North Park has served five generations of students and continues to grow in diversity, academic relevance, and Christian commitment. Our Chicago location is a great asset that reflects the School’s global reach and outlook.
After 125 years, we’ve learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on our website, please contact us directly!
North Park offers more than 40 graduate and undergraduate programs in liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Classes average 17 students. 84% of our faculty have terminal degrees. Academics here are rigorous and results-oriented.
North Park Theological Seminary prepares you to answer the call to service through theological study, spiritual development, and the formative experiences of living in a community with others on a similar life path.
The Office of Alumni Engagement fosters lifelong connections by engaging alumni with the university and one another in activities, programs, and services that support the university’s mission and alumni needs.
North Park Alum Shares His Path to Success with the Chicago Bears
McCaskey began working for the Bears as a ball boy in 1974, and graduated from North Park with a degree in athletic training in 1982.
Brian McCaskey, senior director of business development for the Bears, encouraged students to pursue their dream careers in a lecture on Monday.
CHICAGO (October 16, 2014) — On the wall at Halas Hall, the Chicago Bears training facility in Lake Forest, Ill., there is a quote from American lawyer and author Albert Pike that reads: “What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
That message, installed by Bears head coach Marc Trestman, was central to North Park alum Brian McCaskey’s lecture on Monday in the Johnson Center. McCaskey, senior director of business development for the Chicago Bears Football Club, spoke to a packed hall of undergraduate students, faculty, and staff about his nearly forty years with the Bears, particularly his experiences connecting with different groups of people. He discussed the importance of having a vision for your career, and the steps everyone must take to pursue their dreams. “It’s only work if you’d rather be somewhere else,” McCaskey urged the audience.
McCaskey also recalled the impact it had on his career when someone once asked him, “What can I do for you?” rather than just what McCaskey could do for them. For McCaskey, the mindset of helping others is not just a good thing to do—it is also an essential component of success.
“Brian has worked in the NFL at many different levels,” said John Born, assistant professor of sports management and head men’s soccer coach. “His insight and willingness to share his experiences within the world of professional sports is extremely valuable to our students.”
McCaskey began his career as a ball boy with the Bears in 1974, later transitioning into athletic training with the team. He credits North Park, and one of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees, coach William Anderson, with helping guide him on the path toward athletic training. McCaskey later served in other roles for the Bears, including director of player and staff development, where he focused on financial education, degree completion, and family assistance for players. He has held his current role as senior director of business development since 2001 and is a member of the Bears Board of Directors.
“Brian McCaskey is without a doubt passionate about his work,” said North Park junior Jessie Mortillaro. “After hearing him speak, the message I took away was that when you put the time and effort into what you want, the results will speak for themselves.”
McCaskey has been involved from the beginning in the development of the sports management concentration within the business and economics major at North Park, which launched in Fall 2013. “I love sharing my experience, especially if it can help other students on their journey, whether it’s in sports management, athletic training, or anything else,” said McCaskey. “I enjoy my relationship with North Park and this is a way to be involved and to give back.”
Danish Gymnastics Team Performs for Hibbard Elementary School
Gymnasts from the Academy of Physical Education in Viborg, Denmark began their month-long U.S. tour with a performance for Hibbard Elementary in North Park's gymnasium.
Opportunity for local students to learn about Danish culture and experience a college atmosphere
CHICAGO (October 15, 2014) — On Friday afternoon, North Park University’s gymnasium was filled with dozens of Danish gymnasts flipping and twirling through the air, as nearly 1,200 students from nearby Hibbard Elementary School watched the team from the Academy of Physical Education in Viborg, Denmark, begin their U.S. tour.
Many of the students responded with "oohs" and "ahs" as the gymnastics team presented the Danish color guard; performed choreographed, acrobatic routines; and executed stunts with trampolines. This is the third time the Danish team has performed for Hibbard Elementary at North Park, including visits in 2007 and 2010.
“A big focus for Hibbard is to celebrate our cultural diversity,” said Principal Scott Ahlman, whose school is located just a block from North Park and shares one of the most diverse zip codes in the country. “Our children had the opportunity to not only watch but, more important, interact with our Danish friends. The gymnasts took time to meet our children and take pictures, which spreads goodwill. Interacting with and befriending people from a different culture is the best way to break down cultural barriers and stereotypes.”
