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The University will host Juan Felipe Herrera November 12–13 for a lecture, a reading, and a class.
Juan Felipe Herrera on campus November 12–13 for event series
CHICAGO (November 9, 2015) — Juan Felipe Herrera spent his early childhood living in the tents and trailers that dotted the fields of Southern California’s farmland. The son of Mexican migrant farmworkers, Herrera would move with his family as the seasons and crops changed. Those years instilled in him a passion for fairness and justice, and a desire to tell the story of the migrant and indigenous experiences. Herrera was honored for how he has told that story when he was inaugurated as the first Mexican-American U.S. poet laureate on September 15.
North Park University will host Herrera on November 12 and 13 for a series of on-campus events, connected to this year’s Campus Theme program, What Is Truth? “It is an honor to have the poet laureate here,” said Dr. Karl Clifton-Soderstrom, associate professor of philosophy and the director of the Campus Theme program. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for our students to encounter a preeminent artist of our time. Mr. Herrera also shares with our campus a commitment to social justice, which shows up both through his artistic voice and in his own advocacy work.”
Prior to his inauguration, Herrera served as California State poet laureate, from 2012 to 2014. He is the author of many collections of poetry, novels, and children’s books, and the recipient of several prestigious literary awards and fellowships. Although Herrera recently retired as a professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, his work as an artist and activist continues.
“Poetry is a call to action and it also is action,” Herrera told NPR in an interview just before his inauguration. “Sometimes we say, ‘This tragedy, it happened far away. I don't know what to do. I'm concerned but I'm just dangling in space.’ A poem can lead you through that, and it is made of action because you're giving your whole life to it in that moment. And then the poem—you give it to everyone. Not that we're going to change somebody's mind—no, we're going to change that small, three-minute moment. And someone will listen. That's the best we can do.”
On Thursday evening, Herrera will give a reading, followed by a discussion and book signing, in Isaacson Chapel at 7:00 pm. On Friday morning, he will deliver a lecture, “Truth-Telling and the Role of the Artist in Society,” in Anderson Chapel at 10:30 am. Herrera will also lead a private writing workshop for creative writing students on Friday afternoon.
“We have designed two events that each serves a different purpose,” said Clifton-Soderstrom. “Together, they allow us to interact with both aspects of his work. Both should be wonderful.”
The University’s Campus Theme program offers a yearlong series of events, lectures, and discussions across campus around a central question of the human experience. When the program committee decided on the theme of What Is Truth?, members felt that Herrera was an obvious fit. “There are a host of truths that Mr. Herrera’s work confronts us with,” Clifton-Soderstrom said.
The Campus Theme program, which hosted events throughout fall, will continue to explore the question "What Is Truth?" in the spring semester.
Throughout human history, he offered, debates have raged about whether art reveals or distorts the truth. But alongside the skepticism and scorn that artists have often historically faced, “there is also a tradition that claims the artists in society are the prophets, the seers, the diviners of the truths that reason, logic, and science cannot see,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “Most notably, we might say that Mr. Herrera’s work confronts us with the truth, lies, revelations, and deceptions around the topics of cultural identity, geographical migration, and our own relationship to the land.”
Herrera plans to use his role as poet laureate as a platform for examining truth through storytelling. “I’m here to encourage others to speak,” he told the Washington Post earlier this year. “To speak out and speak up and write with their voices and their family stories and their sense of humor and their deep concerns and their way of speaking their own languages. I want to encourage people to do that with this amazing medium called poetry.”
Herrera’s two campus events are free and open to the public. Location details are available online.
Herrera read from his latest collection, Notes on the Assemblage, during a November 13 lecture in Anderson Chapel.
Juan Felipe Herrera calls North Park students to be “visible and visibilizers”
CHICAGO (November 16, 2015) — The story of our nation’s first Mexican-American poet laureate is one of humble beginnings. Juan Felipe Herrera was born into a family of migrant farm laborers, but often heard his mother recite poetry. He was captivated by it, though too nervous to try his hand. The words that catalyzed him came from his third grade teacher: “You have a beautiful voice.”
Recalling this story to North Park University students last week, Herrera said, “That’s why I’m here, actually. I’m here to tell you that. You have a beautiful voice.”
Wearing his signature fedora (this time a royal blue) and turquoise rings, Herrera read poems and shared the stories behind them. It was a blustery Thursday evening in Chicago when students, faculty, and community members gathered in North Park’s Isaacson Chapel. Herrera was there for a series of on-campus events connected to this year’s Campus Theme program, which asks the question, “What Is Truth?”
