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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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University Offers New Master's Program for Aspiring Illinois School Principals
The School of Education's new MAEL program begins in July with the first cohort.
Principal endorsement, MAEL program cohort launches July 13
CHICAGO (May 2, 2013) — This summer, North Park University's School of Education will begin preparing certified teachers to "think like a leader, act like a leader, and be a leader," a phrase that appears throughout its new academic program for aspiring school principals. Beginning July 13, the University will offer a new program that enables a certified teacher to earn a principal endorsement on the new Educator License, and earn a master of arts in educational leadership (MAEL) degree.
The new degree program is a successor to the Type 75 general administrative certificate program, which is being phased out by the State of Illinois, said Dr. Rebecca Nelson, dean of the School of Education and associate professor of education. The new state-approved MAEL program "is absolutely a missional match because preparing people to serve in leadership roles is congruent with North Park's mission," she said. Students who will enter the MAEL program are highly motivated, and want to learn as much as they can about the demanding and complex jobs of school principals, Nelson added.
Meeting in cohorts, students will learn through classroom instruction taught by educators and other professionals, plus an internship experience. While other colleges and universities may offer similar programs to prepare school principals, North Park offers smaller cohorts and individualized support for students in its MAEL program. "Small class sizes during the coursework sessions allow us to have a lot of dialogue, interaction, and feedback," said Dr. Sally Pryor, MAEL program coordinator, and associate professor of education. "During their internships, we go to their schools and meet with them on-site, and in our classes, we discuss what they're learning through their internship experiences." The University's program also provides instruction in ethical leadership, and its instructors are all current or retired public school administrators in Illinois, she added.
MAEL classes will meet on Saturdays, with summer-intensive classes. The program can be completed in 22 to 24 months, including the internship. The first cohort for North Park's MAEL program will start with an accelerated educational leadership course that will meet at the University's Chicago campus on three successive Saturdays: July 13, 20, and 27. That course is intended to provide a foundation for what it means to be an educational leader. Students will also begin to develop a portfolio reflecting experience and achievement, Pryor said.
"The state requires that teachers who enter these programs be able to demonstrate they have had a positive impact on student achievement in two of the last five years of their teaching experience by showing growth," Pryor said. "They must demonstrate they have had leadership opportunities in their teaching positions, and how they've done that."
As part of its MAEL program, the University is working with three Illinois partner schools that helped develop the educational program, and will aid in instruction and the program's ongoing evaluation. The schools are Mary, Seat of Wisdom School, Park Ridge, East Prairie School District 73, Skokie, and Rhodes School District 84.5, River Grove.
Meanwhile, students in the final cohort of the old Type 75 program begin internships this month and are expected to finish no later than June 30, 2014. Sixty people went through North Park's program to earn administrative certificates, Pryor said. North Park students who took the Type 75 exam have all passed. "They're telling us that they feel very well prepared based on what they've learned in the program. They go into interviews with confidence and are able to convey the knowledge and skill they have, as well as the heart to be a principal," she added.
Chicago Public Library Offers Bookmobile in University Parking Lot
Temporary library located at 5151 N. Kimball Ave.
CHICAGO (August 13, 2013) — The City of Chicago is now offering public library services to the Albany Park neighborhood through a temporary bookmobile located in North Park University’s parking lot at 5151 North Kimball Avenue. The Albany Park branch of the Chicago Public Library is being rebuilt, scheduled to open in 2014. “The bookmobile will provide residents with essential library services right in their neighborhood until the completion of the new Albany Park library,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel in a press release. Updated progress and details about this project are available from the Public Building Commission of Chicago.
The bookmobile will offer a small selection of books for all ages, including bestsellers, and will also allow patrons to pick up holds of requested books from other library branches. It will operate on a limited schedule:
Monday, Wednesday, Saturday: 10:00 am–2:00 pm
Tuesday, Thursday: 3:00–7:00 pm
Friday, Sunday: Closed
Nearby library branches—Budlong Woods, Independence, Mayfair, Sulzer Regional Library, and others—continue to offer full library services. Full details are available from the Chicago Public Library.
Richard Carlson, professor emeritus of ministry, at North Park Theological Seminary's commencement celebration in May 2012.
CHICAGO (July 29, 2013) — Richard W. Carlson, professor emeritus of ministry at North Park Theological Seminary, died Friday after a long battle with esophageal cancer.
Carlson, 73, came to North Park Theological Seminary in 1975, where he taught spiritual formation and ministry courses until his retirement in 2012. He served as the director of field education for more than 25 years and was integral in launching the Seminary’s C. John Weborg Center for Spiritual Direction, of which he served as director in recent years.
Throughout his years as a faculty member at the Seminary, Carlson was “a pastor among pastors, a scholar among scholars—widely read with tremendous expertise in the field of ministry—but probably best known for his care and mentoring of students,” said Rev. David Kersten, dean of North Park Theological Seminary. “He gave the most significant portion of his vocational life to the Seminary and the formation of a whole generation of Covenant ministers.”
