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.
Roseland Portrait Project, the Carlson Tower Gallery’s current exhibit, was featured in ABC 7 News’ Localish program.
Roseland Portrait Project, the Carlson Tower Gallery’s current exhibit, was featured in ABC 7 News’ Localish program. The 310-panel exhibit features 404 portraits of residents of Roseland, a Far South Side neighborhood of Chicago with a history of disinvestment and crime.
Roseland Christian Ministries commissioned John Bakker to paint the project to commemorate the life of Percy Julian High School star athlete Andre Taylor, who was shot to death in 2016. The exhibit includes Roseland residents from all backgrounds and vocations, from aldermen and business owners to children and homeless residents. Bakker said his motivation for the project is rooted in his belief that all people matter.
The portraits are on view through Tuesday, January 17, and will eventually reside at Roseland Christian Ministries at 109th Street and Michigan Avenue.
萝莉社 has launched the Center for Civic Engagement, an outgrowth of its Catalyst 606 program in which the university’s faculty and students will work with community leaders to strengthen the important work they’re doing in Chicago’s听neighborhoods. As part of the initiative,听North Park will also offer a Public Policy major beginning in fall 2023.
“The main idea is to build more of a city-centered ethos on campus, and to augment North Park’s commitment to the just flourishing of cities by honoring the work that is going on in neighborhoods,” said Richard Kohng, assistant vice president for the Center of Civic Engagement.
The center enacts this mission through four core divisions: the Catalyst Hub; the Community Assets and Program Evaluation Consortium; the Community Development Hub; and through public policy engagement.
“The Center for Civic Engagement elevates听North Park’s unique distinctives as a Christian, city-centered, intercultural university,” North Park听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge said. “Faculty and students learning and working alongside community leaders across Chicago听is yet another example of听North Park living into its mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.”
As part of the center, faculty will provide their specialized expertise to community groups for a reduced fee. For instance, Assistant Professor of Psychology Amy Governale will provide at-cost guidance on program development for organizations that lack the resources to do so themselves.
“A lot of locally led groups don’t see the money they should from grants or philanthropy,” Kohng said. “This will help level the playing field.”
Students will be involved as well, via the Catalyst Hub. Since 2017, students have participated in a designated civic engagement block every Wednesday afternoon. The schedule allows immersive learning experiences to be incorporated into classes across the curriculum, Kohng said.
Building on Catalyst’s success, the new program will incorporate a consortium that allows students to work on real-time projects that benefit community groups. For example, a business class might work on a marketing campaign for a fundraising drive, or a math class could analyze data related to program participants.
The center will be led by a board of community leaders from across the city, and with the guidance of partner Transform Capital鈥攁 nonprofit lending initiative cofounded by Paul Hawkinson, a professor in听North Park’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management.
萝莉社 Orchestra with composer Jonathan Beard and lyricist Minita Gandhi at the American Geophysical Conference 2022.
North Park’s University Orchestra making an impact on our environment. It is the first carbon-neutral and net-zero university orchestra in the US, balancing and reducing 82 tons of carbon emissions this year in collaboration with the United Nations Carbon Offset Platform.
The orchestra, conducted by Professor Tom Zelle, recently performed at the American Geophysical Union Conference in Chicago. They performed “In Nomine Terra Calens: In the Name of a Warming Earth”, a piece that demonstrates the earth’s rise in temperature through pitch. The orchestra also met and worked with Emmy award-winning composer, Jonathan Beard on a piece he wrote addressing climate change and the need for action called, “Rising Tide.”
In addition, Zelle has been working with composer and scientist Lucy Jones on the Tempo Project which brings together climate scientists and engineers, social scientists, and musicians to explore the ways in which music can be used to change the emotional climate about climate change.
North Park alum Erika Rees-Punia C鈥�10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.
Erika Rees-Punia C鈥�10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.
North Park alumna Erika Rees-Punia C鈥�10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society which found adult cancer survivors who have a recent history of chemotherapy are at an increased risk for bone fractures.听
Rees-Punia, who graduated with her bachelor’s degree in exercise science, went on to receive her PhD from University of Georgia and has previously been a research fellow and intern at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Cancer Institute.听听
In true North Park fashion, Rees-Punia also co-leads the ACS Health Equity workgroup, which aims to lessen health disparities in vulnerable communities. For more information on her cutting-edge research, visit .听
Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) took wedding photos on campus where they met eight years ago.
Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) returned to campus to take wedding photos eight years after they met at Hanson Hall.
“萝莉社 is such a big part of our love story, it’s in the center of it really.”听
Jordan Carmon (’17) and Onella Piyatilake (’16, MA ’19) met at Hanson Hall in 2014. The two became fast friends with their inverted majors and minors 鈥� Carmon, a business major with a music minor, and Piyatilake a vocal performance major and business minor.听听
Their friendship evolved while performing together across concert band and choir and the pair began dating. After their June 11 wedding, Piyatilake said both she and Carmon knew exactly where to take their wedding pictures:听
One feature of the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center is a green roof that covers the top of the sustainably built structure with native plants and shrubs, cooling the ceilings below and slowing rainwater from running off the building.
Some of the effects of the Johnson Center’s green roof include reduced noise, cooler temperatures, and better air flow.
