been an active member of the North Park community, serving on the Board of Trustees from 2014鈥揓une of 2019. During her service on the Board of Trustees, Beth served on the Academic Committee, Student Recruitment and Retention Committee, and the Committee on Trustees.
Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean, North Park Sociology and Criminal Justice Professor, researches and actively works with students and the community to upgrade the age-worn paradigm focus on violence to one of making peace profitable.
Sociology and Criminal Justice Professor Peter St. Jean Upgrades Paradigm from Violence to Peace
萝莉社, rooted in the Christian faith, engages its talented faculty to educate an intercultural student population on the importance of a peaceful society.
Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean
Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean, North Park Sociology and Criminal Justice Professor, researches and actively works with students and the community to upgrade the age-worn paradigm focus on violence to one of making peace profitable.
Focusing mainly on solutions to violence, St. Jean works directly with participants who have been conditioned, and rewarded, throughout their lives to concentrate their energy on violence. Instead, St. Jean shifts the attention in a positive direction, demonstrating a pathway towards living a life of peace.
Make a Living Out of Peace Rather Than Crime
鈥淰iolence has been made profitable through the costs of crime,鈥� said St. Jean. Through teaching and outreach efforts, says St. Jean, there is a noticeable paradigm upgrade away from participating in an economy of violence to being involved in building an economy of peace 鈥� making peace profitable.
鈥淧romoting the profits of peace 鈥� by showing disenfranchised communities that peace is a way of life 鈥� there is potential to realize a more peaceful Chicago, and world by extension,鈥� said St. Jean.
St. Jean operates his research and leads students in community outreach efforts through the Urban Peace Lab within the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at 萝莉社.
In the sum of its three distinctive attributes 鈥� Christian, city-centered, and thoroughly intercultural 鈥� 萝莉社 finds its unique value, its competitive advantage, and its opportunity to emerge as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America.
Since 2015, the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS) has been strengthening students鈥� relationships with North Park faculty as well as their research skills over the course of eight weeks.
Since 2015, the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS) has been strengthening students鈥� relationships with North Park faculty as well as their research skills over the course of eight weeks. While the presentations were delivered virtually on August 18th this year, the NPRESS tradition continued, providing the cohort of seniors with graduate-level research experience.
NPRESS offers undergraduates the opportunity to engage as one would in a graduate setting鈥攔equiring each research proposal to demonstrate merit, defined goals, and commitment.
This year鈥檚 NPRESS student cohort of seniors included:
Emmanuel Carrillo, Fine Art and Philosophy
Miakala Rath, Business Management
Gabrielle Rigg, History
Donna Shergarfi, Political Science and Communications
Emmanuel Carrillo
Emmanuel Carrillo
Titling his project 鈥淣ostalgia of the Present: Art and Design in Response to Cultural Hauntology,鈥� Emmanuel Carrillo, a Fine Art and Philosophy major, explored the philosophical idea of hauntology through art. Carrillo said, 鈥淢y mentor really helped me think about how art can respond to ideas from the academic world in various ways, which led me down interesting avenues. I ventured forth from my comfort zone in painting and drawing to more experimental work in performance and video art,鈥� said Carrillo on his work with Professor Kelly VanderBrug.
Miakala Rath
Mentored by Dr. Mark Gavoor, Miakala Rath, presented 鈥淨uality Transformation in Higher Education.鈥� Rath, a senior Business Management major, studied metrics and quality transformation models to measure improvement in higher education.
Gabrielle Rigg
Gabrielle Rigg
Gabrielle Rigg, who is majoring in History and will be graduating this fall, collaborated with Dr. Sarah Doherty to present 鈥淯nlikely Neighbor: The Relationship between Anglo and Japanese Farmers in the Central Valley of California during World War II.鈥� Inspired to continue her project, Rigg said, 鈥淭he online NPRESS experience required Dr. Doherty and I to adapt our original aims of this project, but I am thankful I was able to conduct remote interviews and I will hopefully continue this research in the future.鈥�
Donna Shergarfi
As a senior majoring in Political Science and Communications, Donna Shergarfi conducted research of the appropriation of Black culture under the mentorship of Dr. Daniel White Hodge. During the virtual event, Shergarfi presented 鈥淜eeping up with the Kim: An Ethnonarrative of the Kardashian Empire.鈥�
North Park’s NPRESS graduates have applied their research experience, moving on to a range of graduate studies including STEM, sociology, and philosophy.