The event is also an opportunity for students from the school to gain exposure to a University atmosphere. The students walked from Hibbard to the University, catching a glimpse of the environment on a college campus. After the performance, they wrote thank you notes with pictures to the gymnasts, many of them describing their new dreams of becoming future gymnasts and North Park students.
“We’ve kind of adopted Hibbard as our school over the years, with Danish opera performances, the YOURS youth orchestra program, volunteer reading programs with our faculty and staff, and the gymnastics performances,” said Dr. Charles Peterson, dean of the college. “Studies have shown that elementary-aged students, especially from lower-education backgrounds, sometimes lack a vision of going off to college and struggle in their transition to high school. We want these kids to have experiences of different kinds from an early age so they gain visions of what they can be when they grow up and why they need to work hard while they are in school.”
The Danish gymnasts will continue their month-long U.S. tour, which includes stops in Iowa and Kentucky. The purpose of this tour is to promote a lifestyle of physical fitness, which the team says is fundamental to the culture of their country.
Bobby Broom to Present Master Class January 15 at North Park University
Broom’s latest album, My Shining Hour, a collection of musical Americana, is currently number three on the JazzWeek charts.
Jazz guitarist to reflect on the cultural phenomenon of jazz
Editor's note: The Bobby Broom Trio's master class will take place Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 2:30 pm in North Park University's Anderson Chapel. This event was originally scheduled for October 16.
CHICAGO (October 9, 2014) — When the audience sits down for jazz guitarist Bobby Broom’s master class on Thursday, January 15, they will learn about more than intricacies of the rhythm and sounds of jazz music.
“I don’t believe the average person knows much about jazz, and why it is so crucial to American culture in the last century,” says Broom, a practitioner faculty member in North Park University’s School of Music. “Jazz historically was a culmination of cultural phenomena, with the phenomenon of the Africans winding up here and having to reconcile with European tools, including music. Jazz is the music born of America and its circumstance, and was the popular music for a quarter of a century. As a musical style, it has informed and been a linchpin to most other popular music styles subsequent to it.”
Broom along with his band, the Bobby Broom Trio, will teach a master class that will also include a question and answer time with the artists about their careers and the particular experience of being a jazz musician. The master class, which is free and open to the public, is a tradition in music education, where artists are invited to perform and share insights behind their particular craft. Broom’s class is an opportunity for students, particularly from North Park’s undergraduate jazz studies concentration and jazz ensembles, to interact with the performers and reflect on their own musical development.
It is one of three master classes on North Park’s campus this year; other sessions include Swedish pianist Niklas Sivelov on November 11, 2014, and German pianist Alexander Schimpf on March 5, 2015. "Master classes are a wonderful opportunity for North Park students to interact with a wide range of musical artists in the Chicago area, from symphony and opera performers, to jazz musicians, such as Bobby Broom," says Dr. Craig R. Johnson, dean of the School of Music.
An internationally recognized recording artist and respected jazz educator, Broom acquired his knowledge and skill by working with many of the 20th century's leaders in the field of jazz, including Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Stanley Turrentine, and fellow guitarist Kenny Burrell, among others. He has performed worldwide in venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, to the famed Village Vanguard and Birdland jazz clubs in New York City. Broom received his master’s degree in jazz pedagogy from Northwestern University and has taught and lectured worldwide, including at North Park since 2011.
“What attracted me to jazz music was how comprehensive it is,” says Broom, who just released his 11th studio album, My Shining Hour, which is currently number three on the JazzWeek charts. “Since I was very young, I was an avid radio listener. And when I heard jazz, it struck me as containing every other thing I heard in music prior to that. I was awash in musical possibility and the freedom with which this person playing was able to express themselves.”
Broom formed the Bobby Broom trio, which includes Dennis Carroll (left) and Makaya McCraven (right) back in 1991.
For Broom, jazz quickly became about more than music. “I later learned that jazz also has this rich and meaningful history in the African American experience, and that it is part of my heritage. I didn’t pick it because of that history, but maybe some strain spoke to me subconsciously before I knew anything about it.”
