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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.
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CHICAGO (September 27, 2016) — Generations of North Park alumni returned to campus over the weekend to celebrate the University’s 125th Anniversary and to share in Homecoming 2016 festivities.
There were several Homecoming highlights, including an alumni art exhibit, the River Run 5K, and Homecoming Fest. Alumni were also treated to home games from both soccer teams, including a men’s 2-1 victory over conference rivals Carroll University, and a 2-2 tie against Carroll by the women’s team.
At Homecoming Brunch, all past Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were invited to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s designees. Four alumni were honored for their contributions to the North Park community and for leading lives of significance and service, exemplifying the University’s mission:
Theodore Ernst A’51 C’54, U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee, Distinguished Academy Alumnus
Dr. Janice Phillips C’76, director of government and regulatory affairs for CGFNS International, Distinguished University Alumna
Mary Helwig C’06, one of just over 115 women to finish the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Distinguished Young Alumna
Joanna (Ericson) Kanakis C’06, vice president and account executive at Societe Generale Americas Securities LLC, Distinguished Young Alumna
125th Anniversary Celebration
On Friday of Homecoming weekend, alumni, families, students, faculty, and staff came together to honor North Park’s 125-year legacy and to celebrate its future with events throughout the day.
A history and heritage exhibit, Cultivating Great Intellects & Great Hearts: North Park University’s Quasquicentennial, traced the evolution of the University through text by North Park historians and photographs from the F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections. The exhibit, displayed in the Johnson Center, also included University artifacts and publications from the Archives.
Three concurrent Alumni Panels featured North Park graduates sharing about their accomplishments in the fields of entrepreneurship, health professions, and the arts—in which chef Shanna Horner O’Hea performed a live cooking demonstration and distributed toasted s’mores to the audience. “Education is in my bones,” said O’Hea, daughter of former president Dr. David Horner. “My desire to continue to learn is something I absolutely got at North Park.”
Following the Alumni Panels, two Back-to-Class sessions were held, featuring three concurrent classes taught by current and former faculty members on their areas of expertise. “When we say we want to be the leading city-centered Christian university, it’s because the world desperately needs that,” said Provost Dr. Michael Emerson, describing North Park’s engagement with the city of Chicago, in the “Urban Sociology and Context” session.
The day concluded with an evening concert and program featuring performances by the Alumni Choir, under the direction of Associate Professor of Music Dr. Julia Davids, Professor Emeritus Gregory Athnos, and former professor Dr. Rollo Dillworth, respectively. Dr. Marvin Curtis also led the University Choir in a performance of his commissioned piece in honor of the 125th anniversary.
In addition to the musical performances, the David Nyvall Medallion for Distinguished Service to North Park University was presented to former board chair and two-time interim University president Bruce Bickner and former board chair Stanley Helwig. Former North Park presidents William Hausmann (1980–1986) and Horner (1987–2004) also shared remarks about their time serving the University.
“We are living in a global world, and it surrounds our campus,” said Hausmann. “I like to think that we started to build bridges to this world back in the 1980s. Our decision (in 1980) to stay in Chicago was the most important in North Park’s history, next to its founding.”
Film producer returns to North Park for 125th Anniversary Panel
CHICAGO (September 22, 2016) — When North Park alumnus Joshua Musil Church returns to campus this week for the University’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, he’ll be doing so as a graduate with a particularly unique career trajectory.
“I never thought that helping run the Chapel service at North Park would lead to working with Pee-wee Herman,” Church says, “but that’s exactly what happened.”
After graduating in 2000, Church moved to Los Angeles and found a job working for writer-director Judd Apatow on the TV series Undeclared. From there, he joined Mosaic Media Group, where he worked as a producer on several of Will Ferrell’s films, including Step Brothers and Talladega Nights. He is now head of development and production for Apatow Productions, where he has served as executive producer onPee-wee’s Big Holiday and co-producer on Trainwreck, among other movies.