Earlier in the day, Herrera lead a private writing workshop with creative writing students. Participant Ashley McDonald (a double major in philosophy and English, with a creative writing emphasis) was surprised by Herrera’s approachability. “Here’s the poet laureate of the United States—the officialness of it made us think it was going to be a serious, academic, deep, demanding workshop, I think,” McDonald said. “After he told us a bit of his story about how he became a poet—he decided he wanted to start telling the truth about who he was, which prompted him to join the school choir and eventually begin writing—he had us brainstorm words related to submarines. The poem that came out of that was hilarious.”
McDonald also walked away with a sense of the power of community in writing. “Working in a group on a poem added levity to the endeavor that isn’t always there when you write alone,” she said. This was a central theme for Herrera, who, throughout the events, explained that his development as a writer happened within a community of writers, and for the sake of the Latino community: “I was a poet for the community, in the community, by the community.” Herrera opened his comments Thursday with a bilingual poem, “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way,” which demonstrates his passion to tell the truth about a community while also calling it to action.
Herrera turned the conversation to global citizenship, sharing poems from his most recent collection, Notes on the Assemblage. “Ayotzinapa,” told from the perspective of the 43 victims of the 2014 Iguala mass kidnapping in Mexico, closes, “we are/not disposable.” “i am Kenji Goto” honors Japanese journalists Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa, murdered by ISIS. Multiple students in attendance described these works as “really inspiring.”
Justice also shaped Herrera’s remarks to the student body gathered at Anderson Chapel on Friday morning for a lecture titled “Truth-Telling and the Role of the Artist in Society.” Herrera urged the students to “have a fire for truth,” to look beyond the messages of consumerism and ask, “What is my truth?”
“It takes a long time to find your truth,” Herrera said, remembering a college experience that shaped him. As an Anthropology student, Herrera learned about a people group in Mexico that had dwindled to a population of 250, and he was charged for their cause. “It all came together when I learned [that]. I wasn’t just going to accept that and let it go.” Frustrated by the apathy of other students, Herrera recalled saying, “I don’t want to talk about it. I want to do something about it. I want to go face-to-face, not face-to-book.”
Looking at North Park’s students, Herrera asked, “How can truth be truth if it’s just for you or me?” He called the students to work that makes them both “visible and visibilizers.” This is at the heart of Herrera’s project as poet laureate, La Casa de Colores, which he invited students to participate in by submitting 200 characters or less of poetic lines. Herrera said that the project is intended to “feed the hearth and the heart of our communities with creativity and imagination.”
Herrera closed his time on campus by sharing “30 Steps I Took Towards Truth-Telling,” written for the event, prefacing his list with this remark: “Before I recite these to you, let me just say that it has become all about kindness. I think kindness is the direct path to truth . . . kindness is the way.”
North Park University Joins Chicago Star Partnership
City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman, a 2004 North Park Unviersity graduate in the master of arts in community development program, joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel and representatives from universities to announce the expansion of the Chicago Star Partnership initiative. Twelve Chicagoland schools have committed to providing scholarships for Star students to earn four-year degrees.
Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and City Colleges Chancellor Cheryl Hyman announce more universities providing scholarships for Star students to earn four-year degrees
CHICAGO (November 6, 2015) — Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) Chancellor Cheryl Hyman announced on Thursday that five additional colleges have joined the Chicago Star Partnership, a group of four-year colleges and universities who have committed to providing scholarships to Chicago Star Scholars following their graduation from CCC.
University of Chicago, Columbia College, Northeastern Illinois University, North Park University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago have joined seven other Chicago colleges and universities signing on to offer Star Scholars—high-achieving Chicago Public Schools (CPS) graduates who earn associate degrees and other certifications at City Colleges—with financial support to continue their education.
“By breaking down financial barriers to a college education, the Chicago Star Scholarship is opening up more pathways to the middle class for hardworking Chicago students and by expanding this partnership, we are taking our city’s commitment to making college more affordable to the next level,” said Mayor Emanuel. “I want to thank these 12 university partners for helping Chicago’s Star Scholars gain access to a four-year degree. We must continue working to ensure that a college education is within the reach of every hardworking Chicago student, regardless of their ability to pay.”
