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.
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.
Nineteen North Park students enrolled in Methods in Social Research will attend the 2017 Illinois Sociological Association, seven of whom will present original research.
Nineteen North Park students enrolled in Methods in Social Research are heading to the 2017 Illinois Sociological Association meeting on November 17th,聽2017. The students will share seven presentations based on original research ideas developed in the course and as part of activities conducted through the Urban Peace Lab鈥� established and run by their instructor, Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Criminal Justice at North Park. Seven research abstracts were accepted for presentation on one panel and one roundtable.
On the panel, Dr. St. Jean will present a paper entitled, 鈥淐onducting Better News Research,鈥� which will provide the general conceptual framework for the students’ research. Dr. St. Jean will also introduce the students presenting on the following topics:
I AM NOT GOING BACK: Recidivism and Social Environment in Chicago
REVENGE WITHOUT VIOLENCE: How Residents of Chicago鈥檚 High Crime Neighborhoods聽Avenge Victimization Without Violence
PEACE WITHOUT GUNS: How Chicago Residents Within High Gun Violence Neighborhoods Resolve Conflicts Without the Use of Guns
THE UPRISE: Youth and Gang Avoidance in Chicago
POVERTY AND PEACE IN CHICAGO: Voices on the Ground
IN SPITE OF IT ALL: Triumph After Human Trafficking
Also attending and presenting papers on Visual Urban Peaceology are North Park alumnus and current University of Chicago graduate student,聽Eirik J. Berger, and current 萝莉社 Theatre and Communications student, Seanna Wong.聽The panel will be led by Dr. St. Jean鈥檚 presentation entitled 鈥淚ntroduction to Peaceology and Urban Peaceology: Findings from Multi-methods Research in Chicago.鈥� Eirik J. Berger and Seanna Wong will then present their papers respectively:
VISUAL URBAN PEACEOLOGY: Understanding and Amplifying Peace Intelligence in the聽Urban Context Through the Use of Visual Tools, Ethnography, Qualitative Data, and Media Research
THE ROLE OF THEATRE IN VISUAL URBAN PEACEOLOGY: Findings from Ground-Breaking Ethnographic Research and Activism in Chicago
鈥淚’m happy that these students get this opportunity to make history by being part of the research team that collectively introduces Peaceology, Urban Peaceology, and Better News Research for the first time to an academic conference. They have been working hard to conduct the best presentations, and I am confident that they will do well,鈥� said Professor St. Jean, chairperson of the Sociology Department at North Park.
Watch video footage of Dr. Timothy Johnson’s talk concerning the future of American healthcare.
September 14, 2017 鈥斅犅芾蛏� welcomed longtime ABC medical editor and North Park grad Dr. Timothy Johnson to discuss the future of American Health Care with 萝莉社 students.
The student-only event was held in the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, the building named in honor of Dr. Johnson and his wife.聽“We are extraordinarily privileged to benefit from Dr. Johnson’s vast knowledge of healthcare, and his willingness to share his insights, gained over a lifetime of service, with our students who are just starting their life’s work,” said聽North Park聽Interim President聽Carl Balsam. “We hope this will inspire many of our students to follow in his footsteps.”
The event was attended by over 200 students and was live streamed on North Park’s Facebook page.
Covenant Youth Collision partners with North Park for the second summer of Kids College, providing a safe and loving environment for neighborhood youth.
I followed Kids College and its staff throughout its six-week session at North Park this summer. I observed and interviewed North Park students on staff working with Kids College. These are my discoveries and the testimonies of North Park students who experienced working in their fields before they graduated.
By Stephen Nielsen
Kids College is a day camp for 3rd through 8th graders in the community. A program under the Covenant Youth Collision (CYC)鈥攁 non-profit organization of the Evangelical Covenant Church鈥擪ids College is directed by CYC Program Director Jamie Sladkey. This is her second year holding a director鈥檚 role at Kids College, and it is Kids College鈥檚 second consecutive year running. Last year鈥檚 debut program visited North Park鈥檚 campus for one day of each week on a field trip. This year, CYC and Kids College came to a three-day-a-week agreement with North Park to use its facilities for the camp.