Ahead of North Park’s 125th Anniversary Alumni Panels—where Church will speak on his career in the arts—we caught up with him about working in comedy, how his experience at North Park led to his job, and why serving on the Chapel team is like being a Hollywood producer.
North Park: How did your time at North Park prepare you for what you do now?
Joshua Church: One of the main roles of a producer is to work behind the scenes to pull together complicated TV series or movies. North Park afforded me the opportunity to become very involved in many different areas of campus life, from serving on the Chapel team to being Student Government Association vice president. Looking back, it’s clear to me that those were my first producing jobs.
NP: Was there a specific moment or experience at North Park that helped kick off the trajectory of your career?
Church: I don’t think that there was a specific moment where it all “clicked in” and I knew what I wanted to do, career-wise. It was probably a combination of a bunch of moments. I always had fun performing in comedy sketches, and my advisor, Professor Robert Hostetter, worked with me to ensure that I could spend a semester at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, which was an important step in me deciding to move to L.A. after college.
NP: Did you know that you wanted to work in comedy, and in production specifically?
Church: Like many people, I grew up loving comedy. I’d watch episodes of Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Saturday Night Live. To be honest, at the time, growing up in Maine, I never really thought about the fact that there were jobs in comedy. It seemed so far away. But as I learned more about the film industry in college, I realized that there was a world out there of people helping make comedy. I decided, probably sophomore year, that I wanted to eventually move to L.A. and try to get a job in the comedy film or TV industry.
NP: Do you have a favorite North Park memory?
Church: I have so many great memories of being at North Park. My best friends and I lived in an on-campus house called the Arena, and I probably laughed more in that house than on any movie set I’ve been on, and those friendships have continued to this day.
When I was student body vice president, the student body president and I were invited to a meeting with then-President Dr. David Horner at his home. We were really nervous—we were used to meeting with other students at night while drinking coffee in Java Haus. But this seemed like a big step, a meeting with an adult before 10:00 a.m.
To prepare, we had to set our alarms to make sure we were up by 9:30, which was a big change from our normal schedule. We borrowed an iron for our shirts, and practiced saying things that we imagined adults said, like, “The markets are fluctuating, how’s your portfolio doing?” or “I’m not sold on NAFTA, I worry it will do more harm than good.”
Confident we had mastered the art of faking adulthood, we showed up at his house, only to find Dr. Horner standing in his bathrobe while he studied up for his fantasy baseball draft, which was in an hour. Dr. Horner was not interested in discussing NAFTA at all. But at least our shirts were ironed.
Ceremony includes recognition of scholarly works and installation of new administrators
CHICAGO (September 19, 2016) — The North Park University community gathered in Anderson Chapel Monday, September 19, for its University Convocation, an annual ceremony honoring the achievements of faculty and staff.
“We often talk on our campus about preparing students for lives of significance and service,” said University President Dr. David Parkyn. “But how does that walk take place? How is it that individuals can work with others and mentor them along the way?” This is accomplished largely through the work of faculty, he said. “It’s our joy today to celebrate that preparation. To come together to acknowledge professional accomplishments and share in applause about the scholarship, artistic creativity, and other good things that go into being an academy.”
The ceremony announced newly promoted and tenured faculty, and recognized faculty and staff who have recently published books, articles, and other scholarly and creative work, including plays, reviews, recordings, staged exhibitions, art installations, and other performances.
The University Choir and the Chamber Singers each performed during the ceremony, under the direction of Director of Choral Activities and Associate Professor of Music Dr. Julia Davids, who was also recognized for receiving tenure.
CHICAGO (September 13, 2016) — Selected undergraduate students have concluded research from a mentor-mentee structured, eight-week summer program. Made possible by support from North Park University’s donors, students accepted into the program receive a $3,500 stipend, plus $500 for materials and free on-campus housing, to participate in the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS).
The program started in 2015, and since then, word-of-mouth has made getting a spot in NPRESS increasingly competitive. This year, 13 students were chosen out of 30 applicants. For both the student and the faculty member, the one-on-one mentor-mentee framework, along with a student cohort model, is unique, as this type of relationship is traditionally seen at the graduate and doctorate level.