Broom has been teaching master classes since his early 20s, when he began teaching at the University of Hartford, not far from his New York City hometown. “One thing teaching has always done is to keep me on my toes,” Broom says. “I have to look at myself in different ways, and figure out how to impart knowledge to a variety of personalities. Everyone is different, including how he or she understands and processes information. I have to be a jazz musician and use my expertise of improvisation in order to find creative and effective ways to impart my knowledge.”
That sense of improvisation, and the ability to work with different personalities, is also vital to Broom’s work with the Bobby Broom Trio, which includes Dennis Carroll on bass and Makaya McCraven on drums. “Jazz at its best is a collective art form,” says Broom, who formed the trio in 1991 with Carroll as an original member. “There are rules to what we do—musical rules and rules of etiquette, a lot of times unspoken. How you grade your own personal performance should be integrated with how you grade your ability to accompany, or support, or blend with your fellow musician. It requires a lot of listening and split-second decision-making that is not really of a conscious nature. That’s the difficulty in jazz. There are a number of things we need to learn, but it’s sometimes difficult to talk about. The best way to learn is by performance.”
To learn more about Bobby Broom, the Bobby Broom Trio, and the cultural phenomenon of jazz music, join us on Thursday, January 15, at 2:30 pm in Anderson Chapel (rescheduled from earlier date).
Fall Tour Unites Audiences with "Songs of Love and Loss"
North Park's University Choir and Chamber Singers perform on and off campus throughout the year.
University Choir and Chamber Singers to tour Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan October 17–19
CHICAGO (October 3, 2014) — Dr. Julia Davids has always believed in the power of music to bring people together. “Two of the most notable human experiences are love and loss,” she says. “For centuries composers have been compelled to express these intense emotions through song.” Given this core human condition, Davids says, these themes can easily unite us, and musical works help us find areas of commonality and resolution. “We might not all agree on many things, but we all know what it feels like to love and to lose someone we love.”
For Davids, North Park University’s director of choral activities and Stephen J. Hendrickson Associate Professor of Music, selecting “Songs of Love and Loss” as the theme for this fall’s University Choir and Chamber Singers tour wasn’t a difficult decision. “There is so much music that fits under the umbrella of ‘Love and Loss,’” she says. “For this tour program, we have endeavored to bring together some of the finest standard choral works as well as some newer additions to the canon. There’s a wide variety of music and emotions that the choirs get to display.”
The tour repertoire includes pieces that will appeal to attendees of all ages, from the high school students the University choirs will be working with, to the retirement community residents the choirs will perform for. The University Choir and Chamber Singers will tour Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan over Fall Break, performing at three churches, Covenant Village of the Great Lakes, and LaPorte High School.
“We always enjoy getting to share our music with other communities,” says Davids. “I try to include music that may be familiar as well as something that will stretch both the audience and the performers,” she says about tour programming. “For this tour, new music meets old, with lots of gorgeous singing and emotional understanding.”
More than 40 North Park students will participate in the tour, representing the University’s undergraduate and graduate music programs. “I'm very much looking forward to highlighting the wonderful student singers as well as University Orchestra cellist Francisco Malespin, who will play with a new song cycle called Snow Angel,” Davids says. Pianist Cristina Wilkinson Salamea will also join staff accompanist Myron Silberstein on selected pieces.
According to Davids, the five-movement Snow Angel “weaves together stories of love and light, rebirth and rejuvenation, through song and narration.” Written by emerging Canadian composer Sarah Quartel in 2003, the piece “highlights the strength and beauty that a child’s voice can bring to our often-troubled world,” she says.
The University Choir performs alongside Minnehaha Academy students at Bethlehem Covenant Church during last spring's tour to Minnesota.
“Sacred love—the love of God—is at the center of much great choral music,” Davids says. Whether written for church use (such as pieces by Bach and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina) or as concert pieces (like those by Ola Gjeilo and Hall Johnson), the program’s featured selections reflect the natural expression of love for God through singing. “We have also included two sorts of pieces that communicate love for each other.” Works by Brahms, Georges Bizet, and James Mulolland feature poetry about romantic love set to music, while songs by John Tavener and Daniel Gawthrop can ease the experience of losing a loved one.
To close the performances, the choirs will invite alumni and those connected to the University community to join in singing “Children of the Heavenly Father.”