These institutions join DePaul University, Governors State University, Illinois Institute of Technology, Loyola University, National Louis University, Roosevelt University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Chicago Star Partnership.
In its inaugural year, the Chicago Star Scholarship has enabled nearly 1,000 CPS graduates to pursue their degrees from City Colleges free-of-charge. This expansion of the Chicago Star Partnership ensures Star Scholars will have further opportunities to pursue a four-year degree at a significantly reduced cost after successfully completing associate degrees at one of the City Colleges of Chicago.
“Most of the time, a high school diploma simply doesn’t cut it anymore,” said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman. “Not only can City Colleges of Chicago equip these high-achieving students with an associate degree at an affordable price, but these partnerships will significantly reduce the cost of attaining a bachelor degree that employers in many industries increasingly want to see on an applicant’s resume.”
Each of the 12 university partners have committed to creating an opportunity that will allow Star Scholars to continue their college education following a successful completion at CCC. These packages range in monetary value between $2,500 and $25,000 each year. Some of these awards are merit-based and some are needs-based, but all are “last dollar” scholarships that may be applied in addition to other financial aid awards earned. Furthermore, each of the partners has committed to providing Star students transferring in with advising and transition supports.
The Star Scholarship for Chicago Public School (CPS) graduates was established in 2014 to ensure that all hard-working students would have an opportunity to pursue college coursework at the City Colleges, despite any financial barriers they might face.
Mayor Emanuel and CCC launched the Star Scholarship in 2014 to ensure that all hard-working students would have an opportunity to pursue college coursework, despite any financial barriers they might face. To qualify, CPS students must meet specific criteria to be chosen as Star Scholars at City Colleges of Chicago. These students must graduate with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, demonstrate “completion ready” ability with an ACT math and English score of 17, and enroll in one of CCC’s structured, relevant pathways.
Students meeting these criteria will be offered waivers for all tuition and books for up to three years at City Colleges of Chicago. For students who did not meet the completion-ready criteria but have achieved a 3.0 GPA, they may participate in remedial coursework until they demonstrate college-readiness, and will then receive the scholarship and tuition waiver.
The Star Scholarship program is one of many reforms created under the City College’s Reinvention effort. Since the Reinvention began in 2010, CCC has made significant investments in all seven colleges to ensure that all degrees and certificates are made relevant to the demands of the workplace and four-year institutions, and to deliver enhanced academic supports for students to ensure that they have the tools and support they need to be successful in their pathway of choice. This year, CCC realized its highest graduation rate on record—17 percent—which is more than double the rate since the launch of the Reinvention effort.
For more information about the Chicago Star Scholarship at City Colleges of Chicago visit www.ccc.edu/starscholarship.
Dr. Terry Lindsay, North Park’s dean of diversity and intercultural programs and associate professor of cultural studies, also leads the Office of Diversity and Intercultural Programs, which through a series of events and experiences offered each year, seeks to sustain a campus community that appreciates diversity and embraces our differences as well as our similarities.
Q&A with Dr. Terry Lindsay ahead of the Seventh Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference
CHICAGO (October 29, 2015) — For the first time in the history of North Park University there is no racial or ethnic majority in the school’s undergraduate population. No group of students, including white students, reaches above fifty percent, highlighting the University’s commitment to creating a diverse campus community.
“Our student body reflects Jesus’s vision recorded in the Gospel of Luke in which ‘people will come from the east and west, north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God,’” said University President David Parkyn in a recent address. “Our founding President David Nyvall had a vision for ‘harmony in the midst of diversity,’ and with Christ at the center of North Park we stand with our arms wide open.”
Diversity as a theme has been present across campus this academic year. North Park Theological Seminary hosted its annual Symposium for the Theological Interpretation of Scripture September 24 to 26, with a focus on “Race and Racism.” The University also hosted the Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) 2015 Diversity Conference September 25 to 27, where hundreds of faculty and staff from Christian higher education institutions gathered for a series of workshops aimed at creating inclusive communities.
This year’s Campus Theme program, What Is Truth, has also provided students an opportunity to learn and engage alongside a diverse set of voices. On Friday, October 9, students, faculty, and staff gathered in Anderson Chapel to hear from Gerardo Cárdenas, a Mexico City-born writer and journalist who now lives in Chicago. His book Our Lady of the Viaduct is the University’s Common Read selection this year, where incoming freshmen have a shared experience of reading the same book—selected based on the Campus Theme—and then gather throughout the year to discuss its meanings and implications.