May 2016 business graduate and NPRESS participant Ana Liz Castillo embraced the mentor-mentee framework. “Throughout the summer, we all faced many challenges, such as how we were going to interpret the data to get the best results, or getting results that were statistically not significant. Having the support of our individual mentors, and the professors from other majors, helped us overcome those walls,” said a pleased Castillo.
North Park faculty members and NPRESS co-directors Dr. Rajkumar Boaz Johnsonand Dr. Aaron Kaestner developed the program to offer undergraduate students a comprehensive and hands-on learning experience, encompassing research, writing, and presenting. “NPRESS gives students the full experience as an undergraduate while also providing students a sense of graduate-level research,” said Johnson.
Inspired by the program, participants like Castillo plan to extend their academic studies into post-undergraduate work. “NPRESS helped me to generate the first findings of a research area that I want to focus on in graduate school,” remarked Castillo. “This past experience with NPRESS instilled research habits that will become extremely useful for me to excel in my graduate studies.”
Commitment to the program is significant, with a minimum of 40 hours of research per week. “Students have regular weekly check-ins with their co-directors and mentors throughout the eight weeks,” said Kaestner. At the end of the eight weeks, students are well-prepared to present to a packed room of faculty, advisors, peers, members of the board of trustees, and donors, held on campus at the Johnson Center for Science and Community Life.
This year’s July 29 and August 31 presentations covered a broad array of research topics from the various divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences and other schools at North Park. NPRESS recipients covered such wide-ranging subjects as Independence Movements in Catalunya and the Emergence of Populism in Espana: A Political Analysis; How Prayer Takes Us Beyond Onto-theology; and Exploring the Relationship Between Inventory Turns on Gross Profit Margin Measures.
NPRESS students agreed that while research is hard work, they welcomed the challenge of combining disparate subject matter. Influenced by North Park’s commitment to using Chicago as our classroom, participant Hannah Hawkinson researched feminist readings of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and of three Gospel narratives, comparing them to the experiences of five immigrant and refugee women in Chicago.
“NPRESS gave me time and space to develop my research skills and academic writing abilities while also supporting engagement with social justice issues here in Chicago,” said Hawkinson, an English literature and biblical and theological studies major. The NPRESS experience “afforded the opportunity to explore these passions in tandem through my research project,” added Hawkinson.
Each of the chosen topics, with a clear set of goals initiated by the students and supported by the mentor-mentee relationship, reflects the North Park mission to prepare students for lives of service and significance. “My mutual passions for feminist theology and social justice were not only allowed, but encouraged, to come together in the pursuit of significance and service,” remarked Hawkinson.
As for the future of NPRESS, Johnson is particularly excited about taking the educational experience to a different and higher level, where research becomes a central component of the North Park experience. “The students are excited about the possibility of doing more,” he said.
The NPRESS Committee also expressed their gratitude to the donors and the board for making the program possible and for providing North Park students with another avenue to connect academic interests with real-life experiences.
Acceptance into NPRESS is based on student merit, outcome, and commitment, and evaluated by North Park’s Undergraduate Research Committee (URC). The application deadline for Summer 2017 will be this spring, and applications are open to faculty and undergraduate students of all disciplines. Inquiries can be made with URC Chair Dr. Jonathan Rienstra-Kiracofe at jrienstra-kiracofe@northpark.edu.
School’s new name more accurately reflects profile of adult learner
CHICAGO (September 2, 2016) — We’ve heard the metaphor before that life is like a marathon. The finish line is commonly perceived as the ultimate goal, yet the journey we take to get there is important too, and can vary from person to person. For some, speed and making good time is a motivator, while others find themselves having to adjust the pace as life just happens.
Different styles and abilities comprise the pack—the fully charged runner, steady walker, balanced walker-jogger combo, intense sprinter—each as equally goal-oriented as the other. When thinking about post-secondary education and earning a degree, while speed may very well be a factor, at the core is being prepared to advance one’s career with transferable skills and degree in-hand.