The choirs will begin their tour in Indiana on October 17 with clinics for choral students at LaPorte High School. “Dr. Davids generally conducts workshops by having North Park and high school students sing together and work on vocal technique, her area of specialty,” says School of Music Director of Operations Dr. Rebecca Ryan. “Mostly what happens is that Julia works her magic! Our students will then sing for LaPorte, and the LaPorte choir may sing for our students in a ‘concert exchange.’”
On October 19, the choirs will participate in two worship services at Forest Park Covenant Church in Muskegon, Mich., the home church for many North Park University and Theological Seminary students. Last August, the University Alumni Association hosted an event in Grand Rapids, Mich., at which Malespin gave a cello performance. He connected with alumni who attend Forest Park, providing a catalyst for retunrning to it as a destination on the fall tour. Representatives from the Office of Alumni Relations will be available at each tour performance to connect with alumni.
Performances are free and open to the public:
Friday, October 17, 7:00 pm, at Harbert Community Church, Sawyer, Mich.
Sunday, October 19, 9:30 and 11:15 am, at Forest Park Covenant Church, Muskegon, Mich.
Sunday, October 19, 6:00 pm, at Trinity Evangelical Covenant Church, Oak Lawn, Ill.
Dr. Klyne Snodgrass converses with a colleague in his Nyvall Hall office in 1983. Courtesy of Covenant Archives and Historical Library, North Park University, Chicago
Dr. Klyne Snodgrass to be honored with a Festschrift at Seminary's annual Symposium
Chicago (September 25, 2014) — For more than four decades, most students’ first class at North Park Theological Seminary has been New Testament I with Dr. Klyne Snodgrass.
“I view my task as helping people bridge from a college degree into the theological world,” Snodgrass says, a few weeks into his 41st and final year full-time at North Park. “We throw them into the deep end of the pool pretty quickly. I want them to be able to be at home in any theological discussion, to take them to a level most of them haven’t even thought about, and to introduce them to a quite technical world of New Testament studies. That’s my job; I’m a bridge person.”
Snodgrass has been building bridges throughout the academic world, the global church, and within the North Park community since his arrival in 1974. “I was very young and green,” Snodgrass says, having come to North Park after teaching for only a year at Georgetown College in Kentucky. “When I came here I knew I was moving to a different level and I had to work very hard. I was the age of most of the students. It was hard work, but a lot of fun.”
Dr. David Kersten, dean of North Park Theological Seminary, is among the long list of church leaders to have studied with Snodgrass over the years. “When he came here, it was North Park College and Theological Seminary, and there weren’t a lot of PhDs across campus. He’s seen the huge trajectory of academic growth within the Seminary. He is, in some ways, the anchor to that.”
Festschrift
“There is one thing I learned a long time ago,” Snodgrass says. “When people ask the question, ‘What makes a good teacher?’, the answer is good students. If you have good students, you cannot fail.”
One of Snodgrass’s students, who credits him for “the confidence to go on for a doctorate,” is Dr. Rebekah Eklund, assistant professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland. Eklund, along with Dr. John E. Phelan Jr., senior professor of theological studies at North Park, are the co-editors of a Festschrift—a collection of scholarly essays in honor of a long and distinguished career—written in honor of Snodgrass.
Dr. John E. Phelan Jr., right, surprised Dr. Klyne Snodgrass during last Spring’s Seminary Commencement with the announcement of the forthcoming Festschrift, presenting him with a framed cover of the book. The complete book will be presented to Snodgrass at this year's Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture.
Snodgrass’s career includes his widely regarded Stories with Intent, a pillar in the study of the parables of Jesus. The Festschrift, titled Doing Theology for the Church, is divided into five sections organized around Snodgrass’s major research interests: Gospels and parables; Paul; inner-biblical interpretation; women and ministry; and identity. “The contributors are colleagues and former students,” Eklund adds. “Klyne is one of those rare scholars who is equally admired among serious New Testament scholars and pastors. He has been able to build a bridge between those two worlds. “
The collection will be given to Snodgrass at this year’s Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture, September 25–27 at North Park Theological Seminary. Snodgrass has coordinated the Symposium for years, and plans to continue to do so after his retirement. This year’s Symposium, “The Human Encounter with God,” discusses among other things “what happens when a person realizes that he or she has encountered God,” Snodgrass says.