“I would not be in ministry today if he hadn’t guided and mentored my early and difficult years in ministry,” Kersten added.
Carlson was known for his eloquent turns of phrase, the cadence of his voice, and his unique approach to and style of teaching and ministry. As both professor of ministry and director of field education, he became a “master of instruction through case studies,” Kersten said, valuing the importance of experience and learning through doing. In many ways, “Richard taught ministry through his own ministry to students and ongoing ministry to serving pastors,” Kersten added.
In a letter to University President David L. Parkyn just before his retirement, Carlson wrote, “It will be hard to leave North Park. Here has been much of my vocational life. In fact over 70% of my adult life has been spent on this campus as a college student (Class of ’62), physical plant worker, dorm receptionist, first director of the campus center, Seminary orientation student, and for the last thirty-four years as Seminary professor.
“North Park and its peoples, students, staff, administrators, fellow alumni, and faculty colleagues have all been grace-bearers in my journey as a Christian pilgrim and constant source of delight and gladness as fellow human beings,” Carlson wrote.
Beloved by students, Carlson was their professor, mentor, friend, and even coach of the school’s Covenant League softball team. Over the weekend, an outpouring of memories and photos surfaced on social media as students honored his memory.
“Thank you for modeling what it means to live a God-led, spirit-filled life. Your life taught and touched so many. You will truly be missed!” wrote Nicole Bullock, pastor of Blue Oaks Church in Brooklyn Park, Minn., on Carlson’s Facebook page.
“Richard was a students’ teacher,” said Jay Phelan, former president and dean of the Seminary. “Richard focused on the students and not just his topic. And students flocked to his office for counsel, encouragement, and support. Generations of students benefited from his compassion, his gentleness and his firmness.”
As President Parkyn shared Carlson’s retirement words with the Seminary community at the 2012 commencement celebration, he encouraged the graduates to take note of their professor’s embodiment of the gospel. “Simply faithful. Faithful in risk, faithful in dreaming, faithful in trusting, faithful in hearing God’s call, faithful in taking the first step, and then another, and still another,” he said, drawing a parallel between Carlson’s journey and Jesus’ words in Luke 19:26.
Carlson earned his bachelor’s degree in history from North Park College in 1962; a master of divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York in 1965; and his doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1975.
He was ordained as a minister in Evangelical Covenant Church in 1967 and served Immanuel Covenant Church in Bronx, New York; Trinity Covenant Church in Livingston, New Jersey; and Douglas Park Covenant Church in Chicago.
A memorial service for Carlson is planned for Sunday, August 11, at 2:30 pm, in North Park University’s Anderson Chapel. Messages of condolence may be sent to Rev. Jolene Bergstrom-Carlson at 121 S. East Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302.
University Art Professor Uses Public Spaces to Create Artistic Pieces
Tim Lowly works on "Bower" on the third floor of Brandel Library. He plans to take the painting to at least two exhibitions this year.
Brandel Library to host exhibition by University art faculty
CHICAGO (February 18, 2013) — Tim Lowly is preparing an exhibition of his art pieces this spring, which includes a large piece he's painting on a plywood frame mounted on a wall on the third floor of North Park University's Brandel Library. With permission from the library staff, Lowly chose the library location because he needed a wall big enough to hold his creation, "Bower," and because it seemed fitting in his role as the University's artist-in-residence.
"What that has meant is just being present to students as a professional artist in addition to being a teacher," said Lowly, assistant professor of art. "It's intentional so that the making of art becomes 'present,' so that people just walking by can see how a work of art comes into being." Lowly's creative work in public places such as the Carlson Art Gallery, Swedish Covenant Hospital, and now, Brandel Library, has resulted in opportunities for conversation with students, faculty, and staff. In this case, some have inquired about "Bower," while he paints. They often describe to him what the painting means to them, Lowly said.
"Bower" is an artistic depiction of Lowly's daughter, Temma, a frequent focus of his work. The larger-than-life image of her, with head bowed, is the result of a photograph with a texture overlay. Temma, 27, lives with physical and mental impairments.
As he looked at the photographic image he created, Lowly said he wondered how it would look if it were a 10-foot tall painting. "It becomes really powerful for me because you have this person who is utterly humble, and she's bowing to you," he said. The size of the piece also tends to make viewers think about scale, the size of life, and the close proximity of the painting's subject, he added.
Lowly started his artistic creation in the gallery last summer before relocating it to the library where he has worked on it since. In March, he will take "Bower" to an exhibition at the College of the Ozarks, Point Lookout, Mo. This fall, it will be part of a large, one-person exhibition at the Visual Arts Center of the Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, S.D., Lowly said.
Sally Anderson, Brandel Library director, said she was happy to make it possible for Lowly to create the painting in the library for all to see. "Other artists have displayed artwork in the library, but we've not had someone actually working on a piece in the library," she said. "We see this as part of the library's mission."