Today’s students have a variety of options as they evaluate how to embark on their educational journey, from the traditional four-year path, to fully online, to a hybrid of online and in-classroom. North Park University’s School of Professional Studies, now celebrating its 25th year, is fully committed to offering this group of motivated students a quality education to prepare for the finish line and beyond as they seek career advancement and growth.
North Park has been active in providing programming to degree-seeking adults since 1991, embracing the characteristics of the adult learner. What faculty and staff have learned is that their average 25-and-up adult learner has significant and credit-qualifying life and work experience, and is actively pursuing a particular interest and degree. This student profile is telling, as this fall, North Park has renamed its degree-completion and graduate program the School of Adult Learning as the School of Professional Studies (SPS). “The closer we thought about what an adult learner is, we realized it’s more about the learner as an adult than age itself,” said Dean of the School of Professional Studies Lori Scrementi.
The name change more accurately reflects the full makeup of the SPS, since most of its students transfer to North Park with previous college credit of one kind or another. Flexible options for degree completion such as two quads that start within each of the three semesters, and generous Prior Learning Assessment credit to leverage learning from previous work and other experiences—these are the very ways in which SPS provide a solid foundation to students who are pursuing their degree in a format that suits their lifestyle. “The SPS student thrives in our supportive environment, where they receive personal instruction and advising,” said Associate Director and Assistant Professor Judson Curry.
North Park is a close community, offering support and opportunity to develop personal and professional connections. So adding more services for SPS students reentering a college-level learning environment, like personal advisors, comes naturally to the North Park culture. “From day one, the staff listened to what my goals were and helped me to be successful,” said counseling psychology graduate Cameron Sweeney.
Understanding that various life circumstances brought students to a nontraditional path of earning their degree is foundational to the SPS program, which seeks to meet the interests and demands of the adult learner and continue to add value to their lives.Majors focused on the private, public, and nonprofit sectors are designed to meet the students’ interests and equip them with coveted transferable skills to attract employers and ultimately land in-demand jobs.
SPS instructors hold credentials on par with faculty serving traditional degree-seeking students and often work outside the University within their fields, weaving real-world experience into the classroom. “Many of my professors have worked, or still do, in marketing, so I’m up-to-date on the latest developments,” said business administration graduate Chad Woehrle.
As an inclusive community that engages the city and offers open enrollment to SPS students, the University shares its resources to further enhance the educational experience for SPS students. For instance, the Center for Online Education (COE) is now located in close proximity to SPS offices, to further support the needs of students taking online courses.
SPS graduates have secured jobs in a wide variety of fields, including IT, psychology, and nonprofit management. The proof is in SPS’s success rate of going from degree-completion student to new graduate—more than 56 percent of recent SPS alumni earn their degrees once enrolled, nearly double the average national graduation rate for nontraditional students. “Degree-seeking students are to be celebrated for their dedication to completing their degree, and their success rate is indicative of access to a quality education,” added Scrementi.
Graduation day is one of life’s many marathons—but it’s an important milestone. The SPS faculty and entire learning community at North Park are committed to offering a quality learning experience, so students can get to the finish line feeling strong, believing in themselves, and ready to apply their confidence and skills.
An Tran C’14 earned first prize at the 2016 Hamilton International Guitar Festival and Competition
CHICAGO (August 3, 2016) — Class of 2014 North Park University graduate An Tran won first prize at the 2016 Hamilton International Guitar Competition last month in Ontario, Canada, earning a cash prize, a custom handmade guitar, and an appearance at the 2017 Hamilton Guitar Festival.
Tran received first prize in the Vietnam National Guitar Competition at the age of 12; Vietnam’s Best Overseas Student Award in 2010; a certificate of merit granted by Vietnam’s vice president in 2010; first prize in the 2013 Society of American Musicians Guitar Competition; and first prize in the 2013 North Park University Performance Awards. In 2013, he was honored as a Student Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
After earning a bachelor of arts in music with classical guitar as his major instrument, Tran was accepted into the Yale School of Music, where he earned a master of music this spring. “Yale has an amazing guitar graduate program, one of the best in the world,” he told the North Parker. “There were 200 applicants from all over the world, and they chose two. I am very lucky and honored to be one of them.”