The focus on diversity will continue next week as North Park hosts its Seventh Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference. On November 7, college students and staff from around the country will gather for leadership development training and a series of workshops centered around equipping a generation of leaders who can be change agents for their communities.
The Seventh Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference takes place at North Park on Saturday, November 7. Registration is still available. For more information, visit www.northpark.edu/sdlc.
Ahead of the conference, we sat down with Dr. Terry Lindsay, North Park’s dean of diversity and intercultural programs and associate professor of cultural studies, for a conversion about diversity on campus.
North Park: When you hear the statistics about the changing demographics at North Park, what’s your reaction?
Terry Lindsay: I’m actually not surprised. I knew that the University was heading in that direction for a number of reasons, one of them being that the country as a whole is shifting and changing demographically. There are more Latino students all across the country for a variety of reasons. Europeans are not coming to the country in the same kinds of numbers as they used to in the ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s. There’s also a recent report that indicated that for the first time in the history of this country there are now more children of color born in the U.S. each year than white children. So the country is changing and I’ve always thought that North Park would eventually change in demographics as well. And it’s exciting for everybody.
Our new provost gave a speech at our last full faculty meeting and he talked about North Park becoming the next great university as it relates to urban education. And I think that’s what we can do with this change in demographics. We are ideally positioned in terms of our demographic makeup to prepare students for the global world that we’re graduating them into. And we don’t have to take them somewhere else to do that. They can do it right here on campus by virtue of the interactions that they will have in the classroom, in Collegelife, in Chapel, in co-curricular activities, on our athletic fields, and in our leadership opportunities. We are perfectly positioned and ideally situated to prepare students who are interculturally competent.
NP: What has North Park done in recent years to help facilitate a diverse community?
Lindsay: First I have to credit our colleagues over in the admissions office. They have made a concentrated effort towards the recruitment of underrepresented students. They’ve developed relationships with organizations that serve these students, including One Goal, Casa Central, and the Miracle Center, among others. We also have our own programs, like VIVE, which, partnering with the Evangelical Covenant Church, sponsors regional events aimed at creating pathways for underserved students to start imagining college in their futures. So there are a number of organizations that we are deliberately and intentionally developing a partnership with and spreading the word about North Park.
The reality is, a number of underrepresented students don’t know a lot about North Park. But when they come beyond those gates and they see the beautiful campus that we have and they interact with some of our own underrepresented students, they can’t help but go back and talk about what a terrific experience it was.
NP: When you think about American higher education in general, there are some schools, I imagine, who are doing this work better than others. Where do you see the gaps and also the potential in higher education moving towards the creating of a more diverse learning community?
Lindsay: I do a lot of traveling to other college campuses for diversity conferences and I am shocked when I get to these campuses to see that they are still majority-white. And when I say “majority-white,” I mean eighty to ninety percent white. I’m like, “You won’t be sustainable doing this!” Some secular institutions are doing a better job. North Park and a few others are leading the way in terms of Christian schools recruiting underrepresented students. We still have a ways to go in creating a welcoming, inclusive, and accessible environment for the students that we have. We still need to work on that. But in terms of going out and recruiting underrepresented students, we have not mastered it, but we are moving in the right direction.
NP: And there are programs in place here once students come to campus, things like Prepárate, Lighthouse, COMPASS, and others.
Lindsay: After you’ve recruited these students, you need to make sure that it’s an environment that will adjust to the differences in their learning styles, to the differences in the way they access the place, and to the fact that many of these students are the first in their family to go to college. Many underrepresented students don’t know how to seamlessly transition to campus. So we need to provide programs that will aid in the acclamation to the institution. We have the Latino student orientation, Prepárate, that brings Latino students to campus before the start of opening week to get them more acclimated to the institution. You have the COMPASS program, which takes academically at-risk students who were admitted provisionally, and provides an enriched experience for them. There are a number of programs that have been developed to help these students ease into the college environment.
I recently met with a group of Latino students who participated in Prepárate. And a young woman said, “The Latino orientation was so helpful for me because it allowed me to experience the college before the pressure of everything else happened. I didn’t know if I was good enough, But the Latino orientation program gave me the confidence that I needed and it was just so useful for me.” That’s what these programs do and I am in support of them all.
NP: The Student Diversity Leadership Conference is in its seventh year. What are you looking forward to?