“The Symposium is an attempt to get academics that are committed to the church to do theology for the church from Scripture,” Snodgrass says. “We try to get academics from various church traditions, including Greek Orthodox, Pentecostal, mainline, evangelical, Roman Catholic, and others. As long as they’re committed to Scripture and the church, they’re our kind of people. We’ve had some knock-down drag-outs, people in heated debates with each other, and sometimes amusingly so. But this is important work.”
Covenant connection
Snodgrass has always felt at home among different traditions, especially in his relationship with the Evangelical Covenant Church. He is an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention, but he and his wife Phyllis attend a Covenant church, and he adds, “On my resume, where it says ‘denomination,’ I put ‘Southern Baptist and Covenant.’”
Not only has Snodgrass helped mold multiple generations of Covenant pastors at North Park, he has also been entrusted by the Evangelical Covenant Church to help shape many of the denomination’s positions on theological issues.
“He is one of the most trusted voices and leaders in the denomination, and that’s not an exaggeration,” says Dean Kersten. “He’s written for us on the role of women in ministry, on divorce and remarriage, and one of the most significant papers he wrote for the Church was a piece on how we read Scripture. It does more to explain our ethos and how we do faith and do church than maybe any other document.”
Who am I going to be?
Phelan, who himself has taught at North Park for nearly two decades, credits Snodgrass’s lasting influence on the Seminary. “Klyne has not only been a superb scholar and teacher, he has been a dear friend and mentor to hundreds of students and scores of faculty. He has had a hand in shaping so many of us that his influence will endure for decades to come.”
In addition to continuing to coordinate the Symposium, Snodgrass will teach as an adjunct professor at the Seminary beginning in Fall 2015. But other than that, the next steps for him and Phyllis are somewhat unclear. They may spend more time in the South near family, admitting he was never a real fan of the Chicago cold. “I will keep doing the kinds of things I do: writing and teaching,” Snodgrass says. “I’m a teacher. It’s who I am. But nobody tells you how to do this retirement thing. So you’ve got to figure out how God is leading you at this point in your life. You’ve got to ask again, ‘Who am I going to be?’”
This year’s Symposium will be livestreamed in its entirety at www.northpark.edu/live beginning on Thursday, September 25, at 7:00 pm. The Festschrift in honor of Dr. Snodgrass will be available for purchase in November.
Record Enrollment for Traditional Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Dr. Matthew Schau, professor of biology, lectures in the new Johnson Center for Science and Community Life
Commitment to science education and student engagement among keys to success
CHICAGO (September 24, 2014) – North Park University announced this week record enrollment for traditional undergraduate and graduate programs. The total of 1,955 traditional undergraduate students, an increase of 30 students over last year, and 26 more than the previous record in 2011, is a testament to North Park’s commitment to science education, as well as the University’s emphasis on intercultural learning opportunities. The total enrollment for North Park for the fall semester is 3,193.
“The ability for North Park to attract a record traditional undergraduate and graduate enrollment, at a time when enrollment in higher education nationally is a challenge, demonstrates the strength of North Park’s mission and vitality of our education program,” said University President Dr. David Parkyn. The University again appeared in the top tier of regional universities in U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 edition of its annual "Best Colleges" rankings.
North Park’s demonstrated its commitment to science education with the launch of new undergraduate majors this year in engineering, health sciences, and medical studies, as well as the opening of the Johnson Center for Science and Community Life. University officials also attribute fall’s record traditional undergraduate enrollment to an increased focus on caring for North Park’s current students, with new initiatives within the Division of Student Engagement, including from the Career Development and Internships Office. Nearly 90 percent of last year’s students, excluding graduating seniors, returned for fall.
“Having the largest traditional undergraduate population in North Park University’s history is incredibly exciting, and gives us strong momentum for even more growth,” said Dr. Jodi Koslow Martin, vice president of student engagement. “What North Park does well is what students and families are looking for—a quality of education with accomplished faculty and staff who care for students. An engaging learning environment both inside and outside the classroom enables students to thrive as they work towards their degree, as well as draws new students to the community of North Park University.”
