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’s global reach and outlook.
After 125 years, we’ve learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don’t see what you’re 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’s 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.
North Park University launches Center for Civic Engagement.
North Park University 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 neighborhoods. As part of the initiative, 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 North Park’s unique distinctives as a Christian, city-centered, intercultural university,” North Park President Mary K. Surridge said. “Faculty and students learning and working alongside community leaders across Chicago is yet another example of 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—a nonprofit lending initiative cofounded by Paul Hawkinson, a professor in North Park’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management.
North Park alum Erika Rees-Punia C’10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.
Erika Rees-Punia C’10 was part of a major study published this month by the American Cancer Society.
North Park alumna Erika Rees-Punia C’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.
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.
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 https://bit.ly/3G2EhDf.
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.
“NPU is such a big part of our love story, it’s in the center of it really.”
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 — Carmon, a business major with a music minor, and Piyatilake a vocal performance major and business minor.
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:
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. 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. 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. Students can feel the effects of the green roof—such as reduced noise, cooler temperatures, and better air flow–while walking around the Johnson Center.
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.
The 90-minute workshop was hosted by SGA and was highly requested by students.
“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. “That is not so much a North Park issue, but an issue with living in a big city.”
Students at the event were taught how to use their verbal skills first, walk with confidence, and practiced kicking and striking pads.
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.
“Your imagination is really the limit,” said junior Cbten Alyasiry
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.
“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.”
The Engineering Club is hosting a meeting Wednesday morning at 11:30 a.m. to show students how to utilize the printer programs.
North Park University has appointed Rev. Dennis R. Edwards, PhD as Dean of North Park Theological Seminary and Vice President for Church Relations. He will report directly to North Park President Mary K. Surridge and serve as a member of her senior leadership team, beginning August 1, 2022.
Rev. Dennis R. Edwards
Rev. Dr. Edwards, ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church, is a highly accomplished New Testament Scholar with more than 25 publications to his credit, most recently on Biblical affirmation that black lives matter.
“We are blessed indeed to have Rev. Dr. Edwards in this position,” President Surridge said. “I have full confidence in his leadership, his discipleship and our partnership. I know he will continue the Seminary’s entrepreneurial spirit while assuring an exceptional educational experience for each and every student. And I look forward to the strategic and innovative thinking, and the pastoral presence, that he will bring to the senior team.”
The Seminary is well known for innovation in higher theological education. In addition to the residential campus in Chicago, and online classes, the Seminary has several forward-thinking programs including a master’s degree through its School of Restorative Arts (SRA), which operates inside two correctional facilities within the Illinois Department of Corrections. The SRA is a unique educational opportunity where inside and outside students study together in the same classroom inside the prisons.
Edwards has served as a professor of Biblical studies at eight institutions of higher learning over the past 24 years, including his first service to North Park Theological Seminary, where he taught Mobilizing for Justice in spring 2013 and has served as associate professor of New Testament since August 2019.
Edwards has written more than 25 publications: “1 Peter,” part of the Story of God Bible Commentary series; “What is the Bible and How Do We Understand It?”; and “Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice”. He is also a frequent contributor to Christianity Today magazine. His extensive professional activities also include lectures and presentations, podcasts and webinars, and service on numerous boards and steering committees.
Dean Edwards served for three decades in urban pastoral ministry. He was senior pastor of the Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis; founding pastor of Peace Fellowship Church in Washington, DC; associate and then lead pastor of Washington Community Fellowship on Capitol Hill; and founding pastor of New Community Church in Brooklyn, New York.
He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, his Master of Divinity (Urban Ministry) at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and both a Master of Arts and PhD in Biblical Studies from Catholic University of America.
“As I follow Jesus, I am continuing to grow in my love for God and love for my neighbors,” Edwards said. “I hope to encourage others to grow similarly in such love and trust that my decades of pastoral ministry along with my scholarly work will be helpful in this new opportunity at North Park. I look forward to working with the Seminary students, faculty, and staff, with the President and her senior team, and with the Covenant in this vital role.”