Lindsay: I look forward to the fact that every year, the conference is a vehicle that provides nourishment to the participants who are going to be here. People are traveling from far and near to come, including Seattle and Omaha. This conference will help them to develop the intercultural competency skills that they need to go back to their campuses and communities to be agents of change. So we work hard to make sure that happens.
NP: Over the years as conference attendees have gone back to their campuses to do the work of diversity leadership. Have you been able to see some of that change implemented?
Lindsay: It’s always fun to go to a campus that has been to your conference and to see how they’re applying what they have learned. Recently I went down to Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., and one of their faculty members had come to our conference. She met with me and said, “We want to do some of these things that I learned.” And so she began the process of pulling together a diversity committee on her campus. She brought me down for an entire day and I met with the provost, academic deans, vice president for student affairs, students, and the university committee. It was really nice to talk with them about the future of Christian higher education as it relates to diversity and the role that they can play and what we’ve all learned from the diversity conference at North Park.
The Seventh Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference takes place at North Park on Saturday, November 7. Registration is still available. For more information, visit www.northpark.edu/sdlc.
North Park University Honors Three Alumni at Annual Homecoming Breakfast
Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner Deborah Wanderley dos Santos C’10 performed at Saturday's Reunion and Awards Breakfast.
Awards presented for commitment to lives of signifigance and service
CHICAGO (October 22, 2015) — At the annual Reunion and Awards Breakfast, held this year on Saturday, October 17, three North Park alumni were recognized for leading lives that represent the mission and spirit of the University. Honorees included Déborah Wanderley dos Santos, Megan (Streedain) Tamte, and Peter Tufo.
Wanderley dos Santos, recipient of the 2015 Distinguished Young Alumni Award, graduated from North Park in 2010 with a bachelor of music in performance. Since then, she has performed in major music halls worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Festival Hall in London, and Konzerthass in Vienna. Currently she is a violinst in the São Paulo Symphony, considered the top orchestra in Brazil and South America. She is also pursuing her master’s degree at SãoPaulo State University in strings pedagogy.
“One of the things I so appreciate about Déborah’s story is that it reminds me that while we have all called North Park home, our paths here and our paths since our time here often look very unique,” said Melissa Vélez Luce, director of alumni relations, in presenting Wanderley dos Santos the award. “Déborah is someone whose musical talent is impressive enough to stand on its own. However, it is her tenacity and determination, in addition to her deep commitment to serve others, that truly embody what it means to live a life of significance.”
This year’s recipient of the North Park University Distinguished Alumni Award was Megan (Streedain) Tamte. Less than 10 years after graduating from North Park with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and Spanish, Tamte co-founded the retail clothing chain Evereve, formerly known as Hot Mama. Since its first store opened in 2004 near Minneapolis, the company now has 60 locations across 21 states, with more than 1,000 employees.
“Megan allowed her faith in God to guide her home, her family, her decision-making, and her successful business,” said Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Mary Surridge. “Megan can say with conviction and confidence that the platform she occupies as CEO of Evereve allows for the broad and deep sharing of her faith, her gifts, and her story with clients, colleagues, and friends.”
Although Peter Tufo, 2015 North Park Academy Distinguished Alumni honoree, was unable to attend Saturday’s breakfast, his commitment to a life of significance and service was celebrated by the North Park community. Tufo, a 1955 graduate, served as the U.S. Ambassador to Hungary from 1997–2001. Before that, he enjoyed a long career in public service, including serving as chair of the New York City Board of Corrections and the New York State Thruway Authority.
“The trajectory of Peter’s life journey brought together a commitment to make things happen at the highest levels of corporate business with a corresponding commitment to attend to neighbor’s good," said North Park University President David Parkyn. "He was able to do so through some of the most challenging assignments in public service in New York City. It is our honor today to recognize him, 60 years following his graduation from North Park, as the 2015 Academy Distinguished Alumnus.”
For the third year in a row, North Park’s football program earned a win in front of the Homecoming crowd, delivering a dominant 24-14 victory over CCIW foe Elmhurst College. More Photos
Alumni honored as part of Homecoming weekend
CHICAGO (October 20, 2015) — Generations of North Park alumni returned to the corner of Foster and Kedzie this weekend to reconnect with the campus community as part of the 2015 Homecoming celebration.
There were several highlights of the week, including a faculty showcase from the School of Music, an alumni art exhibit, and the annual Golden Circle reception in honor of alumni who graduated at least 50 years ago.