A native of Hanoi, Vietnam, Tran was invited to perform Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra last year. As a senior at North Park, he toured Vietnam on behalf of the Red Cross Society, performing charity concerts.
While at Yale, Tran served as a teaching artist for the Music in Schools Initiative. He will return to the Chicago area this fall to pursue a doctor of musical arts at Northwestern University. “I want to become a professor to teach music and guitar, and also continue to provide music for people,” he said as a North Park student in 2013. “I want to share with others what I am learning from my teachers right now.”
North Park University student-athletes recognized with academic all-conference and academic excellence honors
CHICAGO (July 27, 2016) — Fifty-five North Park University student-athletes were named to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) academic all-conference winter and spring teams this month, and four student-athletes earned Jack Swartz Academic All-Conference honors.
The Swartz Award is given to one male and one female athlete from each CCIW school at the end of each season. To be eligible, students must have an overall grade point average of at least 3.50 and must have lettered in their sport that season.
North Park’s winter 2015–2016 Swartz Award recipients were track and field athletes Natalie Swanson, a May youth ministry and biblical and theological studies graduate of Manlius, Ill., and rising junior exercise science major Rasmus Elfgaard of Jönköping, Sweden. Spring 2016 Swartz Award-winners were May nursing graduate Nicole Kruckman (softball) of Libertyville, Ill., and rising junior pre-medicine student Josh Smith (baseball) of Lake in the Hills, Ill.
On the heels of that recognition, the Vikings also received the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Team Academic Award for the 2015–2016 academic year, one of two CCIW programs to do so. In order to qualify for the award, teams must carry a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 throughout the academic year.
“This is an especially gratifying recognition for our program,” said Head Baseball Coach Luke Johnson. “We are one of only 32 NCAA Division III teams honored—out of 384 with baseball programs—and one of 82 NCAA Division I, II, or III nationally. This puts us in the top 8.5 percent of grade point averages for Division III as well as the NCAA as a whole.”
Johnson credits the baseball program with helping to prepare students for life after graduation. “At the end of the day, their academic performance is what sets them up for the next phase of their lives,” he said of his student-athletes. “What this says is that the lessons that they learn about competing and producing, the lessons that are reinforced in the discipline of practicing and playing college baseball, clearly become a part of their identity as people.”
University Partnering with Department of Education to Expand College Opportunity
CHICAGO (June 28, 2016) — North Park University is one of 67 colleges and universities selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell program, the department has announced.
The pilot program will allow eligible incarcerated students to receive Pell Grants and pursue postsecondary education, enrolling 12,000 prisoners at more than 100 correctional institutions around the country. Qualifying students are likely to be released within five years of enrolling in coursework.
First announced in July 2015, the program had received interest from more than 200 colleges and universities by last October. North Park is one of two institutions in the state of Illinois to be selected as a participating institution.
“The evidence is clear,” said U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. in a statement. “Promoting the education and job training for incarcerated individuals makes communities safer by reducing recidivism and saves taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration.”
A RAND Corporation study found that incarcerated individuals who participated in correctional education were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than prisoners who did not participate in any correctional education programs. RAND also estimated that for every dollar invested in correctional education programs, four to five dollars are saved on three-year reincarceration costs.
The selected institutions “demonstrate strong partnerships between the postsecondary institution and correctional institutions,” the White House Press Office said in a statement. “These partnerships will help to facilitate high-quality educational programs, strong academic and career support services, and re-entry support.”
The announcement comes after North Park became a founding partner of the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge earlier this month. On June 10, Secretary King hosted representatives of 15 institutions, including North Park University President David L. Parkyn, at the White House to announce the pledge, which seeks to expand college opportunity and eliminate barriers for those with a criminal record.
