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.
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Park, Gregor Thuswaldner joined the ACAD Board of Directors’ Class of 2019 and will serve a two-year term.
Gregor Thuswaldner, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was elected as a Board Member of the American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) at the Annual ACAD/AAC&U Conference in Washington, DC. Thuswaldner joined the Board of Directors’ Class of 2019 and will serve a two-year term.
The American Conference of Academic Deans was founded in 1945 to support the work and development of provosts, deans, and other university leaders. According to their website, “ACAD provides academic leaders who share a commitment to student learning and to the ideals of liberal education with networking and professional development opportunities to support them in their work as educational leaders.”
Learn what the Career Development and Internships Office has to offer students at North Park University.
The Career Development and Internships Office (CDIO) is a resource for every student throughout and after they complete their studies at North Park. The CDIO helps undergraduate students match their vocation to major, develop critical work skills, master professional branding, engage in a job search, and network with alumni and professionals. CDIO staff walk alongside students from their prospective visits, throughout college, and into the workplace.
NP: Who does the CDIO serve?
Bozeman: The CDIO serves all undergraduate students as well as North Park’s graduate students and alumni. We focus on professional coaching, career mapping, advanced networking strategies, and simple financial planning related to salary negotiations.
NP: When should students connect with the CDIO?
Bozeman:We make every effort to connect with students as soon as they arrive to campus. We know that our high-performing graduates complete hundreds of hours of volunteer service, internships, career research, professional development, and financial planning. To inform and support students about best practices, we created the Career Advantage program. The program lists critical activities for each year of study at North Park, and includes an easy tracking system to help students articulate their accomplishments.
Pamela Bozeman, Senior Director of Career Development and Internships
NP: What is “Career Advantage” and why should students participate?
Bozeman: Career Advantage is a four-year plan, fully on-line, connected to employers and campus activities, incentivized, and is what employers want to see.
NP: Why should students seek internships and jobs during their studies?
Bozeman: According to an on-line source CareerUp, “If you have a relevant internship displayed on your resume, it will give you a competitive advantage over all the candidates applying for the same position. Employers understand that graduates that do not have any practical experience may lack the skills required to excel on the first day of their employment. Employers value internship experience because they provide students with skills that they cannot acquire in a school setting.”
NP: Does the CDIO have a job or internship finder for students and alumni?
Bozeman: Yes, Carer Hub. CDIO staff assist students looking for internships and jobs using several search engines, professional contacts, off-site job fairs, and our own on-line job directory – Career Hub.
NP: What do you wish students knew about your office?
Bozeman:
The CDIO staff have a cumulative total of 20 years of experience in higher education, 20 years of experience in college admissions and career readiness, and more than 10 years in workforce development.
We serve our students and alumni for as long as they need us, free of charge.
A look at the unique messaging of North Park’s new marketing campaign.
A new marketing campaign for North Park University will soon be featured on billboards throughout the city of Chicago as well as on traditional FM radio and Spotify Radio ads. For interested members of the North Park community, the University offers this insight into the campaign’s unique message.
Campaign description: “True Leaders are Truth Seekers” is a bold educational message that is unique in the market. Passion, Purpose, Preparation, and Direction are overly used competitor positions that cannot compare to the strength and purity of the word Truth. North Park’s Truth statement embodies personal truth, social truth, and spiritual truth as well as the belief that education pursues and values those truths. The North Park educational experience helps to create, foster, and direct students to be true to themselves, true to their faith, true to their principles, and therefore to be true leaders in every facet or path their career takes them.
Campaign imagery: To keep the Truth Seeker message honest and true, it was important to use real North Park students in real campus situations to embody and impart the spirit and validity of the campaign. To accomplish this, the campaign features real North Park students photographed on campus, in their environment, showing the diversity, breadth of culture, ethnicity, and individualism that is a strength of the University. The tone and style of the photography exude a quiet and strong confidence in the student’s decision, their future, and their personal truth that is inspirational and aspirational. This direction was achieved through subtle smiles, comfortable body language that is not forced, and a variety of poses and perspectives that do not always involve looking directly at the camera—all in context of their real academic situations. The strategic direction of these visuals connect to the audience and embody not only Christian values but socially conscious positions that are very much relevant in the world today. The presentation of these powerful images in billboard executions with a clean and uncluttered messaging hierarchy and call to action maximizes impact and creates a distinctive, strong brand in a cluttered and saturated education landscape.