Alumni were also treated to home games from women’s volleyball and both soccer teams. And for the third year in a row, North Park’s football program earned a win in front of the Homecoming crowd, delivering a dominant 24-14 victory over CCIW foe Elmhurst College.
As part of Homecoming week, several alumni were honored for their contributions to the North Park community and for leading lives of significance and service, exemplifying the University's mission.
Distinguished Young Alumni Award winner Deborah Wanderley dos Santos C’10 performed at Saturday's Reunion and Awards Breakfast.
Three North Park alumni were honored at Saturday’s Reunion and Awards Breakfast:
Peter Tufo A’55, U.S. Ambassador to Hungary from 1997–2001, Distinguished Academy Alumnus
Megan (Streedain) Tamte C’95, co-founder and CEO of Evereve, Distinguished University Alumna
Déborah Wanderley dos Santos C’10, São Paulo Symphony violinist and founder of the YOURS project, Distinguished Young Alumna
North Park University athletes were inducted into the Viking Hall of Fame on Friday, October 16. This year’s inductees included:
Arriel Gray Jr. C’81, football and track and field
Rich Mahoney C’69, football, baseball, and coaching
Prof. Tony Quinn, coaching and teaching
Megan (Slattery) Nikiel C’06 G’10, basketball
The 2004 Women’s Novice 4+ Rowing Team, which won the national championship during their inaugural season: Corianne (Bowman) Courtney; Allison (Koubsky) Ford C’07 G’10; Erikka (Treatch) Hedberg C’07; Rebecca (Bowman) Langworthy C’05; Annika Safstrom C’07; Tim Grant, coach
See more highlights of the Hall of Fame ceremony, including speeches from a few of the honorees.
North Park University's Gospel Choir Touring Ensemble will visit three churches in the Minneapolis area as part of its fall tour, October 23–25.
Fall tour October 23–25 to feature 33 student singers
CHICAGO (October 19, 2015) — There’s a refrain in the Gospel song “We Have Overcome” by Jay Wade that includes the lines, “We have overcome by the blood of the lamb that was slain.” The song is among the repertoire that the North Park University Gospel Choir Touring Ensemble will perform this weekend when they travel to Minnesota for a series of concerts. Dr. Helen Hudgens believes those lyrics resonate deeply with the tour’s theme, “Celebrating the Resurrected Jesus.”
Hudgens, an associate professor of music at North Park who serves as co-director of the choir, traces the lyrics to Scripture, as well as to the black church experience. “That line originally comes from the book of Revelation,” she says. “In the text, at the end of history, believers who had been martyred gather before God. The idea is that there’s this underlying power that brings people through. That they’ve found the ability to see the power of God carrying them through that. It’s saying, ‘I have overcome difficulties—even to the point of death.’”
Choir Director Stephen Kelly, worship coordinator for University Ministries, agrees. “We celebrate with this music the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, which resides in all who believe,” Kelly says in his program notes. “This power unites us as brothers and sisters to bear his image through how we love him and each other.” There’s a history and a communal context to the theme, “and that matters as we sing these lyrics,” Hudgens adds. “We always try to bring that to our concerts.”
“We celebrate with this music the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, which resides in all who believe," says Choir Director Stephen Kelly, who also serves as the worship coordinator for North Park's University Ministries.
One of the School of Music’s most popular ensembles, the Gospel Choir’s performances are perennial favorites on campus. The Touring Ensemble draws students from around the country and the world, featuring 33 singers accompanied by instrumentalists. North Park’s touring ensembles regularly visit parts of the country with concentrations of alumni and Evangelical Covenant Church congregations.
The ensemble will perform 14 compositions during performances and a handful of songs during worship services. Other song highlights from the tour include “Sow in Tears” by Gospel legend Richard Smallwood; the traditional spiritual “Done Made My Vow,” arranged by Nolan Williams Jr; and “Grateful” by popular singer and pastor Hezekiah Walker. “There’s a theme of looking to Jesus as the one who has walked that road before,” Hudgens says. “We follow in his footsteps, but it doesn’t mean that the road is going to be easy.”
“Sow in Tears,” with its lines “Tears may flow, but don’t let go,” doesn’t deny that there will be difficulty and sorrow in that walk. But it also refers to tears as cleansing and created by God. “It’s a word of encouragement in the struggle,” says Hudgens.