Graduate enrollment reaches new heights
North Park’s graduate programs achieved record enrollment of 758 students, eclipsing 2011’s record of 728. This includes a record 395 students in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management, in addition to a record 196 students in the master of science in nursing program in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences. In addition, the School of Adult Learning successfully launched its first graduate program, welcoming 22 students into the master of arts in counseling psychology.
“The School of Business and Nonprofit Management is delighted to welcome a record number of students to our graduate programs this fall,” said Dean Wesley Lindahl. “We have built a strong reputation in the nonprofit management field, where we are a leader in the Chicagoland area. In addition, our relationship with national organizations, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, continues to draw future leaders from across the country to North Park.”
North Park University has offered business programs since the late 1800s, and currently awards five master’s degrees and 17 graduate certificates, many of them online and at multiple locations.
The School of Nursing and Health Sciences has been preparing leaders in health care since 1965. In undergraduate and graduate programs, nursing courses and faculty uphold a caring philosophy that reflects a commitment to a culture of nursing excellence grounded in the compassion of Christ.
“In North Park’s 123-year history, we stand at a critical juncture,” Parkyn added. “This enrollment news confirms that the momentum we’ve built over the past few years is the right direction for our institution. We now have the responsibility to continue to move forward and dream of new ways to build upon our foundation of preparing students for lives of significance and service.”
University Convocation Honors North Park Faculty and Staff
Under the direction of Dr. Julia Davids, the University Choir performed at this year's University Convocation service. The choir will be on tour this fall, October 17–19, in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Ceremony includes recognition of scholarly works and installation of interim administrators
CHICAGO (September 23, 2014) — The North Park University community gathered in Anderson Chapel on Monday, September 22, for its University Convocation, an annual ceremony that honors the achievements of faculty and staff.
“I have a handful of favorite days of the year here at North Park, and this day is certainly one of them,” said University President Dr. David Parkyn. “Often we think of teaching and learning and it is focused on students. But today we flip the classroom, flip the recognition, and focus on faculty and staff who are committed to pursuing their calling at North Park.”
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. A full list of these accomplishments is available online.
Dr. Jodi Koslow Martin, vice president of student engagement, along with Parkyn, led the installation of two interim administrators, Dr. Craig R. Johnson, interim provost, and Neale Murray, interim associate provost. “We need the expertise and skills, the passion, and the commitment you bring to this place,” Parkyn said. “We are thankful you have chosen to serve with us and we commit to be your colleagues.”
The University Choir and the Chamber Singers each performed during the ceremony, both under the direction of Dr. Julia Davids, director of choral activities, who was also recognized for her promotion to associate professor in the School of Music.
Nancy and Dr. Tim Johnson accepted the honor of cutting the ribbon at Friday’s Johnson Center dedication ceremony.
North Park University dedicates Johnson Center for Science and Community Life
CHICAGO (September 18, 2014) — On Friday, September 12, a large crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the campus green in front of the new Johnson Center for Science and Community Life. “Good friends, we have anticipated for a long time this historic event in our life together at North Park,” University President Dr. David Parkyn said. “It’s time to get out your cameras to capture this moment.”
It has been two years since the groundbreaking for the Johnson Center, and fundraising for this next chapter of North Park University began well before that with Campaign North Park, North Park’s nationally recognized fundraising effort. Many people who played a crucial role in bringing the building to a reality, including alumni, students, staff, and friends of the University, were on hand to witness a collection of moments from this weekend’s dedication.
The first of those began earlier Friday, with the Medicine and Media Symposium in Anderson Chapel. Dr. G. Timothy Johnson, alumnus and co-chair of Campaign North Park, led a panel that included his former colleague, ABC News anchor Charles Gibson, and former dean of Harvard Medical School Dr. Joseph Martin. The three thought leaders discussed a variety of topics, including the role of media in health care, the state of health care in this country, and predictions for its future. The camaraderie between the three was evident. Gibson noted that it is a great honor to have a building named after you, but a university does itself a service by choosing to honor individuals as great as the Johnsons. “They are two of the finest people I have ever known,” Gibson said.