“The Second Chance Pell program is an excellent mission fit with who we are at North Park,” said Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom, professor of theology and ethics. She spearheaded the University’s application to the program and co-teaches current North Park courses offered in correctional centers. “One of the things I tell our partners is that we’re not just about education; we’re about justeducation. Offering accessibility to groups who traditionally don’t have access to higher education is something North Park is well positioned to do.”
“The population in prison is probably one of the least accessible populations in the country,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “North Park is Christian, urban, and intercultural. And to be truly intercultural, we need to address some of the barriers to participation in education from all people.”
Honorees include Muslim Women’s Alliance and Christopher House
CHICAGO (June 15, 2016) — For nonprofit professionals, it’s a familiar feeling: being proud of your organization’s work, but wishing you had access to the resources that would fulfill its mission more effectively. Particularly for the Illinois nonprofit sector, hit hard by the state’s budget impasse, questions of how to do a lot with a little are more relevant than ever. So when industry leaders gathered Monday for the 17th Annual Axelson Center Symposium for Nonprofit Professionals and Volunteers, they together explored maximizing those resources already within their organizations.
The daylong conference’s theme, “Mining for Gold: Uncovering Hidden Treasures in Your Organization,” emphasized highlighting the talents of the people within nonprofit organizations, and connecting them to trends within the sector for maximum impact. Interactive sessions throughout the day offered strategies to leverage opportunities and reinvigorate the way professionals look at internal resources.
In addition to breakout workshops on timely industry topics hosted by sector leaders throughout the day, the Symposium this year offered two new features: Ask the Expert, individual appointments that allowed for questions on a variety of specific subjects; and Ask a Funder, opportunities to connect with program officers at area foundations.
In her keynote address sponsored by BMO Harris Bank, speaker Kimberly Bryant challenged attendees to use what was unique about their organizations and “figure out a way in our work to create real change for the communities we serve.” Bryant is the founder and executive director of Black Girls CODE, a nonprofit dedicated to “changing the face of technology” by introducing girls of color to the tech and computer science world, with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts.
Named by Business Insider as one of the 25 Most Influential African Americans in Technology, Bryant grew Black Girls CODE from a local nonprofit serving only the Bay Area to an organization with seven U.S. chapters and one in South Africa. She was able to develop the organization by turning perceived disadvantages into advantages, Bryant said at the Symposium. “We focused on digging back into our culture, and tapped into the unique needs of our communities,” she said. “What I’m most proud of is how we’ve developed these girls as leaders. We’ve changed the conversation around tech and changed the lives of our students.”
The world puts people into boxes, Bryant said. But in the field of technology, people are taught to be disrupters. “Identify the pain points or things that make you uncomfortable, and work through them to make them your own,” she said. “If you’re still in the box as a nonprofit leader, it’s time to come out. It’s time to create change, and it’s time to get to work. Nonprofits play a special role in creating change in an equitable way. The time is now to realize the power that nonprofits have.”
Nonprofit Management Awards
The Axelson Center also announced the winners of its Excellent Emerging Organization Award and its Alford Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence at Monday’s awards luncheon. The 2016 Excellent Emerging Organization Award, presented to an up-and-coming Chicago-area nonprofit, was given to Muslim Women’s Alliance. The 2016 Alford-Axelson Award, given for exemplary nonprofit management practices, was presented to Christopher House, with an honorable mention awarded to Elgin Symphony Orchestra.
Muslim Women’s Alliance (MWA), the 2016 Excellent Emerging Organization Award winner, promotes the Islamic values of fairness, service to others, and community building. MWA’s core focus areas are development of women leaders, fostering community service, mentoring women to build confidence, and empowering the community through awareness and action on social issues.
“This is a gesture to us that we need to keep powering on,” said MWA Director of Organizational Development Suroor Raheemullah in her acceptance remarks. “A lot of the time, when you see things that happen like what happened last weekend, it can get defeating,” Raheemullah said, referencing the recent Orlando shooting and its possible connection to religious motivations. “I’m really honored to get this and continue to do important work. It is important that when you see us, you don’t fear us, but love us, because we love all of you.”