萝莉社 jumped 22 spots in the 2021 Midwest regional rankings, U.S. News & World Report announced today. The nearly 3,000 student campus community on Chicago鈥檚 near northside 鈥� with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio moved from 61 up to 39 this year out of 87 schools.
萝莉社 Rankings Jump in 2021 U.S. News & World Report
Midwest Regional Rankings Climb 22 Spots
Chicago, Illinois 鈥� September 14, 2020 鈥� (North Park) jumped 22 spots in the 2021 Midwest regional rankings, U.S. News & World Report announced today. The nearly 3,000 student campus community on Chicago鈥檚 near northside 鈥� with a 12:1 student-to-faculty ratio moved from 61 up to 39 this year out of 87 schools.
In the sum of its three distinctives 鈥� Christian, city-centered, and thoroughly intercultural 鈥� North Park finds its unique value, its competitive advantage, and its opportunity to continue this upward trajectory and emerge as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America.
The Midwest regional rankings also measured: Campus Ethnic Diversity, Social Mobility, and Best Undergraduate Teaching.
Campus Ethnic Diversity
North Park tied for third most diverse institution in the region. 鈥淣orth Park is a thoroughly intercultural institution fully committed to the success of every student,鈥� 聽said North Park President Mary K. Surridge, 鈥渁nd we were encouraged to recently be named a Hispanic Serving Institution.鈥�
The University鈥檚 Office of Diversity and Intercultural Life helps students of all backgrounds feel welcome and included. 鈥淐ultural clubs, student success programming, and advocacy are just a few ways we support students in our missional commitment to prepare them for lives of significance and service,鈥� Surridge said.
College-bound students who seek a diverse environment will appreciate North Park鈥檚 thoroughly intercultural campus.
Social Mobility
North Park ranked 14th out of 87 in Social Mobility 鈥� as measured by graduated students who received federal Pell grants.
鈥淣orth Park鈥檚 active recruitment of promising Pell-eligible students compels our responsibility to support them in achieving their goals, preparing them to contribute to their families, the workforce, and their faith communities,鈥� Surridge said.
Best Undergraduate Teaching
North Park was one of only 17 schools recognized for Best Undergraduate Teaching, based on responses to a 2020 U.S. News peer assessment survey of college presidents, provosts, and admissions鈥� deans.
鈥淎t North Park, our talented and committed faculty embraces the extraordinary opportunity to educate a thoroughly intercultural student population, in the world-class city of Chicago, at a University deeply rooted in the Christian faith,鈥� Surridge said.
ABOUT聽NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY聽
is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st Century America.
The Reverend Doctor Cordy Tindell 鈥淐.T.鈥� Vivian 鈥� a giant of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s as a field lieutenant and close friend of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a lifelong advocate for racial justice 鈥� died in Atlanta on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the age of 95.
IN MEMORIAM
The Reverend Doctor Cordy Tindell 鈥淐.T.鈥� Vivian 鈥� a giant of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s as a field lieutenant and close friend of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a lifelong advocate for racial justice 鈥� died in Atlanta on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the age of 95.
For his Christian ministry, his commitment to nonviolence, and his decades of leadership and advocacy for racial justice, 萝莉社 awarded Vivian an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at Commencement on May 12, 2007. The presentation was given by Dr. Mary Trujillo, Professor Emeritus of Communications Arts.