(Top) Dr. Tim Johnson, Charles Gibson, and Dr. Joseph Martin at Friday’s symposium. (Center) Dr. Jonathan Rienstra-Kiracofe talks about new science technology with community members during Saturday’s Open House. (Bottom) Dr. Johnson lectures in the Johnson Center’s new Hendrickson Lecture Hall on Monday morning. See more photos from Friday’s events.
After the symposium, the crowd moved to the campus green in front of the Johnson Center for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Carl Balsam, executive vice president and chief financial officer, and the two co-chairs of Campaign North Park, David S. Helwig and Dr. Johnson, spoke of the many pieces that were vital to the success of the project. Mary Surridge, vice president of development and alumni relations, affirmed the campaign’s “promise to ensure the educational and spiritual advancement of North Park’s mission.” Parkyn then announced to the crowd as the Johnsons cut through the blue and yellow ribbon: “I am deeply pleased to declare the Johnson Center for Science and Community Life to be officially open for learning.”
Moments like this continued throughout the weekend, including a festival following the ribbon cutting, and a dinner for President’s Club members in Hamming Hall. At the dinner, Parkyn told the story of the dedication of Old Main, the first building on campus, 120 years ago this month. North Park’s leaders spoke then of “a work just beginning,” and Parkyn urged the crowd to “cast our vision beyond the horizon” and see North Park as still “a work just beginning.” Parkyn added, “Tonight is a turning point in the history of North Park. The University stands taller today than she has ever stood, because today she stands on your shoulders.”
On Saturday, the Johnson Center was opened to the public for a Community Open House, with guided tours for alumni, students, and the surrounding community, as well as an event for thirty-five prospective students. Among the group gathered to catch a glimpse of the new building was another set of Johnsons: alumni Anders and Samantha, and future North Parker, three-year-old Bjorn. “We’ve watched the building go up from the time it was just a hole in the ground,” said Anders. “Together with the library and the green space, this is a further extension of the growth and beauty, as well as the educational opportunities, at North Park. So many of our friends and classmates went on to become doctors. For a small school, North Park makes a pretty significant contribution.”
On Monday morning, Johnson returned the focus of the new building to its core mission of educating North Park’s students with a lecture to undergraduates from across the University. Johnson reflected on his journey from North Park through the medical and media fields. “You are sitting here today and you might have a pretty good idea what you’re going to do,” Johnson said. “I want you to label that blueprint ‘To Be Announced.’ You will make decisions that will lead you in a number of different directions. You will get a great education while you are here. And hear me when I say, don’t be afraid of the future.”
Johnson Center Provides Best Equipment and State-of-the-Art Technology, Transforms Lab Management Program
The Johnson Center includes 40 Smart classrooms and laboratories to enhance teaching and learning.
CHICAGO, IL (September 12, 2014) — When Chicago’s North Park University conceived the new Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, they utilized “big-picture” thinking to ensure that the science faculty had strong input in the design process. The faculty worked closely with the architects and the lab planners to make the new facility “the very best it could possibly be,” said Dr. Jon Rienstra-Kiracofe, professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, who served as lead faculty liaison on the project.
From proper ventilation needs, cutting edge audio and visual technology, to ensuring every lab is ADA compliant for wheelchair accessibility, the $45 million building, which is anticipated to achieve LEED Gold status, features more than $850,000 in state-of-the-art science equipment. Laboratories were designed for many disciplines of study including molecular genetics, zoology, microscopy, laser spectroscopy, and anatomy—including a cadaver lab.
Faculty and staff worked closely with HERA (Health Education and Research Associates) to do an initial assessment of what laboratory and classroom spaces were needed. “The Johnson Center for Science and Community Life is a complete experience for students,” said Rienstra-Kiracofe, who has been at North Park University since 2007. “The facility is packed with smart classrooms that are truly among the best any school has to offer, with each classroom equipped with HDTVs, interactive TVs, writable screens, lecture capture, and wireless display capabilities.” Indeed, Vernier Technologies, which supplied much of the lab equipment said they know of “only one other university in the nation who has put together labs of this caliber,” according to Rienstra-Kiracofe.
The Johnson Center also offers fully modern laboratory spaces for biology, chemistry, and physics. “Many of the lab spaces are also equipped with smart classroom AV technology, creating smart labs. The smart lab technology can interface with lab equipment at each student’s bench, creating interactive smart—or ‘super-smart’—labs that are unparalleled virtually anywhere in the nation.”