Jay Carstenbrock, chairman of the search committee and vice chairman of the North Park Board of Trustees, said Rev. Dr. Edwards “was the unanimous choice of the search committee, and strongly supported by faculty and staff at the Seminary. As an accomplished scholar, gifted teacher, collaborative leader, and dedicated Christ-follower, we have great confidence in his ability to lead North Park Theological Seminary as it carries out its mission: ‘With Christ at our center, we seek to educate and form missional leaders for the global church’.”
North Park is the University of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). The Seminary dean is the senior administrative officer of the University’s Seminary, responsible for assuring effective student learning, advancement of faculty scholarship, and stewardship of financial resources. As vice president for church relations, the dean is the primary liaison to the ECC in areas related to the education of ministerial candidates.
The unassuming “millionaire next door” who eventually earned her PhD, Wilma Peterson bequeathed almost her entire estate of more than $2.4 million to North Park University.
The unassuming “millionaire next door” who eventually earned her PhD, Wilma Peterson bequeathed almost her entire estate of more than $2.4 million to North Park University, marking a significant gift in the history of the University.
Peterson, who was 99 years old when she died in March 2020, worked and taught young nurses at nearby Swedish Hospital in the mid-1950s and early 1960s, when the hospital was affiliated with North Park and the Evangelical Covenant Church, where she also was a lifelong member and had her religious roots.
As her will decrees, the estate gift — which was fully received in October 2021 — will be divided between the North Park University School of Nursing and North Park Theological Seminary to establish named, endowed faculty chairs in both schools. Peterson, who began working with administrators around 2008 to establish the endowed gifts, lived a long and frugal life in a Portland suburb, which allowed the eventual gift to grow. Born to a large Canadian farming family in rural Saskatchewan in 1921, Peterson was the first in her family to go to university in 1942 and eventually earned her master’s degree in 1953 and a doctorate in 1977, in biology with an emphasis on human physiology because there were few nursing doctorates available.
“Wilma’s life highlights several elements of the North Park story, past, and present. That includes the determination and subsequent generosity of groundbreaking first-generation students who have been central to North Park’s culture since its founding in 1891 as a college for predominantly Swedish immigrants,” said North Park President Mary K. Surridge.
“Today, Wilma’s legacy promises to live on at North Park by providing a stellar education to many of our nursing and theological studies students, who are also often first-generation students with unique backgrounds of their own. Her story will inspire many of our students,” said Surridge.
Peterson became a United States citizen while working and teaching at Swedish Hospital. She attended North Park Covenant Church near North Park.
North Park is planning investiture ceremonies inducting selected professors into the Wilma E. Peterson faculty chairs.
Upon election of delegates gathering for the ECC’s annual meeting, in Kansas City, MO, June 23–25, Swanson-Draheim would become the first female president in the denomination’s history.
North Park University is delighted to congratulate Seminary alumna Rev. Tammy Swanson-Draheim on her nomination to stand for election as president of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Upon election of delegates gathering for the ECC’s annual meeting, in Kansas City, MO, June 23–25, Swanson-Draheim would become the first female president in the denomination’s history.
A lifelong Covenanter, Swanson-Draheim earned her MBA at North Park University and her Master of Divinity degree from the North Park Theological Seminary. She has served the ECC for more than 23 years, as chaplain at Covenant Home of Chicago, as lead pastor of First Covenant Church in Mason City, Iowa, and, since 2011, as superintendent of the Midwest Conference.
She was selected by the ECC’s 27-member Presidential Nominating Committee from a pool of more than 40 excellent candidates and six finalists.
Committee Chair Steve Dawson said, “the Holy Spirit confirmed in our votes what we had prayed for—clear discernment and unity of mind. Our process was bathed in prayer.”
As the University of the Evangelical Covenant Church, we at North Park are deeply grateful for the committee’s service to the church, and we thank God for Rev. Swanson-Draheim and for the many gifted leaders throughout our denomination!
Author Ana SeklerPosted on Categories News, Stories