鈥淚t is simply not possible to list in this short time all the activities and accomplishments of Rev. C.T. Vivian,鈥� Dr. Trujillo said in presenting the degree. 鈥淣or is it possible to fully grasp the degree of self-sacrifice, courage, and determination that he possesses. The full impact of the work of C.T. Vivian is of such magnitude that it can only be seen from the perspective of history.鈥�
Reverend Doctor Cordy Tindell Vivian receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Vivian was born on July 30, 1924, in Boonville, Missouri, and moved as a child to Macomb, Illinois, where he graduated from Macomb High School in 1942 and attended Western Illinois University. He participated in the desegregation of Barton鈥檚 Cafeteria in Peoria in 1947. He studied and prepared for ministry at the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he learned Mohandas Gandhi’s nonviolent direct-action strategy and joined the Nashville Student Movement in 1959 鈥� launching what was to become a storied career as an icon of peaceful protest and the Civil Rights Movement.
Vivian helped found the Nashville Christian Leadership Conference and organized the first sit-ins in that city. In 1960 he led 4,000 peaceful demonstrators to City Hall where he met with Nashville Mayor Ben West. As a result of that meeting, West publicly declared that racial discrimination is morally wrong. Vivian participated in the Freedom Rides, in which activists rode interstate buses into the Southern states to protest their failure to comply with U.S. Supreme Court rulings that banned segregated public transportation. He worked with King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, serving as the national director of affiliates. After the Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches in 1965, Vivian launched an educational program that gave college scholarships to 702 Alabama students. That program later became Upward Bound, a federal program to provide college opportunities for low-income first-generation students.
In 1970, Vivian published Black Power and the American Myth, the first book about the Civil Rights Movement written by a member of King鈥檚 inner circle. In it he wrote that 鈥淚t was Martin Luther King who removed the Black struggle from the economic realm and placed it in a moral and spiritual context. It was on this plane that The Movement first confronted the conscience of the nation.鈥�
After leaving Dr. King’s Executive Staff, Dr. Vivian trained ministers and developed the urban curriculum for seminaries throughout the nation at the Urban Training Center in Chicago. He returned to seminary education as the Dean of Divinity at Shaw University Seminary.
In 1977 Vivian founded a consultancy called BASICS, the Black Action Strategies and Information Center, and in 1979 with Anne Braden of Louisville, Kentucky, he founded the National Anti-Klan Network, which later became the Center for Democratic Renewal, where people of all races worked together to combat white supremacist activities. He served in Jesse Jackson鈥檚 presidential campaign in 1984, as national deputy director for clergy. Jackson had been one of Vivian鈥檚 first students at the Urban Training Center.
Vivian was an analyst in the 14-part PBS civil rights documentary Eyes on the Prize and was the subject of a PBS special, The Healing Ministry of Dr. C.T. Vivian.
President Barack Obama 鈥� speaking at Selma’s Brown Chapel on the March 2007, anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches 鈥� recognized Vivian in his opening remarks, saying King had referred to Vivian as “the greatest preacher to ever live.”
In 2008, Vivian founded the C.T. Vivian Leadership Institute to train a new generation of grass-roots leaders.
On August 8, 2013, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
Vivian died on the same day as his friend and fellow civil rights leader, U.S. Representative John Lewis.
Peace be to the memories聽of Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian and Rep. John Lewis.
North Park Ensures Equitable Access to Higher Education for 2020-2021 Applicants.
萝莉社 has long reviewed its applicants on a holistic basis鈥攇rade point average, rigor of high school curriculum, perseverance, extra-curricular activities, and standardized test scores are all considered towards meeting admission criteria.
With the onset of COVID-19 shelter-in-place across the country, students who didn’t already take the SAT and ACT in the Fall 2019 or early Winter 2020, were not able to sit for the exam in Spring 2020. Re-instated test dates for Summer and Fall 2020 still have the potential to be canceled.
The decision for聽North Park to go test-optional was approved by聽萝莉社听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge聽to accommodate all students. The decision is a natural one.聽North Park聽is an institution that has always valued the diverse strengths of its student body that come in many forms鈥攁cademics, athletics, intercultural background, drive to succeed, and contributions to society.