MWA received a $2,500 cash prize, sponsored by MB Financial Bank, a commemorative award, and a capacity-building package, valued at over $25,000, that will support improvement of services and efficiency. The Excellent Emerging Organization Award was created to honor organizations whose strength is apparent even in the early stages of existence, displaying sound management practices, innovation, and programming and leadership capabilities.
This year’s Alford-Axelson Award winner, Christopher House, provides education and resources to low-income children and their families to succeed in school, the workplace, and life. “In this environment, with a state budget crisis, this sort of investment and recognition of our hard work to get us to be a high-performing organization really means a lot,” Christopher House CEO Lori Baas said, accepting the award. “So thank you very much.”
The Alford-Axelson award honors and continues the legacies of Nils G. Axelson, a devoted community healthcare leader and visionary, and Jimmie R. Alford, a leading contemporary thinker and founder of the national consulting firm the Alford Group. Christopher House received a $5,000 cash prize and a commemorative award symbolizing the organization’s dedication to extraordinary managerial excellence.
In recognition of their honorable mention, Elgin Symphony Orchestra CEO David Bearden said, “Winning is not about just getting an award, it’s in the process of learning who you are. So we thank this organization for helping us do that.”
The Symposium ended with the Make Your Pitch contest, in which a variety of local nonprofits made their case to a panel of judges for a $1,000 cash prize, sponsored by Wintrust Commercial Bank. Conference participants were invited to hear pitches and also cast their vote in support of the best pitch. The winning organization, Kids in Danger, works to improve children’s product safety, and received the prize after pitching the concept of developing and printing Spanish-language safety brochures.
For more information about the Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management, visit www.northpark.edu/axelson.
University a Founding Partner in Administration’s Effort to Expand College Opportunity
CHICAGO (June 10, 2016) — Today, North Park University announced that it has joined with the Obama Administration and 24 other colleges and universities around the country as a founding partner for the launch of the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge. The pledge provides higher education institutions with the opportunity to voice support for improving their communities through expanding college opportunity and eliminating barriers for those with a criminal record.
This morning at the White House, U.S. Secretary of Education John King and Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Muñoz hosted North Park, along with 14 other higher education institutions, to announce the pledge. Together, the 25 founding partner institutions represent and serve more than one million students.
“Too often, a criminal record disqualifies Americans from being full participants in our society—even after they’ve already paid their debt to society,” the White House Office of the Press Secretary said in a statement. “This includes admissions processes for educational institutions that can make it difficult if not impossible for those with criminal records to get an education that can lead to a job.”
North Park University President Dr. David L. Parkyn agrees. “North Park prepares students for lives of significance and service,” he said. “We believe that all people desiring a high-quality education deserve the opportunity. This has meant expanding the range of students we are educating, and expanding the support services we provide. We applaud the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge, and we will work diligently to create pathways for a second chance for people with a criminal record. We are delighted to join fellow universities in working to remove unnecessary barriers for a higher education and becoming places of hope and opportunity.”
President David Parkyn was hosted at the White House to announce North Park’s founding partnership in the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge.
“North Park University applauds the growing number of public and private colleges and universities nationwide who are taking action to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, including individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system,” reads the pledge. “When an estimated 70 million or more Americans—nearly one in three adults—have a criminal record, it is important to remove unnecessary barriers that may prevent these individuals from gaining access to education and training that can be so critical to career success and lead to a fulfilled and productive life.”
“We are committed,” the pledge continues, “to providing individuals with criminal records, including formerly incarcerated individuals, a fair chance to seek a higher education to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to our nation’s growing economy.”
Provost Michael Emerson believes that as a university that deeply values its Christian identity, urban location, and intercultural campus community, North Park is uniquely positioned to broaden college opportunity. “People with criminal records have often made a series of serious mistakes,” he said. “As our educational system is currently set up, they will pay consequences for their mistakes for the rest of their lives, unable to get a university education.”