North Park Senior Renee Baker is nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship after completing an internship with NASA.
North Park Senior Renee Baker has been nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship, an honor bestowed upon an outstanding natural science major at one of the six colleges recognized by the Swedish Council of America as a Swedish Heritage College. North Park is recognized as such an institution because of its active connection with modern Scandinavia, via its language studies and academic exchange programs.
“I’m so incredibly honored to be nominated for this scholarship,” said Baker, an environmental science major, of the award named for the famed Swedish chemist.
She’s certainly worthy: while many college kids spend their break on the beach or working a part-time job, Baker was doing test flights with NASA. Last summer, Baker spent two months in California interning with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, tagging along on plane rides, collecting atmospheric data and learning how various instruments worked.
The Carol Stream, Illinois native actually applied for the NASA internship on something of a whim. “I honestly just got an email from [chemistry professor] Dr. Rienstra-Kiracofe, and I applied because, why not?” Baker says. Rienstra-Kiracofe provided a letter of recommendation, and the next thing Baker knew, she was on her way to Irvine, Ca.
In addition to the flying experience, Baker spent several weeks on campus at the University of California, Irvine, where she learned how to use tools to perform remote sensing and took a trip to the Jet Propulsion Lab. At the end of the internship, she and her group presented to a group of NASA employees and fellow students.
Ultimately, Baker, a physics minor, plans to pursue a career in alternative energy and biomimicry engineering, a field of science that seeks sustainable solutions to human-generated problems by copying patterns in nature. For instance, scientists who specialize in biomimicry are testing new plumbing and electric systems that mimic the branch-like structure of trees and leaves, as they may be more efficient than pipes positioned at right angles.
Baker will find out in March if she has won the coveted Seaborg prize, which includes airfare to Sweden, a living stipend, and participation in December’s Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, a weeklong series of events arranged in connection with Nobel Peace Prize activities.
North Park Seminary has honored the Rev. Dr. Richard W. Carlson by dedicating a room in Nyvall Hall to the late professor, a lifelong learner who spent his life fighting racial injustices.
North Park Seminary has honored the Rev. Dr. Richard W. Carlson by dedicating a room in Nyvall Hall to the late professor, a lifelong learner who spent his life fighting racial injustices.
The space is called Richard’s Renaissance Room, a nod to Carlson’s devotion to a variety of pursuits, from history to baseball, Civil Rights, poetry, and biblical scholarship. Carlson’s wife, Jolene Bergstrom Carlson, said her husband also loved spending time with his children and spent his life fighting against societal hatred and violence.
“Richard especially had a head and heart for racial justice, lamenting over racial injustices until his final moments,” Jolene said. “To Richard, all people belonged and had worth.”
The Richard Renaissance Room, designed as a place to read, pray, and connect with others, is being furnished by $30,000 in private donations to the Seminary. The money also provides tuition assistance via the Richard and Jolene Carlson Scholarship Fund to a seminarian whose studies focus on justice issues.
“Richard was brilliant, but he never used his mind as anything but a tool to encourage his students to engage with the complexities of faith and life through thoughtful questions and readings,” Jolene Carlson said.
The dedication took place Jan. 24, during the ECC’s Midwinter Conference.
To donate to the fund, visit https://connect.northpark.edu/give, select “other” and include “Richard Carlson Memorial Fund” in the comment box to designate your giving. You may also mail checks to North Park University’s Development Office:
North Park University
Development Box 6
3225 W. Foster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60625.
January 15th, North Park University will present an MLK Jr. Celebration featuring Gospel Recording Artist Corey Barksdale and Chicago Activist Sherida Morrison.
On January 15th, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, North Park University’s Black Student Union Group will present an inspirational presentation commemorating Dr. King’s fight for justice and peace.
MLK Jr.’s own words will serve as the inspiration for the event: “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace, and brotherhood.”
