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.
North Park University will increase its merit-based scholarship awards to transfer students by up to 25%, a move that will provide more access and should help traditional transfer students reach degree completion.
North Park University will increase its merit-based scholarship awards to transfer students by up to 25%, a move that will provide more access and should help traditional transfer students reach degree completion.
Under North Park’s new award structure, students will receive up to 18,000 annually, depending on their GPA. Transfer students with a GPA of 2.5 and above are eligible for the scholarships. This is the second time in five years North Park has increased its transfer scholarship amounts.
Associate Director of Transfer Admissions Malcolm Parker said, “At North Park University, scholarships serve as an indispensable bridge that enable our transfer students to reach their academic and personal aspirations. By providing financial support, we open doors of opportunity, ensuring each student can unlock their full potential and thrive in their educational journey.”
The scholarship increase is the latest example of how North Park supports its transfer students. North Park continues to offer transfer credit agreements with many Chicagoland community colleges. These agreements ease the transition from a two-year college to a four-year college, helping students transfer as many credits as possible.
North Park University is introducing an interdisciplinary public policy major that will incorporate social sciences, physical sciences, and the humanities.
To create graduates who become changemakers in their communities, North Park University is introducing an interdisciplinary public policy major that will incorporate social sciences, physical sciences, and the humanities.
Public policy programs equip students to create laws, regulations, civic budgets, and other programs that affect average citizens. Longtime North Park professor Dr. Jon Peterson is spearheading the program. The professor of politics and government said the major is perfect for students who want to improve their communities.
“Wherever you want to make a difference, you’re going to run into a government,” Peterson said. “Even if you want to change something through a community organization, you can’t do it without dealing with the government, so it’s vital to learn how the system works.”
The new major will require 36 semester hours of major coursework and 120 total credits for graduation. Course offerings will include American government, an introduction to public policy, and principles of microeconomics, among others. Students will also be strongly encouraged to intern during their studies.
Together, North Park’s Center for Civic Engagement and Politics and Government Department have developed internship partnerships with many organizations, including the offices of U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, the State of Illinois Governor’s Office, and the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office.
Public policy majors can further tailor their area of study to suit their interests by adding a minor. For instance, students focusing on environmental issues can combine the public policy major with a biology minor. Peterson said the major is flexible and comprehensive in scope, allowing students to work in various fields.
Public policy graduates tend to secure jobs in civil service at all levels of government, from federal to local. Other options include private sector careers at nonprofits and institutions that engage with government agencies and pursuing advanced degrees in public administration, public policy, or law school.
North Park University gave away clothing, blankets, and supplies to more than 225 newly arrived migrants from Mexico and Venezuela who are currently housed in a former military base nearby.
Students, faculty, and staff at North Park University last month gave away clothing, blankets, and supplies to more than 225 newly arrived migrants from Mexico and Venezuela who are currently housed in a former military base nearby.
The 60 volunteers, comprising North Parkers and representatives from the North Park Community Association, Alderman Samantha Nugent’s office, Aramark, and other community groups, collected and distributed the items. They also hosted a lunch for the new arrivals—which included men, women, and children—featuring traditional Latin American food.
North Park held the event in Hamming Hall, and items distributed included coats, shoes, gloves, hats, undergarments, and blankets. Once news of the event spread through the community, people stepped forward to contribute. One local woman, a knitter, heard about the effort on social media and sent a message to her fellow knitters across the country. They responded by providing 500 hand-knit hats for the migrants. A group from Highland Park heard of the event and brought 10 carloads of donated clothing.
The event was an apt reflection of North Park’s mission, according to Tony Zamble, director of University Ministries.
“We are preparing students for lives of significance and service,” Zamble said. “Part of our mission is giving students the opportunity to experience the idea of God’s glory for neighbor’s good. These people are our neighbors; it’s a no-brainer that we would be involved.”
So many people donated, Zamble said, that the group hosted a second, smaller-scale event at Peterson Elementary School several days later. Zamble and Vice President for Student Engagement Frank Gaytan said they hope this event is a spark for similar efforts. One idea in discussion is developing student-led English language classes for the migrants.
“We do these things intentionally because it really is who we are,” Gaytan said. “And not just this single event with the migrants, but we want our students to serve all our neighbors, Chicago, and the world. This is who we are.”
In September, the City of Chicago approved the $1.5 million purchase of the former U.S. Marine Corps facility at 3034 W. Foster Ave. to house 500 migrants for up to 60 days each.
Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards has released his much-anticipated book Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character.
Renowned speaker and writer Rev. Dr. Dennis Edwards, dean of North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS), has released his much-anticipated book Humility Illuminated: The Biblical Path Back to Christian Character, which examines the importance of being humble while practicing the Christian faith.
At a book signing hosted by North Park’s Seminary, Edwards met with students, staff, and local pastors and engaged in a question-and-answer session with audience members. He was introduced by Jon Boyd, associate publisher and academic editorial director at InterVarsity Press, which published the book.
“I want to talk about how rare Dennis is,” Boyd said. “He’s a scholar in biblical studies who wants to bring that scholarship to fruition for the church, and that is a beautiful thing. For it to come in book form is a gift.”
In the book, released November 7, Edwards examines America’s obsession with competition and how the drive to be the best creates a society of haves and have-nots that favors the elite. And yet, he writes, some of our greatest innovations have humble roots in immigrant and underserved communities.
“From a biblical perspective, the most remarkable models of godliness emerge from among the lowly. This view from the bottom reveals that humility includes a submissive posture before God as well as a peacemaking posture with other people,” he wrote.
An in-demand speaker and ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), Edwards spent October addressing ECC pastor and spouse retreats in four conferences, the Pacific Northwest, Midsouth, Great Lakes, and Southeast. He spoke about the value of humility, arguing it is perhaps the single most distinctive identity marker of followers of Jesus.