Another prominent aspect of the walk with God explored in these songs is the necessity of committing to the journey. “In ‘Done Made My Vow,’ there’s something that the person has to do—God isn’t going to do it for you,” Hudgens says. “It says that Jesus is walking in front of you, but you still have to walk the road. Hopefully you’ve had experiences which have convinced you of the fact that if you walk that road, God will be with you, but you have to make that vow.”
Despite the struggles of the African American experience that the songs are rooted in, the joy and gratefulness embedded in the music are just as central to the tour’s theme. The chorus of “Grateful” is simply that word repeated over and over. “It’s about beginning with gratitude and always remembering,” Hudgens says. “That’s where you have to start.”
All performances are free and open to the public: • Friday, October 23, 7:00 pm, at Rochester Covenant Church, Rochester, Minn. • Saturday, October 24, 7:00 pm, at Excelsior Covenant Church, Excelsior, Minn. • Sunday, October 25, 8:45 and 11:00 am, Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Christina Phillip Receives Fulbright to Teach in Brazil
Christina Phillip was also honored as one of the top college students in Illinois, receiving recognition as a Student Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois in the fall of her senior year. She is pictured at the ceremony at the Old State Capitol in Springfield with Dr. Charles Peterson (left), dean of the colleges of arts and sciences at North Park.
Fourth member of 2015 graduating class chosen for program
CHICAGO (October 8, 2015) — 2015 graduate Christina Phillip had never heard of the Fulbright Program before she came to North Park University. But the education and Spanish double major grew up travelling with her parents, and spent a gap year between high school and college in Honduras, Kenya, and Thailand.
“Whether it was teaching English or doing community work, I had the desire to live abroad after college,” she says. “It was just a matter of how.”
A conversation her freshman year with Dr. Linda Parkyn, professor of Spanish and Fulbright Program associate, helped guide Phillip’s path. Parkyn introduced her to the Fulbright Program, the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide. The program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Phillip became the fourth North Park student from the 2015 graduating class, and 16th student in the last seven years, to be chosen for the Fulbright program. This coming February, she will embark on a journey to Brazil, where she will teach English as a Second Language.
“I am so excited to learn the culture and to travel,” she says. “I’m also looking forward to establishing a home there. The program is 11 months long, so it’s plenty of time to establish a home and become part of the community.”
As she prepares for Brazil, Phillip is gaining firsthand classroom experience in her hometown high school in Hinsdale, Ill. This fall, she is teaching English Language Learning to a variety of students with different ages and experience levels.
“I’m teaching where I went to high school, which was weird at first,” Phillip admits. “I’m still reintroducing myself to my old teachers who are now my colleagues, and they’re asking me to call them by their first names. At the same time, it’s a familiar environment where I already feel accepted and supported.”
She says her training at North Park prepared her not only for her current position, but also for what is to come in Brazil. “I feel that overall I am pretty confident of my experience at North Park and the teaching practica that were a part of it.”
Parkyn describes Phillip as resourceful and well prepared for the opportunity in Brazil. “Christina tailored her experiences at North Park in this direction,” Parkyn says. “She is eager to know students in an international context, and I have no doubt she will be engaging and welcoming in the classroom. A more prepared candidate would be hard to find. The North Park University Fulbright Campus Committee gave her our highest recommendation."
Mexico City-born and Chicago resident Gerardo Cárdenas, whose short novel Our Lady of the Viaduct served as this year’s Common Read, spoke to students, faculty, and staff in Anderson Chapel on Friday, October 9.
Campus Theme series begins its 13th year
CHICAGO (October 15, 2015) — Campus Theme has been a part of the North Park University undergraduate experience for over a decade. Beginning in 2003, a yearlong series of events, lectures, and discussions occur across campus around a central question of the human experience. It is meant to connect students from a variety of disciplines in a common pursuit. Recent themes have included What Is Food?, What Is Peace?, and What Is Nature?.
This year’s theme, What Is Truth?, marks the start of a new cycle in the Campus Theme series. Over the next four years, four questions—What Is Truth? What Is Beauty? What Is Good? What Is Sacred?—will be asked. After that, the same cycle questions will begin again over the following four academic years.
“Since most undergraduate students are here for four years, our Campus Theme committee discussed the idea of a common set of questions,” says Dr. Karl Clifton-Soderstrom, associate professor of philosophy and the director of the Campus Theme program. “The shared experience of a single question happening across campus is essential to Campus Theme, and this allows us to enhance the shared experience across different classes and perhaps even generations of North Park graduates.”