Did you know: the city of Chicago can be more than twodegrees hotter than the surrounding suburbs due to a “heat island effect”? The effect describes the phenomenon of large cities trapping heat within their crowded streets and tall, metal buildings.听 听 While two degrees may not sound like much, the slight change in temperature can heat up buildings and waterways just enough to harm the animal and human life that live within them.听 听 One feature of the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center is a green roof that covers the top of the sustainably built structure with native plants and shrubs, cooling the ceilings below and slowing rainwater from running off the building. The added landscaping gives water enough time to cool down before draining back into the nearby river.听 听 Students can feel the effects of the green roof鈥攕uch as reduced noise, cooler temperatures, and better air flow鈥搘hile walking around the Johnson Center.听
Student Government hosted a 90-minute self-defense workshop with IMPACT Chicago.
SGA hosted a 90-minute self-defense workshop for students.
“You don’t want to be the aggressor, but you do want to show that you’re ready,” said IMPACT Chicago instructor Deb Mier to a group of 20 North Park students at a self-defense class Wednesday.听听
The 90-minute workshop was hosted by SGA and was highly requested by students.听听
“We’ve been trying to pay attention to issues on campus and what we found was that many particularly female-identifying students didn’t feel safe at times,” said SGA President Labrene Efstathiou. 鈥淭hat is not so much a North Park issue, but an issue with living in a big city.”听
Students at the event were taught how to use their verbal skills first, walk with confidence, and practiced kicking and striking pads.听
Students can access one of four 3D printers for free in the Johnson Center’s engineering hub.
Four 3D printers are available for students to use.
What do a plastic Samurai sword, a trophy, and dentures have in common? They’re all items students can (and have) printed for FREE using one of four 3D printers available in the Johnson Center engineering hub. The printers are managed by North Park Engineering Club execs who said they want more students to know about the free option to print whatever they’d like.听听
“Your imagination is really the limit,” said junior Cbten Alyasiry听
Students can print any object they’d like, within reason. Free websites online provide 3D files for figurines, game pieces, and club trophies. From there a student will have their design approved, find a time to come in and get their object after about two to eight hours of print time.听听
“People think it’s just for engineering students but it’s for everyone,” said engineering club co-president Connor Elliott. “I want to help 3D print some cool stuff.”听
The Engineering Club is hosting a meeting Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m. to show students how to utilize the printer programs.听
Amidst a year of record undergraduate enrollment,听萝莉社 has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as a top Regional University and one of the best schools for Social Mobility and Undergraduate Teaching.
A record 476 first-year students enrolled for the fall 2022 semester despite challenges including the continued effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and a decrease in the number of high school graduates choosing to attend college.
“This incoming class [of 476 students] means that we have put together back-to-back classes at this level, with record numbers of first-time, first-year students,” said听North Park听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge. “In the current higher education landscape and recruiting space, this is a significant achievement and indicates several encouraging things.”
“North Park听is a compelling university of choice for prospective students, and our recruitment staff has done a great job of identifying and cultivating new students,” President Surridge said. “Students have choices, and they are choosing听North Park.”
This is the second year in a row that听North Park’s incoming class has broken enrollment records, with the school welcoming 464 first-year students in 2021. This year’s class includes students from 30 countries and 30 states, with the majority coming from听Illinois.
In the U.S. News and World Report annual rankings,听North Park听was ranked #39 for best Regional Universities in the Midwest (a position it has held since 2020); #15 for Top Performers on Social Mobility; and #20 for Best Undergraduate Teaching.
The social mobility ranking means North Park excels at helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds enroll and finish college.
In its latest annual ranking, U.S. News and World Report took into account 17 measures of academic quality at 1,500 degree-seeking institutions. The magazine also considers student satisfaction, attending costs, and campus life in determining its rankings.
萝莉社’s School of Professional Studies (SPS) will partner with the College of DuPage听(COD) in听Glen Ellyn in a program that guarantees COD transfer students admission to North Park.
Even before students transfer to North Park, the two schools will collaborate to seamlessly guide students from their associate degree at COD to completing their bachelor’s degrees at North Park.
“This agreement formalizes and elevates an excellent new partnership that gives students of the College of DuPage an opportunity to complete their bachelor’s degrees at 萝莉社, in the world-class city of听Chicago,” said听North Park听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge. “We are delighted to provide this life-changing opportunity for so many students.”
SPS Dean Lori Scrementi said the two schools “hope to create a community of learning for all, not only with fellow students but with faculty and staff, to build a strong, supportive network before, during, and after their time at听萝莉社.”
Scrementi said that with its integration of Christian, intercultural, and city-centered values, SPS gives students tools for lifelong learning and a strong sense of community-focused decision-making. Faculty and staff bring the wisdom gained from their professions and vocations into their positions at North Park.
COD’s provost, Mark Curtis-Ch谩vez, said the institutional partnership between the schools “reflects our mutual and intentional level of commitment to providing students a clear pathway towards a timely degree in a growing number of academic programs.”
He added: “We look forward to continued collaboration with听North Park听as we develop new ways to best support students.”
Founded in 1967, the College of DuPage听is a community college serving students in听Chicago’s听western suburbs. Firmly rooted in its community, it is also committed to reflecting the needs and demands of an ever-changing world.
Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories News, Stories