鈥淚t is our dream to have the camp on North Park鈥檚 campus for all five days,鈥� said Sladkey in an interview, and recounted the inception of Kids College: 鈥渋n 2016, I was the interim program director of CYC, and within that, the program director for Kids College. We decided this in the spring, and then a week later started marketing for Kids College. There was a month between my appointment and the first week of Kids College. Last year it was four weeks, out of Ravenswood Covenant church; we came to North Park one day a week, and it was for 50 kids.鈥�
This year, numbers have increased to around 75 kids per week during the six-week program. Kids are eligible to participate in the program anywhere from one week to all six weeks, or any combination of weeks. Camp still takes place out of Ravenswood two days out of the week, the remainder out of North Park. 鈥淲e knew that we couldn鈥檛 only provide a three-day-a-week camp for kids, because for some parents they don鈥檛 have anywhere else to put them in the summer,鈥� said Sladkey. In some respects, Kids College is a substitute for day care for many families. The price of camp this year also reflects their demographics at camp. At only $99 per week鈥攚ith breakfast and lunch included鈥攁nd financial aid available, Kids College serves families in need in Albany Park and North Park communities.
The idea of a 鈥渒ids college鈥� stems from what the CYC has observed from kids all around the world:聽 spending their summers in front of the TV, not using nor reminding themselves of the knowledge between years in school. For Sladkey and the Kids College team, one of their goals is to 鈥渂ridge the education gap that kids have over the summer, between years. Kids lose so much of their academic knowledge; they just aren鈥檛 on top of things after spending a whole summer doing nothing, so we are intentional about our education modules.鈥�
How they accomplish this is by hiring North Park students with majors in key subject areas for their roles at camp. These students truly put their skills and knowledge to good use. Sid Smith IV, a music major and football player,聽was hired as the coach, teaching and entertaining the kids in a variety of sports during one of the three daily education modules. He had this to say at the beginning of camp, 鈥淚 have the love and heart to serve where it is needed. This is a good opportunity for me to get into a coaching role, something I hope to pursue as I get older.鈥�
Sid commented also on how his modules were a great time for the restless children; it was a time to release and focus their energy and have fun with their 鈥渃lassmates.鈥�
Like the kids during Sid鈥檚 modules who jumped into their game without instruction, so were the staff working like clockwork from the beginning of the day. They accepted the kids from 8:30 to 9:00am, then transitioned from breakfast into a time of worship. They all sang, maybe danced a little, and then a short message or story was shared by one of the staff members. Their time of worship was a time that the staff witnessed the kids at their most calm throughout the day.
RJ Gonzales worked as a camp counselor and was also the designated nurse. Whether minor or major injury, RJ was able to use his knowledge from his classes as a nursing major at North Park to assist and heal the kids who misstepped or accidentally cut themselves. While RJ felt most fulfilled at camp serving in this role, this summer has also taken a toll on him. 鈥淭his is the longest camp I have been a part of, and so as each day went on, it got more tiring and demanded a lot more from me physically, trying to keep up with the kids who only got more energized.鈥�
The staff regularly met after their long days. On Wednesdays, Sladkey set up a staff worship, 鈥渁 community dinner鈥攖o which people donated meals鈥攁nd we spent time worshiping and talking together.鈥� They also participated in team building activities during their staff training week.
Alexis Renko, elementary and special education major, and Amanda Huck, studying secondary education and English literature, were teachers for the duration of Kids College. They each had similar things to say about their experiences in the classroom. This being the first time that they had taken charge of their own classes, Alexis pointed out that they 鈥渟pend so much time learning about teaching in class, in theory, but we don鈥檛 get to put that knowledge into practice until senior year, so it鈥檚 cool that we get to start it a little bit early with this.鈥�
Alexis and Amanda both expressed the long hours of teaching outside of the classroom, realizing that a teaching position is more than just the hours spent in class keeping the children engaged, but also in preparing the lessons and getting the materials ready. The reality of summer classes combined with camp made it hard to find structure in the midst of the organized chaos. 鈥淭here is so much more flying by the seat of your pants and making things up on the spot and things not going according to plan,鈥� commented Alexis. 鈥淵ou can only plan so much because something is always going to change, or you鈥檒l realize that you forgot something, or it鈥檚 just not working, and in those cases, you have to think on the fly.鈥�
Even though Amanda鈥檚 classroom appeared to be in chaos during my initial observation period, she was very much in command of the space and it didn鈥檛 take long before the kids were putting their heads together and planning the construction of their bridge. Amanda attributed this command over the classroom to her commitment to the kids and the lessons, 鈥淚 have to be the most enthusiastic one in the room in order for the kids to like the lesson. If I don鈥檛 own my lesson, the kids aren鈥檛 going to buy into it at all.鈥�
Kids College, is both a time for scholastic deliberation and camp fun, allowing the counselors and teachers the flexibility to keep the environment safe, fun, and loving, without the pressure of having to pass out grades or keep a rigorous schedule. The teachers shared their favorite moments from camp this summer:
Alexis: When kids really enjoy something that I worked really hard on. Sometimes the kids don鈥檛 want to do school because it鈥檚 summer, but when there鈥檚 something that they are actually learning and they鈥檙e having a ton of fun and I get that feedback from them saying 鈥渢his is so fun鈥� or 鈥淚 really enjoyed that activity鈥� makes me so happy.
