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.
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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’s mission and alumni needs.
Looking to work alongside an already booming gaming industry located in Chicago, North Park University (North Park) is excited to add Esports as the institution’s first coed and 19th overall sport. Recruiting for incoming student-athletes will begin immediately, with competition to start fall of 2023.
“We are excited to add Esports to the athletic department,” said John Born, North Park Assistant Vice President, Director of Athletics. “It is a great opportunity to meet current demand and add to the diversity of the institution. The combination of an emerging sport and the resources of Chicago is a definite win-win scenario.”
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. The League Championship Series for high-level League of Legends players will take place at the United Center September 10–11. Additionally, Chicago’s City Council approved a $30 million dollar arena, “Surge” Esports Stadium, to be built in Bronzeville. Investments like these will provide North Park students ample opportunity to expand their abilities and pursue longer-term career options in the field.
Though exploding in popularity, including the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has not officially sponsored Esports for intercollegiate competition. However, North Park will join the National Association of College Esports, the largest member association of college and university-sponsored Esports programs that promote student education and development through intercollegiate Esports.
“Meeting students where they are at is what we aim to do at North Park, and offering Esports as an official varsity program is no exception. As a university, we are fortunate to have the resources to have this dream come to fruition. This is a great day for North Park.”
For questions about the program, contact Peter Casella, Director of Esports.
Shi: What being a Fulbright ETA means to me is to become a part of the community that I’m placed in and to serve the community by teaching English. It’s to be engaged in a continual process of understanding how my own cultural background and identity influences my interactions with the land, culture, and people, and to approach these interactions with openness, curiosity, and sensitivity; it’s to savor new foods and sights and to learn about the history and language of the country; it’s to cultivate meaningful relationships and share experiences and perspectives with those around me and to appreciate living everyday life in the community. Overall, I’m incredibly thankful for this opportunity and it’s an exciting journey that’s really going to change my life.
What was your experience like applying for a Fulbright scholarship?
Victoria Shi
Shi: I began the application pretty early in the summer (June 2021) and had finished it while I was studying abroad in Thailand (October 2021). It was a long and sometimes stressful process, but I learned a lot from the experience. I received incredible support from faculty, friends, and family, whether that be pointing me to resources that would help better develop my application, working through different peer review stages for my essays, writing letters of recommendation, or simply giving encouragement and having faith in me to pursue this goal. I couldn’t have done it without the people in my life.
How has North Park prepared you to pursue your future plans?
Shi: The faculty members in my department and throughout the university as well as classes I’ve taken have really shaped my understanding of the world and sharpened my critical thinking skills. They’ve helped me find what I’m interested in and passionate about and given me guidance and assurance throughout my undergraduate education.
North Park University School of Restorative Arts held a graduation ceremony at Stateville Correctional Center for 28 resident scholars in honor of earning their Master of Arts in Christian Ministry from North Park Theological Seminary. Two students began the program inside Stateville and, upon release, completed their studies on North Park’s campus.
The graduation was the first of its kind in an Illinois Department of Corrections facility and represents a profound commitment to liberative and restorative education. Commencement speaker Cook County State’s Attorney Kimberly M. Foxx, who was invited to speak by the students, acknowledged that while she was not the obvious choice, she identified with the graduates in powerful ways, saying, “I am you.”
The inaugural graduating School of Restorative Arts (SRA) cohort brings together free and incarcerated students to study in the shared Stateville on-site space— unifying a transformative learning experience for all. In his remarks during the June 15th ceremony, SRA inside student Jamal Bakr said, “We are receiving our master’s degree because our potential is not defined by our worst mistakes. Let today’s event be an example of what happens when opportunities are created, potentials are unignored and complete restoration is always the aim of justice.”
This one-of-its-kind master’s degree, offered in prisons throughout Illinois, prepares individuals for restoration ministries in contexts impacted by violence and generational trauma through non-violent communication and trauma-informed healing. The four-year degree is offered to over 100 Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers students.
Many graduates share how they’d grown throughout the program. “I’m bringing the knowledge of my degree to all those I meet in this prison, this knowledge is so badly needed here,” said William Jones.
The faith-filled celebration was attended by North Park President Mary K. Surridge and the seminary faculty. “Some might doubt that love and beauty could be so evident in such a dreary setting, but all who were present witnessed how creative collaboration, belief in the transformative power of God’s spirit, and tenacious commitment to justice can accomplish what might first appear to be impossible,” said North Park’s Rev. Dr. Dennis R. Edwards.