The application process for 2020-2021 will emphasize the whole student, as it always has, just without an SAT/ACT test score. The University not only rewards what students accomplish in the classroom and their test scores but also what they bring outside of the classroom and to their communities.
The decision to go test-optional for 2020-2021 admissions is about ensuring equitable access to higher education. “We want all of our students to have the ability to apply, be admitted, and receive financial aid without a test date dictating this timeline,” said聽Anthony Scola,听North Park’s聽Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing.
By removing the SAT/ACT requirement,听North Park is honoring what can be an obstacle in meeting admission criteria. “Many students have had their SAT/ACT canceled and we want our applicants to know we recognize this challenge,” said Scola.
Dropping the SAT/ACT removes a barrier to entry, an ongoing higher education debate. Going test-optional long-term is yet to be determined. What聽North Park聽admission’s committee does recognize is the 2020-2021 class experienced significant change in their learning.
“The 2020-2021 class offers unique qualities in its own way by having to pivot its learning platform during an unprecedented time,” said Scola.
萝莉社 (North Park) has been recognized for its honorable commitment to engaged, experiential education by Colleges of Distinction, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary as a one-of-a-kind guide for college-bound students.
Chicago, Illinois鈥擩une 12, 2020
(North Park) has been recognized for its honorable commitment to engaged, experiential education by , which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary as a one-of-a-kind guide for college-bound students. Colleges of Distinction boasts its longstanding support for student-centered schools that traditional rankings often overlook. As an institution whose primary goals are based on student success and satisfaction, North Park confirms its honor as one of the renowned Colleges of Distinction.
Founder Wes Creel traces Colleges of Distinction鈥檚 beginnings back to when he was helping his eldest daughter search for schools. The institutions that dominated the rankings were drowning out all the others, and not speaking to what the student experience would be like. He then created Colleges of Distinction to draw more attention to schools like North Park whose student-centered education prevails in applying theory to practice while fostering a dynamic learning community.
While higher education has changed over the last 20 years, Colleges of Distinction鈥檚 selection process has stayed consistent鈥攃onducting in-depth research and detailed interviews with the schools themselves about each institution鈥檚 freshman experience and retention efforts alongside its general education programs, career development, strategic plan, student satisfaction, and more鈥攁nd accepting only those that adhere to the Four Distinctions: Engaged Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, and Successful Outcomes. Overlaid in the last few years have been a look into High-Impact Practices. This model prioritizes the opportunities institutions have for students that make for a fulfilling, individualized college experience.
鈥淓ach school is different, just as every student is different,鈥� said Creel. 鈥淭here is no number-one college for everyone, so we never rank those in our cohort.鈥� North Park鈥檚 inclusion is informed by the unique ways it commits to achieving success.
Creel and his colleagues found that the most pervasive ranking systems rely on metrics like peer reputation, size of endowment, and alumni salaries. They knew instead that most critical to the student experience were the kinds of engaging experiences that are found at North Park鈥檚 experiential-based learning programs (Catalyst 606), service-learning programs, diversity and global learning programs, living-learning communities (CRUX), study abroad programs, and internships.
Creel continued, 鈥淚t鈥檚 inspiring to see North Park commit to the learning styles and community involvement that will best allow their students to thrive.鈥�
萝莉社 Colleges of Distinction
Since 2000, Colleges of Distinction has been committed to honoring schools throughout the U.S. for true excellence in higher education. The member schools within the Colleges of Distinction consortium distinguish themselves through their dedicated focus on the undergraduate experience. Its website provides dynamic college profiles, customized tools, and resources for students, parents, and high school counselors. For more information, and to learn how to become a College of Distinction, visit .
Kelly (Sladkey) Vetter, North Park School of Education C鈥�11 (BEEd, Magna Cum Laude) talks about her day as a Chicago Public School (CPS) teacher in a Channel NBC 5 series, Coronavirus in Illinois: A Day in the Life During the Pandemic.