“We believe people can and do change, and like anyone else, need an opportunity to learn, grow, earn a living, and serve their community,” Emerson continued. “As a Christian university, we are compelled by our understanding of faith to offer the possibility of a university education to all who are willing to commit to higher learning.”
A Transformative Model
One of the ways North Park University has already worked to increase access to higher education is through Theological Seminarycourses held in Stateville Correctional Center. The semester-long classes, launched last year, have included a field education course called Intercultural Dialogue, in which Seminary students learned alongside Stateville students. “Several of those students have asked if, upon their release, they can continue their education at North Park,” said Emerson. “It is important to us that they can do so.”
Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom, professor of theology and ethics, co-taught the class. “North Park’s education in prison envisions a transformative justice model of education that cultivates leaders in new contexts, forms Christian character through intercultural learning, and rethinks teaching and pedagogy,” she says. “We are committed to providing both theological and liberal arts education to individuals while they are currently incarcerated and after their release.”
Founding Partners
The higher education institutions serving as founding partners in launching the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge are: Ancilla College, Arizona State University, Auburn University, Boston University, City University of New York, College of Saint Benedict, Columbia University, Eastern University, Howard University, New York University, North Park University, Nyack College, Raritan Valley Community College, Rutgers University (Biomedical and Health Sciences, Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick), Saint John’s University, San Francisco State University, State University of New York, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, University of California System, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, University of Puget Sound, and University of Washington. Find out more about the pledge.
On Friday of Homecoming weekend, alumni, families, students, faculty, and staff came together to honor North Park’s 125-year legacy and to celebrate its future with events throughout the day.
Author Mireille GallegosPosted on Categories Stories
CHICAGO (September 22, 2016) — When North Park alumnus Joshua Musil Church returns to campus this week for the University’s 
CHICAGO (September 19, 2016) — The North Park University community gathered in Anderson Chapel Monday, September 19, for its University Convocation, an annual ceremony honoring the achievements of faculty and staff.
CHICAGO (September 13, 2016) — Selected undergraduate students have concluded research from a mentor-mentee structured, eight-week summer program. Made possible by support from North Park University’s donors, students accepted into the program receive a $3,500 stipend, plus $500 for materials and free on-campus housing, to participate in the North Park Research Experience for Summer Students (NPRESS).
This year’s July 29 and August 31 presentations covered a broad array of research topics from the various divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences and other schools at North Park. NPRESS recipients covered such wide-ranging subjects as Independence Movements in Catalunya and the Emergence of Populism in Espana: A Political Analysis; How Prayer Takes Us Beyond Onto-theology; and Exploring the Relationship Between Inventory Turns on Gross Profit Margin Measures.
CHICAGO (September 2, 2016) — We’ve heard the metaphor before that life is like a marathon. The finish line is commonly perceived as the ultimate goal, yet the journey we take to get there is important too, and can vary from person to person. For some, speed and making good time is a motivator, while others find themselves having to adjust the pace as life just happens.
North Park is a close community, offering support and opportunity to develop personal and professional connections. So adding more services for SPS students reentering a college-level learning environment, like personal advisors, comes naturally to the North Park culture. “From day one, the staff listened to what my goals were and helped me to be successful,” said 
CHICAGO (August 3, 2016) — Class of 2014 North Park University graduate An Tran 
CHICAGO (July 27, 2016) — Fifty-five North Park University student-athletes were named to the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) 
CHICAGO (June 28, 2016) — North Park University is one of 67 colleges and universities selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell program, the department has announced.
CHICAGO (June 15, 2016) — For nonprofit professionals, it’s a familiar feeling: being proud of your organization’s work, but wishing you had access to the resources that would fulfill its mission more effectively. Particularly for the Illinois nonprofit sector, hit hard by the state’s budget impasse, questions of how to do a lot with a little are more relevant than ever. So when industry leaders gathered Monday for the 
In recognition of their honorable mention, 
CHICAGO (June 10, 2016) — Today,