When hard-working and ambitious North Parkers Victoria Shi, Macayla Dowling, Sara Luna, and Aidan Nyquist applied for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program (Fulbright Program) award earlier this Spring, they had to wait until close to the end of the school year to find out the exciting news. The Fulbright Program announced its funding grants for international study/research projects or English teaching assistant abroad programs in early May 2022 along with the Fulbright Finalist, Alternate, and Semi-Finalists–each having to be recommended by the National Screening Committee.
Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected in an open, merit-based competition that considers leadership potential, academic and/or professional achievement, and record of service. Shi, Dowling, Luna, and Nyquist, all have future plans in place to continue to live their lives of significance and service–domestically and abroad.
For Shi, she received the exciting news as the Fulbright Finalist and plans on applying the Fulbright award towards being an English teaching assistant in Taiwan. As a Fulbright Finalist, Shi’s teaching English in Taiwan will go a long way in sharing her educational experience formed at North Park and fostering meaningful connections across communities in the United States and Taiwan. By accepting the grant, Shi is now considered an official Fulbright Student.
“Being a Fulbright Student means becoming a part of the community that I’m placed in and serving the community by teaching English. It’s to be engaged in a continual process of understanding how my own cultural background and identity influences my interactions with the land, culture, and people, and to approach these interactions with openness, curiosity, and sensitivity; it’s to savor new foods and sights and to learn about the history and language of the country; it’s to cultivate meaningful relationships and share experiences and perspectives with those around me and to appreciate living everyday life in the community,” said Shi.
Victoria Shi
The two Fulbright Alternates – awarded to Dowling and Luna – both have goals to teach English: Dowling in Spain and Luna in Bulgaria.
Macayla DowlingSara Luna
Fulbright Semi-Finalist, Nyquist, who applied for an open study/research award in Sweden, remains grateful for having come this far. “Despite not being a finalist, I am really glad I went through the Fulbright process. It helped me solidify my decision, so I feel confident going forward with a master’s degree in Theoretical Physics at Uppsala University in Sweden,” said Nyquist.
Aidan Nyquist
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
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.
“I just love that Dr. Walsh and Dr. Madl went out of their way to make sure that we had a family experience and were prepared in an unprecedented time.”
Joseph Segreti, Educational Leadership (Principal endorsement) G‘21
“I’m a teacher and I was looking into pursuing an educational leadership program, so I was put into contact with Dr. Walsh. The first time I talked to him he gave me 45 minutes to an hour on the phone and wanted to take every single question I had.
“The conversation and relationship with him were both so natural, and that continued as I went through the program and even after the program. Through the cohorts Dr. Walsh and Dr. Madl did everything they could to look out for us. Our cohort was two or three classes in when the pandemic hit, but Dr. Madl and Dr. Walsh continued to keep us on track and engage and invest in us.
“They would check on us, whether it be a phone call or an email, and anytime we would call they would pick up and were willing to give us the time. When we were finishing up the program, they wanted to get everybody together just to see each other one last time, so we all went out to lunch. I just love that Dr. Walsh and Dr. Madl went out of their way to make sure that we had a family experience and were prepared in an unprecedented time.”
“It’s because of my love of North Park and those days as a student that it’s on my heart to keep giving. I believe in North Park’s mission.”
Joyce Broman Appel C’45
“I attended North Park right in the middle of World War II, so there were very few men on campus. That made it a special time for us women, and we bonded because it was such a different setting. It’s because of my love of North Park and those days as a student that it’s on my heart to keep giving. I believe in North Park’s mission.
“I returned to community when my husband started teaching at North Park. Spending those years there really deepened my commitment to North Park. My brothers and sister all went to North Park, as did our oldest daughter.
“Last year on Blue and Gold Day I made a matching promise that if a certain number of people raised $2,000 in a certain amount of time, I would match it. I plan to give again on this Blue and Gold Day and I hope that my gift last year inspires people to make a matching gift this year!”
“I have so many great memories of North Park, from playing soccer to working on the College News to hanging out in the art building. But, it was the people who made the difference.”
Todd Durston C’94
“I have so many great memories of North Park, from playing soccer to working on the College News to hanging out in the art building. But, it was the people who made the difference. Freshman year I lobbed a snowball at a window in Ohlson House, where the first-year women lived at the time. It broke, and I was terrified. But the RD, Marilyn, showed such grace and kindness when I apologized.
“There were dozens of people like that at North Park, including my wonderful art professors, like Neal Murray. He spent so much time nurturing our talents and encouraging us. During the 90s, there was a strong group of grads going into advertising, a career I wanted to pursue. When I graduated, I almost immediately called on some of those older alums to help me establish my own career. Now, I’m a creative director at a large agency and I get to do all kinds of rewarding work, such as shooting commercials with Elmo. I give so much credit to my North Park education. Oh, and I also met my wife there. Thanks, North Park!”