Kelly (Sladkey) Vetter C鈥�11 talks about her day as a Chicago Public School (CPS) teacher in a Channel NBC 5 series, .
A third-generation Viking and former member of the Graduates of the Last Decade (GOLD) Committee, Vetter currently teaches science and social studies to seventh- and eighth-graders. As a special education teacher with CPS, Vetter is passionate about co-teaching in an inclusion setting.
Sitting at her kitchen table while her one-year-old son naps, Vetter manages her dual role as stay-at-home mom engaging her three-year-old son in a 15-minute activity alongside developing remote learning plans to add to students鈥� Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Later in the day, Vetter perches her laptop on a box containing toddler supplies while reviewing vocabulary words with a student.
To see Vetter鈥檚 first-hand experience balancing stay-at-home parenting with distance teaching, watch the Channel NBC 5 feature video .
Sommar (Johnson) Otfinoski, North Park School of Nursing C鈥�13 (BSN) and G鈥�20 (MSN), talks about her day as an ICU nurse caring for COVID-19 patients in an NBC 5 Chicago series, Coronavirus in Illinois: A Day in the Life During the Pandemic.
Sommar (Johnson) Otfinoski C鈥�13 G鈥�20 talks about her day as an ICU nurse caring for COVID-19 patients in an NBC 5 Chicago series, Coronavirus in Illinois: A Day in the Life During the Pandemic.
A third-generation Viking, Otfinoski聽currently works at Swedish Hospital. Alongside other Day in the Life stories, including a North Park alum CPS teacher, social worker, and truck driver, Otfinoski tours Swedish Hospital鈥檚 medical supply storage closet, hallways, and patient room. Humbly describing the intensity of the long shifts caring for COVID-19 patients, the overflow of patients, and seriousness of the virus, Otfinoski聽embodies North Park鈥檚 School of Nursing distinctives 鈥� collaborative, skillful, passionate, ethical, and knowledgeable.
To see Otfinoski’s first-hand experience on the floor of Swedish Hospital as an ICU nurse, watch the NBC 5 Chicago feature video “.”
Author Ellen AlmerPosted on Categories Announcement, Stories
Michael Harper earned a BA in economics from 萝莉社 in 1980. From 1978鈥�80, he led the North Park Vikings to three consecutive Men鈥檚 Basketball NCAA Division III National Championships. His jersey (#33) was retired in 1981, and in 1988 he was entered into the 萝莉社 Viking Hall of Fame. In 2005 Michael was honored with the 萝莉社 Distinguished Alumni Award.
Joanna (Ericson) Kanakis is a 2006 magna cum laude graduate of 萝莉社 with dual degrees in philosophy and French. As a student, she was a Presidential Scholar, sang in the University Choir, received the Lindahl Prize for Excellence in Philosophy, and studied abroad in Paris for a semester. Joanna grew up attending Faith Covenant Church in Wheaton, IL, and is the daughter of Theodore (C鈥�72) and Meredith (C鈥�72) Ericson and granddaughter of the late Anne (C鈥�46) and the late Leslie Daniel (C鈥�46) Ericson. Her sisters, Katherine (C鈥�01) and Elizabeth (C鈥�98) also graduated from North Park.
Curtis (S鈥�08) is the 萝莉社 Board of Trustees ECC Superintendent Representative. He received his master of arts in Christian ministry and theology with high honors. He attended the University of Oklahoma as an undergraduate and earned a BA in mathematics in 1992. He also attended Regent College in Vancouver, BC, from 2000鈥�04, focusing on theological studies. Curtis, who has both Russian and Inupiaq heritage, grew up in Unalakleet, Alaska, and identifies as Alaskan Native. He is the first Alaskan Native leader to serve as superintendent of the Alaska Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a role he has held since 2011. Previously, he served as Associate Pastor at Unalakleet Covenant Church, Campus Pastor at Alaska Christian College, Director of Admissions at Alaska Christian College, and Field Director for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska. Curtis and his wife, Kristi, have one daughter and two sons.