Amanda: My greatest joy was my blueberries (the 3rd and 4th graders; the blue group). I want to be a high school teacher, but these kids have turned out to be the children I never knew I needed. To see them grow as mini people, make friends, and to just watch them change for the past six weeks has just been the cutest thing that I did not know I needed.
RJ: I have a love for kids, and this camp allotted for religious freedom, so that allowed me to love without boundaries and show the love of Christ; we were able to be the hands and feet of Christ. Whenever a kid would smile or give me a hug, that鈥檚 what brought me joy. Seeing them sing worship songs, that鈥檚 when they were most calm during the day.
Sid: Seeing the kids have fun, being able to see them laugh and smile; that鈥檚 pure joy.
Most of all, Kids College鈥檚 goal is to provide 鈥渁 safe and loving environment for the kids in the summer, and that鈥檚 something we present to the kids at the beginning of the week, that all of our rules are to keep them safe, and to continually love them,鈥� said Sladkey.
Stephen Nielsen, C’19 is an English with Creative Writing and Media Studies double major at North Park. He is also a news and copy writer for North Park at University Marketing and Communications.
This is the Academy鈥檚 third year running, and North Park caught up with Dr. Choi to discuss this year鈥檚 program.
North Park’s Summer Science Academy runs for four weeks聽and includes six courses for high school juniors and seniors. Dr. Yoojin Choi, associate professor of biology at North Park, is the program coordinator of Summer Science Academy and regularly teaches classes on anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, and cancer biology. This is the Academy’s third year running, and North Park caught up with Dr. Choi to discuss this year’s program.
NP: Why is it important that North Park offer the Summer Science Academy?
Dr. Choi: The first and foremost goal of the program is to serve the local community. North Park is situated in a very diverse neighborhood; diverse in all kinds of measures. A lot of the students don鈥檛 have this kind of high-quality STEM experience. In any public school setting, there is a limited amount of time and resources. Having previously taught at the high school level, I know that with a mandated curriculum, it is sometimes difficult to do 鈥渇un things.鈥� So we want to give these students a high-quality experience in their local neighborhood; that鈥檚 our main goal.
NP: How many students participated this year?
Dr. Choi: This year we had 36 students, filling 41 seats. This means that multiple students took more than one course. We attracted a few more students than last year, and we are drawing from more schools than last year as well. When I look at where the students live, they鈥檙e mostly from around the neighborhood, but they go to school all over Chicago.
One exciting and interesting case this year is that we had a student from Jamaica. She found us on the internet, and she came from Jamaica to attend a course.
NP: How is STEM at North Park related to the Summer Science Academy?
Dr. Choi: In the big scale, all of STEM fields need more diversity鈥攇ender, ethnic, and socioeconomic. North Park is contributing to increasing the diversity in STEM fields. Exposing our neighbors to STEM early on, they’ll be encouraged to pursue an education in STEM fields. The expectation is that when these students see our facilities and interact with our professors, that they will become excited about STEM.
We do rely on donations year by year to allow the program to financially support those in need. Last year the Provost stepped up, and this year a retired professor funded scholarships. Last year we supported four students, this year five, and they are need-based.
NP: What kind of student would benefit from the Academy?