Chicago’s leaders work to restore justice North Park University is committed to supporting Chicago’s diversity and embracing leaders who have demonstrated restorative justice. Like King, Morrison and Hodge each believe in nonviolent methods of pursuing social justice.
Keynote speaker Sherida Morrison is the founder of Demoiselle2Femme, a female empowerment group. Through the non-profit, Morrison has developed “a community-based model encouraging the avoidance of at-risk behaviors as a strategy for success while empowering girls with the hope of accomplishing their educational and professional goals through self-discipline, hard work, commitment and service to their community.”
North Park’s Hodge, assistant professor of intercultural communication, is a recognized urban youth culture expert and cultural literacy scholar. He will also honor the legacy and racial justice work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. His presentation is titled “No Church in the Wild: Christianity, White Supremacy, Black Liberation and Hip Hop.”
In addition to MLK day, North Park’s Office of Diversity Director Jacqueline Horbrook works continuously with the community, faculty, staff, and students to “be disciplined in our demeanor in not being divisive, to continue to do better, and strive for peace at the forefront—with peace being what MLK fought for.”
The service will be held at 10 a.m. in Anderson Chapel and the celebration will be live-streamed at www.northpark.edu.
Nearly 300 students received undergraduate and graduate degrees during North Park University’s Winter Commencement Convocation Friday, Dec. 15.
President Carl Balsam presided over North Park University’s Winter Commencement Convocation Friday, Dec. 15, in which nearly 300 students received undergraduate and graduate degrees.
In his remarks, Balsam challenged graduates to do justice and show mercy in their lives after college. He also kicked off his address with a well-received joke about tuition.
“When I was told I was responsible for something called the ‘charge to graduates,’ my initial thought was, haven’t we charged them enough?” Balsam said to wide-spread laughter and applause.
Then, Balsam offered the graduates a message of “encouragement and challenge,” noting that the current job market is strong, especially for those with college degrees. He then urged graduates to show mercy by “making things right not just for yourselves, but others.”
He noted that many students had stood with fellow DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students whose status as citizens was being challenged. Students should continue to fight for such social justice issues upon graduation, he said.
The Ahnfeldt Medallion for academic excellence was presented to Thomas H. Cellilli IV, who majored in Biblical and Theological Studies and earned a 3.969 grade point average. Board President Christine Strand awarded Cellilli the Medallion, noting his “gift of leadership” as well as his many extracurricular activities while at North Park, including coaching a middle school baseball team.
Following Christmas hymns, scripture readings and a charge to students by Balsam and Provost Michael O. Emerson, diplomas were handed out by Emerson, followed by cheers from family and friends in the audience.
A reception for graduates was held in Hamming Hall following commencement.
North Park senior and US veteran Nico Canete shares about his prized internship with Governor Bruce Rauner’s re-election campaign.
Nine months before he came to North Park University, senior Nico Canete was on an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf launching air strikes against ISIS as a member of the U.S. Navy.
So it’s not surprising that when he arrived on campus as a vet, Canete was instrumental in recovering a long-lost plaque honoring North Parkers who served in World War II. Along with Dr. John Laukaitis, assistant professor of education, Canete successfully lobbied to have the plaque prominently displayed on campus.
Veterans, and service to country in general, are important to Canete, who recently branched out into politics, beating out dozens of other applicants to land an internship with Governor Bruce Rauner’s re-election campaign.
“I’m really looking forward to all the experience I’m getting by working on a major political campaign,” said Canete, a politics and government major.
It’s experience he hopes to apply to his own future, potentially as an elected official.
“I do hope to run for office someday, but if I do, I imagine it would be on the local or state level, such as a school board, town council or as a state representative,” said Canete, who is from Northwest Indiana.
“But if I were elected, I would be intentional about only serving a maximum of two terms, as I do not believe in being a career politician or getting rich off of public service.”
After applying for the internship, Canete went through a few interviews before being offered the job. Working since October in Rauner’s downtown headquarters, he performs tasks like analyzing media clips for the communications team and verifies the legitimacy of campaign petitions using an online database.