The committee explored different ideas of what the four questions could be, and ultimately landed on these because, “they’ve been the principle big questions for universities for hundreds of years,” Clifton-Soderstrom says. “These are broad and abstract enough that will allow a lot of flexibility in the kinds of events that will happen across campus.”
The pursuit of What Is Truth? is already underway. In September, the Campus Theme program and the University's new Creative Guild brought together Dr. John Laukaitis, professor of education, and artists Catherine Prescott and Tim Lowly, assistant professor of art, for a discussion on the idea of truth in relation to art, with a focus on the artists’ recent work.
Juan Felipe Herrera, newly commissioned U.S. Poet Laureate, will visit North Park November 12–13 for a class on creative writing, a poetry reading, and a lecture in Anderson Chapel on “Truth-Telling and the Role of the Artist in Society.”
Last Friday, students, faculty, and staff gathered in Anderson Chapel to hear from Gerardo Cárdenas, a Mexico City-born writer and journalist who now lives in Chicago.
Cárdenas’s visit was particularly meaningful for North Park, as his book Our Lady of the Viaduct is the University’s Common Read selection this year. The Common Read program, similar to initiatives like One Book, One Chicago, is in its third year as part of Campus Theme. Through the program, incoming freshmen have a shared experience of reading the same book—selected based on the Campus Theme—and then gather throughout the year to discuss its meanings and implications.
Cárdenas’s book—about a 2005 sighting of what some believed to be the image of the Virgin Mary underneath a viaduct in Chicago, and the ways it affected the surrounding neighborhood—was written in Spanish. Dr. Linda Craft, professor of Spanish at North Park and coordinator of the Common Read, translated it into English, and sent copies to each incoming freshman last summer.
“Truth is invariably something we concern ourselves with on a daily basis,” Cárdenas said in his lecture on Friday. “Whether it is through art, or thought, or our social interaction, we’re constantly searching for something that provides meaning, and we call that truth.”
Campus Theme events will occur throughout the year, with most of them free and open to the public. Highlights this year include a visit from U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, who will be on campus November 12–13 for a class on creative writing, a poetry reading, and a lecture in Anderson Chapel on “Truth-Telling and the Role of the Artist in Society.”
This spring, the University will also welcome Dr. Richard Kearney, the Charles B. Seeling Professor in Philosophy at Boston College. Kearney has written extensively about truth as it relates to imagination.
More events related to Campus Theme will be announced throughout the year. Please visit www.northpark.edu/campustheme for updates and more information.
North Park Community Impacted by Pope’s Visit to U.S.
Pope Francis traveled throughout the United States from Tuesday, September 22, to Sunday, September 27. In addition to the visit to Washington, D.C., he also participated in events in New York City and Philadelphia.
CHICAGO (October 1, 2015) — Two events were held on North Park University’s campus this past week in association with Pope Francis’s historic visit to the United States. They are part of the University’s efforts to engage issues of global faith and celebrate diversity in the Christian tradition.
On Thursday, September 24, faculty and staff gathered in the Johnson Center for a live showing of Pope Francis’s address to Congress. More than 50 people from the campus community joined University Ministries and Student Engagement for this momentous occasion. Pope Francis is the first sitting pope to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
As part of a continuing conversation about global faith, students and faculty gathered again on Tuesday, September 29, in Brandel Library for an open discussion about the history and role of the papacy. Lecturer in History Michael Johnson, Professor of English Liza Ann Acosta, and Theological and Catologing Librarian Stephen Spencer led a question-and-answer session on a wide range of topics.
North Park University nurtures Christian faith while welcoming students from all backgrounds and beliefs. In addition to a large number of students from the Evangelical Covenant Church, the University’s sponsoring denomination, and many other protestant traditions, over 20 percent of the traditional undergraduate population identifies as Catholic.
“We are so privileged as an institution to have students, faculty, and staff from various Christian traditions,” said Tony Zamble, director of University Ministries. “With this diversity, we have the opportunity to grow deeper in our walk with Christ through fellowship with one another and mutual encouragement. A potential challenge lies in the fact that we honestly don’t know each other’s stories. It is important that we seize every opportunity to learn more about one another. The Holy Father’s visit was a gift in this respect in that it exposed so many people to the richness of the Roman Catholic tradition."
Author Mireille GallegosPosted on Categories Stories