Dr. Choi: Our acceptance rate has been high because many of the students are so well qualified. The application website states that students who will do well and take the most advantage of the program have received A鈥檚 and B鈥檚 in their science courses. So far, with a couple exceptions, all have been A and B students.
We want to keep our class sizes small. The point of the program is to give students very hands-on, interactive experiences, and we can鈥檛 do that in a class size of 30-40 students. We cap the classes at 16 students; that is our maximum.
NP: The Academy takes place in the Johnson Center; what’s the utility of this building?
Dr. Choi:聽Another goal of ours is to use the state-of-the-art facilities North Park has to serve our community. You know, we built this fabulous new building, and it was underutilized during the summer months, so this gets students into and using the resources here. Utilizing the building during the summer when there aren鈥檛 many classes. It would be a waste not to use these great facilities.
Each course is not intended to be an extensive, in-depth kind of thing. We have a morning and an afternoon course, and each聽is only two and a half hours each day. We have two different types of courses, one that runs for four days, and one that runs for eight days. The schedule was constructed in such a way that if a given student wants to take every course, they can. This way, we also keep the Johnson Center facilities in use all day during the summer time.
NP: Do you incorporate faith into the Summer Science Academy?
Dr. Choi: In a direct way, we do not. However, during our first class this year, taught by Dr. Linda Vick, the first words to come out of her mouth was about God. All of our full-time faculty聽are Christians, and we are active in our faith lives, and I think that just rubs off. Faith is not a primary component of Summer Science Academy, but we rely on these personal interactions anyway.
NP: What is the benefit for North Park student teachers?
Dr. Choi: We have TAs for the programs. We have full-time professors teaching the courses with some help from North Park students working as TAs. It is a goal of mine to get more students involved for each course. The struggle we run into is that it is hard to get students to stay over the summer for just one week to be a TA while receiving minimal compensation. I am hoping to attract more funds so that we can train and mentor our North Park students and they, in turn, can mentor the high school students.
A synergy between this program and secondary education majors who are interested in science would be most ideal. Last year we had one Secondary Education and Biology student who did her NPRESS research on Summer Science Academy students; this is the synergy I want to see more. My hope is that we can groom the program so that it is a learning experience for our North Park students as well. The TAs will gain experience in mentoring, teaching some of the material, preparing and gaining knowledge on how labs and experiments are taught.
NP: What is your favorite Summer Science course?
Dr. Choi: That鈥檚 like asking to pick your favorite child! What our students like the best are the hands-on and inquiry-based classes. Then again, all of our courses are hands-on in one way or another. The biology, chemistry, and physics/engineering classes are by default hands-on. Our psychology and mathematics courses are hands-on in a different way, with lots of discussion and problem-solving. Students love courses in which they can take ownership of the lab, and not scripted activities. The complaint that I received last year was that the students wanted more time in the lab. This is an opportunity for the students to do their own experiments, with the time they need, something that they are unable to do in school.
Students from Chicago Public Schools competed to qualify for the national challenge.
Students from Chicago Public Schools competed to qualify for the national challenge
CHICAGO, March 20, 2017 鈥� For the second year in a row, 萝莉社 hosted the Chicago Public Schools 鈥淵ou Be The Chemist” competition. Twenty-three schools from across Chicagoland competed for trophies and bragging rights. North Park鈥檚 own Dr. Jonathan Reinstra-Kiracofe facilitated the Quiz Bowl, with representatives from each school answering tough questions about chemical compounds and processes.
Allie Parker, Out-of-School Time Manager for Chicago Public Schools, was thrilled to partner with North Park: “I love the facilities and the fact that CPS kids visit such a beautiful campus.” This event gives North Park some insight into the future of cutting-edge discovery. 鈥淔rom what we can see the next generation of science rocks blue and green hair, isn’t afraid to get messy, and will go fearlessly where no adults have gone before,鈥� commented Pamela Bozeman, North Park鈥檚 Senior Director of Career Development and Internships.
The You Be The Chemist Challenge庐 is an interactive academic contest that encourages students in grades 5-8 to explore chemistry concepts and their real-world applications. It provides the opportunity for CPS, North Park, and others to come together and show their support for STEM education.
North Park hosted a local challenge, which is a quiz bowl with several rounds of multiple choice questions. Students who score the highest will move on to the next level of competition with the top participant from each state advancing to the National Challenge in June.
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