Karen Stein graduated from 萝莉社 in 1972 and earned her JD degree in 2005 from John F. Kennedy University. She is a retired attorney-at-law who was self-employed and specialized in elder law, estate planning, and trust administration. Before law school she was employed at International Business Machines in Systems Engineering and Sales from 1975 to 2000. She is a member of the State Bar of California (inactive). She and her husband, Richard (Rich), have two adult children and four grandchildren. Karen and Rich are members of Crossroads Covenant Church in Greely, CO.
Sally Carlson graduated from 萝莉社 with dual degrees in biblical and theological studies and in Spanish. She earned her MA in Christian Formation and MBA from North Park Theological Seminary in 2011. Sally is also an alumnus and former staff member of Covenant Bible College in Strathmore, AB. She has served in a variety of ways throughout the ECC, including serving on the CHIC Council for CHIC 2015, as a member of the ECC Executive Board, and was the Financial Officer for the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada. She is married to fellow Seminary alum Daniel G. Larson. Sally has previously served as a pastor at Norquay Covenant Church in Saskatchewan (where she co-pastored with her husband) and at Hope Community Covenant Church in Strathmore, Alberta. In 2019, Sally joined the staff of Bethany Covenant Church in Mount Vernon, WA as Associate Pastor of Congregational Care.
Christine Rosell earned a BA in Business Communication and is married to Jack, a fellow North Park graduate. Together they have three children; one is a North Park alum, and one is a current student at North Park. Christine has previously served on the North Park Board of Trustees, from 2014鈥�2019. She was a member of the Finance Committee, Advancement Committee, and the Student Recruitment and Retention Committee. She also served as the liaison to the ECC Executive Board. Christine has previously worked in marketing for Covenant Retirement Communities (now Covenant Living) and has been an active volunteer in her local community. She and her family are longtime members of North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, IL.
Pastor Gricel Medina is ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church. She holds degrees from Oswego State University, Oral Roberts University, and the Centro Hispano Estudios Teologicos where she majored in Hispanic theological studies and minored in marriage and family counseling. Gricel has served as a bilingual church planter for the Evangelical Covenant Church as well as serving alongside the superintendent, giving leadership to Hispanic, Asian, and African American pastors. She has developed prayer summits for Hispanic congregations and has served on the board of the Hispanic Clergy Association, as well as the ECC Commission for Biblical Gender Equality. She publishes, speaks, and teaches about racial egalitarian justice. Pastor Gricel has published widely on biblical gender equality, mercy, and justice for CBE journals, the Covenant Companion, and Covenant Home Altar. She has received the Christians For Biblical Equality (CBE) International Lifetime Achievement Award and was the first Hispanic individual to serve two terms as chairperson of the ECC Commission on Biblical Gender Equality. In March 2019, she was featured as one of 11 鈥淲omen Shaping the Church鈥� by Sojourners. Gricel was born in New York to parents who migrated from Puerto Rico. She speaks, translates, writes, and preaches fluently in Spanish and English. Gricel and her husband, Luis, live in Carrollton, Texas.
Beth Fredrickson earned a BA in English from North Park and a master of arts in journalism at Marquette University. Beth is married to John, a fellow North Park alum, and together they have a daughter and two sons who all graduated from North Park. Beth has had a diverse career, beginning as a teacher at Mundelein High School, where she taught journalism for three years. After teaching, she served as the Church Relations Coordinator at Harbor Point Ministries from 1997鈥�99. During this time, Beth also worked as Public Relations Counsel at First Edition, until 2005 when she accepted a role at Bottom Line Marketing & Public Relations Firm as PR Counselor, then Senior PR Counselor, for 11 years. In October of 2016, she returned to Harbor Point Ministries as the Executive Director, a role she still serves in today.