Chemistry professor Dr. Isabel Larraza sets up the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) machine in the Johnson Center.
Equipment purchases even included a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) machine which is an analytical chemistry technique used in for determining molecular structure. Often used in graduate study or in industry, having an NMR machine in the classroom is rare for a school of North Park’s size.
With a strong emphasis on safety, the new equipment and facility has allowed the University to totally transform its lab management program as well, including the creation of a new Chemical Hygiene Officer/Lab Safety Officer (CHO/LSO) position, making North Park’s science programs safe and environmentally responsible.
As a rule-of-thumb, academic science labs are generally updated every 40 years. “We had a ‘wish list’ and a vast majority of what we wanted to accomplish was achieved,” Rienstra-Kiracofe said. “We paid attention to make sure the space, facility, and infrastructure were built to incorporate changes for the future as well.”
That sentiment was echoed by Dr. G. Timothy Johnson, the North Park alumnus for whom the building was named, who said, “Obviously, the knowledge and skill base in the sciences is constantly exploding with new developments. So while the new science building at North Park is currently ‘state of the art,’ the building will have to be constantly updated to meet new challenges in teaching and research. However, the current core science faculty is outstanding and will, I am sure, be up to the task of keeping North Park’s science programs up to date in the years ahead.”
For more information about Dedication Celebration activities for the Johnson Center, September 12 and 13, 2014, including ribbon-cutting, a community open house, and a Medicine & Media Symposium featuring Dr. Johnson, ABC’s Charles Gibson, and Dr. Joseph Martin, visit North Park online. Both the symposium and ribbon-cutting ceremonies will also be available to watch online at www.northpark.edu/live.
The Johnson Center was named after two North Park alumni and longtime friends of the University who “exemplify North Park’s dedication to ‘educating students for lives of significance and service,’” according to University president, Dr. David Parkyn.
Dr. G. Timothy Johnson served as chief medical editor for ABC News from 1984 to 2010, and became one of America’s best-known physicians, providing award-winning on-air medical analysis on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. He still serves as senior medical correspondent for ABC News. Nancy Johnson trained as a nurse at the Swedish Covenant Hospital School of Nursing, which included completing science courses at North Park.
Groundbreaking commenced in October 2012 after a successful Campaign North Park development effort, which included more than 11,000 donors, and construction was completed in August 2014. The Johnson Center was designed by longtime architectural partner to the University, VOA Associates Inc., and built by W.B. Olson, Inc.
The Johnson Center features Smart technology in the classrooms and laboratories, including lecture-capture capabilities, real-time sharing of data for collaboration and group activity, HDTV interactive SmartPodiums, and wireless airplay from iPads. Every lab is ADA compliant for wheelchair accessibility, and the building features more than $850,000 in state-of-the-art science equipment, plus areas for many disciplines of study including molecular genetics, zoology, microscopy, and anatomy—with a cadaver lab.
The new equipment and facility have allowed the University to totally transform the lab management program, making it "safe and environmentally responsible," according to Dr. Jon Rienstra-Kiracofe, professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, who was lead faculty liaison for the Johnson Center design charrettes. These charrettes provided input to the building design from North Park University faculty, staff, students, and board members. Dr. Rienstra-Kiracofe will also teach a class in environmental chemistry utilizing some of the building-specific LEED technology.
The design provides a variety of options for collaboration and socializing, including “pods” to support student/faculty research and discussion, a balcony and student lounge overlooking the first floor entryway, Bickner Bistro with Einstein Bros Bagels, three seating areas with a fireplace, and seminar and conference rooms with catering capabilities for on-site events. There is also a dedicated Prayer Room, which features a cross and bench hand-crafted in a symbolic gesture of “transformation” using wood from a Mulberry tree that was removed prior to construction of the building.
Dedication Celebration activities are schedule for September 12 and 13, 2014, including ribbon-cutting, a community open house and a Medicine & Media Symposium featuring Dr. Johnson, ABC’s Charles Gibson, and Dr. Joseph Martin. The symposium and ribbon cutting will also be available to watch online at www.northpark.edu/live.
Author tomgabrysiakPosted on Categories Stories