Eva Peroulas, North Park University Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) candidate, is using a $70,000 grant from Swedish Hospital to fund much needed programs to improve the health of women and their newborn babies in underserved and at-risk populations. As part of Peroulas’ DNP project, an integral learning requirement to earn a DNP, Peroulas set out to focus on health disparities and identifying pressing women’s health issues in the diverse 60625 demographic. With a passion for women’s health, guidance and mentoring from North Park DNP professors, and the financial support from Swedish Hospital, Peroulas is making a difference in one of the most significant stages in a woman’s lifespan—pre and perinatal health.
Eva Peroulas
Energetic, dedicated, and resourceful, Peroulas began her educational nursing journey spanning over 30 years when she watched, in gratitude, nursing staff care for her young son in the hospital for a month and wanted to return the favor to other patients and their families. She soon after earned her associate’s degree in nursing; 10 years later a BSN; a graduate certificate in healthcare management from North Park; 10 years later a MSN; and another 10 years later her DNP. “It’s about leading with example on a personal and professional level,” said Peroulas. A clinical instructor at North Park from 2013-2015, Peroulas believes in continuous learning to understand the full realm of nursing more fully, which she passed on to her daughter who also became a nurse.
As the Director of Women and Newborn Services at Swedish Hospital, Peroulas seeks to help anyone who is in need and to communicate the message that we are here for you. This motto has set Peroulas’ goals in motion and has been benefitting the diverse community that Swedish Hospital serves, representing 60 languages and 17 ethnic centers.
Armed with the $70,000 grant from Swedish Hospital and the mindset that healthy babies and healthy moms are the very reasons for the healthcare system to recognize a return on their investment, Peroulas set out to support every mother-to-be starting with a breastfeeding clinic. “The foundation (Swedish Hospital) is the wind beneath my wings, and they do so much for our community,” said Peroulas.
Lactation Consultation and Doula Services
Peroulas will put the grant to immediate use towards programs marked by long-lasting health and wellness outcomes for mother and baby. After discovering that pregnant women in underserved and at-risk populations are three times more likely to not breastfeed, Peroulas set out to address provider bias, which influences breastfeeding assumptions. With supportive assistance like the breastfeeding clinic at Swedish Hospital combined with lactation consultants on-hand, Peroulas has already seen an increase in breastfeeding rates and a marked improvement in postpartum recovery among new mothers.
In addition, Peroulas will be starting a doula service program (professional labor assistant providing physical and emotional support during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period) to help underserved and at-risk populations recover from childbirth and adjust to motherhood.
Addressing Access and Healthcare Inequities
Seeing that provider bias has a far-reaching effect, even outside the immediate healthcare setting, Peroulas instituted a program to provide bassinets and car seats, after finding the SIDS rate to be higher for at-risk populations.
Peroulas’ holistic thinking is on a continuum and with no detail overlooked—from accessing services once already in a healthcare setting to getting to/from healthcare facilities. Cab vouchers are being set aside for patients in need, so they can keep and arrive on-time to health and wellness appointments.
Grooming of Leadership Skills
Described as down-to-earth, warm, hard-working, and funny, Peroulas understands the issues of not being part of the mainstream culture. “Peroulas put information together logically and ran with it beyond all expectations. She is a very passionate, accepting person,” said Dr. Maryann Gierloff, North Park University Associate Professor of Nursing and Director of Graduate Programs.
Peroulas, on track to earn her DNP in December 2022, has built a steady career on the premise that in order to learn it has to be challenging. “I’m really happy I chose North Park. It’s (DNP) not an easy program but it’s a very warm environment and a university that is also like family,” said Peroulas.
“I have fond memories of my time playing for the Vikings football team, and I carry my school pride to this day.”
Shazad Carbaidwala, Business Management, C’01
“I have fond memories of my time playing for the Vikings football team, and I carry my school pride to this day. I still have my game jersey, practice jersey, practice shorts, and other North Park paraphernalia. I remember the camaraderie with all my teammates and all the rigorous training sessions that molded me into who I am today.
“My mentors and coaches taught me about hard work and dedication — a recipe for success not only on the gridiron, but in life. My hours training and learning allowed me to become regional champion bodybuilder and gave me the intellect to start my own personal training business.
“It means the world to me being part of the North Park community. Being a North Park Viking has taught me discipline, hard work, and an Iron Will attitude to accomplish everything I set out to do.”
Author Ana FundukPosted on Categories Press, Stories