In addition to serving as dean of NPTS, Edwards is vice president for church relations and an associate professor of the New Testament. He earned his PhD and Master of Arts in Biblical Studies from Catholic University and holds degrees from Cornell University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. His recent publications include Do Black Lives Matter: How Christian Scriptures Speak to Black Empowerment, co-edited with Lisa Bowens, and Might from the Margins: The Gospel’s Power to Turn the Tables on Injustice.
North Park has significantly moved up the charts in two key categories in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings.
U.S. News & World Report releases best colleges list.
North Park has significantly moved up the charts in two key categories in the U.S. News & World Report annual rankings. In the 2023 list, North Park was ranked #30 for best Regional Universities in the Midwest, up from #39 last year, and was ranked #8 for Top Performers on Social Mobility in the Midwest, up from #15 last year.
The social mobility ranking means North Park excels at helping students from underprivileged backgrounds enroll in and finish college.
In its annual ranking, U.S. News & World Report considered 17 measures of academic quality at 1,500 degree-seeking institutions. The magazine also takes into account student satisfaction, attending costs, and campus life in determining its rankings.
Esports scholarships and new playing arena announced.
North Park University will award 15 Esports Excellence scholarships, ranging from $500–$2,000, to incoming students who commit to playing for the new Esports varsity team.
The scholarships, which will be awarded beginning in the fall 2023 term, will be available to full-time students who are incoming first-year or transfer students.
North Park’s Esports Varsity team, which kicked off in fall 2022, has joined the National Esports Collegiate Conference and is competing this month in the VALORANT competition.
Other Esports played at North Park include Super Smash Bros. and Ultimate.
“What I really want to promote most heavily with Esports is the level of cooperation and camaraderie you can form by being on a team,” said Esports Varsity Coach Peter Casella. “I want people to understand the friendships you can make playing a sport.”
North Park Esports games will be played at Ignite Gaming Lounge in Skokie, widely considered one of the largest and best video game and LAN center businesses in the country. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and is located directly across from the Skokie-Oakton Yellow Line CTA stop, making it readily accessible to students.
Esports, a form of competitive, organized video gaming, is most often used in a “multiplayer” setting. As a fan-friendly sport when it comes to viewership and streaming, Esports is expected to net 29.6 million monthly viewers this year, up 11.5% from 2021 according to estimates done by Insider Intelligence.
Chicago has been a hotspot for Esports for many years and North Park is well-situated with its Chicago campus to be in the epicenter of this growing sport.
North Park University has appointed Michael Nevergall as Vice President for Advancement, responsible for fundraising and alumni relations.
North Park University has appointed Michael Nevergall as Vice President for Advancement, responsible for fundraising and alumni relations. He will report directly to North Park President Mary K. Surridge and serve as a member of her senior leadership team, beginning March 6, 2023.
The Vice President for Advancement leads the areas of alumni relations and engagement, fund-raising, and special events related to those activities. Nevergall will create and execute the next campaign for North Park evolving from the University’s emerging strategic plan; further develop alumni engagement strategies for a rapidly diversifying alumni community; and enhance philanthropic collaboration across the University.
Nevergall earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from Valparaiso University, and his Master of Nonprofit Administration, with a concentration in fund-raising management, at North Park. He is a person of expressed Christian faith – passionate about North Park University’s Christian, city-centered, and intercultural distinctives, and energized about the opportunity to advance the mission of North Park.
“Mr. Nevergall emerged as the premier candidate from a strong and diverse pool of finalists,” Surridge said. “I have full confidence in his leadership and our partnership as we pursue the University’s development priorities.”
Nevergall comes to North Park from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN, where he has served as a gift planner since 2017, working with alumni and friends on significant testamentary gifts for the College. Before that he served four years as vice president for agency advancement at Upbring, a Texas faith-based human services provider; and from 2005-2013 he filled various marketing and fund-raising roles with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
North Park University will install sensors that detect weather and pollution patterns as part of a $166,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
North Park University will install sensors that detect weather and pollution patterns as part of a $166,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The sensors will be installed atop the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life on campus.
NASA awarded the five-year grant to North Park in part because of its federal status as a Hispanic Serving Institution, a school that is committed to equitable outcomes for Hispanic students. The two weather sensors will be installed by NASA this spring, and money from the grant will fund travel expenses and salaries for instructors and student workers. The equipment will be owned and maintained by NASA.
The grant was secured through the joint efforts of Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Randazzo and Director of Sponsored Projects Renee Cox. Only about 10 institutions across the country received the grant, and North Park is the lone Chicago site.
The environmental data gathered by the sensors will allow NASA researchers to monitor levels of atmospheric compounds such as carbon monoxide, along with particulate matters expelled by cars and factories. The data will also be compared to that acquired by satellites circling the earth to ensure accuracy. North Park students and professors will have access to that data, which will be transmitted directly into North Park’s classrooms.
“This is a powerful tool because it makes learning real,” Randazzo said. “The students can read the data and know that’s coming from just above their heads.”
Randazzo said the NASA grant was likely to raise North Park’s profile as a research university.
“Building a face-to-face relationship with NASA raises our credibility and increases future prospects,” Randazzo said, adding that a NASA engineer will be speaking on campus in March.
Dr. Randazzo said he and Cox found the grant opportunity on a NASA LISTSERV about a year ago, and although they ignore “99% of them” because they are not applicable, this particular grant struck them both because of North Park’s location and Randazzo’s background in atmospheric science.
The two worked together to apply for the grant, which they learned they’d won late last year. Read more press releases here.
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.
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.
Author Dominic GermanPosted on Categories Announcement, Press, Stories
The event was an apt reflection of North Park’s mission, according to Tony Zamble, director of University Ministries.