In addition, Canete is the president of Pi Sigma Alpha, NPU’s chapter of the national political honor society; organizes events for the Student Veteran Association; and is a resident assistant in one of the campus apartment buildings. He spends his free time reading the Wall Street Journal, working out, or hanging out with his fiancée.
Canete, who graduates in May, hopes to end up in public relations, business operations, or law enforcement.
Whatever path he chooses, he said he will be forever influenced by his time at North Park, which he chose in part because of its dedication to service, and by his professors, including history lecturer Dr. Michael Johnson.
“His World War II class opened my eyes to the study of history, and the importance of understanding it so that we may draw closer to truth, learning lessons and developing solutions to challenges in the future,” Canete said.
North Park celebrated its tenth annual Festival of Lessons and Carols.
North Park celebrated its tenth annual Festival of Lessons and Carols, December 3, featuring performances by the North Park University Gospel Choir Touring Ensemble and Chamber Singers.
Other performers included the NPU Orchestra and the Women’s Chorale, as well as the People’s Music School and YOURS Orchestra Members from Hibbard Elementary School in Albany Park.
This year’s program, Worship Christ the Newborn King, washeld at St. Hilary Catholic Church and, following tradition, featured music performed in several different languages. Interim University President Carl Balsam began the service with the opening prayer.
The lessons, mixed between songs, were read by North Park faculty, staff, and students, as well as members of St. Hilary Catholic Church.
First held on Christmas Eve in 1918 in Cambridge, England, the Festival of Lessons and Carols service comes from the Anglican tradition. In such services, music is interspersed between Scripture readings that tell the story of Christ, from the creation of the world to the birth of Jesus.
The second annual Taste of the Pacific event featured singing, dancing, and storytelling celebrating the heritage of North Park University’s Pacific Islander students.
More than 100 students and faculty members attended the second annual Taste of the Pacific event December 1, a festival featuring singing, dancing and storytelling that celebrated the heritage of North Park University’s Pacific Islander students.
“We are far away from home, but we have created a home here; we’re not a club, we’re a family,” said Rakiiba Va’alele, one of the founders of the Pacific Cultural Association, the group that put on the event.
The performances were designed to showcase the cultures of several Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa.
“God and family—in that order—is the way of Polynesian Culture,” said Michael Conway, the event’s honorary speaker and also NPU’s head football coach. Conway and his wife, Beth, NPU’s project manager for student engagement, are longtime supporters of the PCA. “I’m thankful for you all, and I’m thankful for these young people.”
Throughout the night, students used song and dance to tell stories of their island nations’ cultures. Performers dressed in traditional garb, changing each time the audience “traveled” along to another island.
According to founders Va’alele and Leautea Faiai, the PCA’s vision is to see the Pacific Islander Community at North Park connected, empowered, and cared for academically, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
The event was sponsored by the Office of Diversity and the Student Government Association. A portion of the proceeds from the $7 admission price went toward NPU’s tuition assistance fund for Pacific Islander students.
SGA Vice President, Anosh Wasker, said the event showcases the best of NPU.
“Events like these bring out what North Park stands for, which is being multi-cultural,” Wasker said at the end of the night. “They show their own culture, they preserve their own culture, but also help others experience their culture.”
Gregor Thuswaldner, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was elected as a Board Member of the American Conference of Academic Deans (ACAD) at the Annual ACAD/AAC&U Conference in Washington, DC. Thuswaldner joined the Board of Directors’ Class of 2019 and will serve a two-year term.
Author Ana SeklerPosted on Categories Announcement, News, Stories
North Park Senior Renee Baker has been nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship, an honor bestowed upon an outstanding natural science major at one of the six colleges recognized by the Swedish Council of America as a Swedish Heritage College. North Park is recognized as such an institution because of its active connection with modern Scandinavia, via its language studies and academic exchange programs.
The performances were designed to showcase the cultures of several Pacific Island nations, including Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa.
According to founders Va’alele and Leautea Faiai, the PCA’s vision is to see the Pacific Islander Community at North Park connected, empowered, and cared for academically, spiritually, emotionally, and physically.
SGA Vice President, Anosh Wasker, said the event showcases the best of NPU.