Art faculty exhibition to open February 22
When he began working on his art piece in Brandel Library, Lowly asked if art faculty could display original pieces on the library's walls, Anderson said. Currently, the library displays art pieces in the second and third floor gallery areas, she said.
Beginning February 22, Brandel Library will display about 20 original pieces throughout the building, the creations of seven University art faculty members: Kristen Althoff, Deb Hendriksma-Anderson, Josh Ippel, Tim Van Laar, Lowly, Jordan Martins, and Kelly Vanderbrug.
"It's really exciting for students who are studying here to see original work. They will walk down the library hallway, and see something unexpected," said Joanna Wilkinson, the library's technical services and digitization coordinator. Wilkinson is responsible for art installations in the library.
The faculty art exhibition will remain in the library through the spring semester. A reception to open the exhibition will be held on the first floor of Brandel Library from 4:30 to 5:30 pm on Friday, February 22.
Nyvall at 150: The Founding President's Enduring Impact at North Park
Alumnus Dr. Scott Erickson will present a lecture on the legacy of North Park University's founding president David Nyvall on Thursday, October 10.
Dr. Scott Erickson to Give Lecture on University President David Nyvall
CHICAGO (September 25, 2013)—In honor of the 150th anniversary of the birth of early Evangelical Covenant Church leader and founding North Park University president David Nyvall (1863–1946), University alumnus and leading Nyvall scholar Dr. Scott Erickson C'89 S'93 will present a lecture on the leadership role Nyvall played at the University, and how his influence continues to shape its mission and culture.
Presented by the F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections and the Zenos E. Hawkinson Covenant Heritage Fund, Erickson’s lecture, "Nyvall at 150: The Founding President's Enduring Impact at North Park," will also explore the ways in which Nyvall's strong character and resolve helped him withstand external pressures to conform to the religious and cultural landscape. This ensured the University would endure and, in turn, inspire others to leadership and “the life of the mind and heart,” according to Erickson.
The presentation is free and open to the public, and will be held on Thursday, October 10, at 6:00 pm in the University’s Hamming Hall. Erickson’s lecture coincides with the opening of “David Nyvall: 150 Years Young,” a special exhibit on display during the 2013–14 academic year in the lower level gallery of Brandel Library. A light reception in the gallery will follow the lecture.
Erickson is head of school at the Phillips Brooks School in Menlo Park, Calif. An Episcopal priest, Erickson earned his undergraduate degree in music at North Park University and a master of divinity from North Park Theological Seminary, followed by a post-doctoral program at Harvard Divinity School.
Erickson’s doctoral dissertation at Uppsala University, Sweden, focuses on David Nyvall and draws on voluminous primary sources housed at the F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections.
Memorial Service for Darlene Kelley Planned for Thursday, December 12
Dear friends:
North Park Theological Seminary and University mourn the death of alumna Darlene Kelley, a 2012 master of divinity graduate. Darlene hailed from the Boston area and began studying at North Park in 2008. While a student, she was involved with University Ministries working with commuter and transfer students to increase their sense of community belonging. She also worked with the Collaboratory for Intercultural Learning, participating in their events and leading workshops for the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
Darlene’s life and death remind us that life is fragile and requires great care. It also reminds us that we have suffered the losses of other students in recent years. As we remember the loss of these friends, we also recall that the gospel calls us to a faith beyond what we can see, and to a hope that reaches beyond the finality of death. May God grant us grace in this season of mourning, and may God grant peace to the memory of Darlene Kelley.
A memorial service to honor Darlene’s life will be held Thursday, December 12, at 7:00 pm in Isaacson Chapel, North Park Theological Seminary. A coffee reception will follow in Olsson Lounge.
Dave Kersten, Dean of North Park Theological Seminary
North Park University Professor Working in International Bible Translation Project
Recordings for the Bible translation project are being produced at this recording studio in Nagpur, India. (Photo provided by Dr. Rajkumar Boaz Johnson.)
Project seeks to translate Bible into common language, original poetry form
CHICAGO (January 21, 2013) — A North Park University professor is working with a team of people to create a version of the Christian Bible written in Hindi—a common Indian language—and express it in a poetic form so it can be sung. Dr. Rajkumar Boaz Johnson, professor of biblical and theological studies, used part of a sabbatical in 2011 to begin translating the Bible. The translation in poems, "seeks to be faithful to how the text is intended to be sung," he said.
Johnson, a native of India, developed an interest in translating the Bible into poems during his doctoral studies, when he read original biblical texts, including ancient interpretations found in the Dead Sea Scrolls and interpretations before the time of Christ. He learned that the ancient biblical texts were poems—nearly all of the Bible except for Paul's epistles. "The King James Version seeks to understand the poetry, and bring that into English," Johnson said. "Unfortunately the later translations of the Bible into English have lost the poems."
In addition to the translation and poetic expression, recordings have been made of the first five chapters of Genesis, which describe the creation story and God's initial dealings with humanity, and first five chapters of the Gospel of John, an account of the public ministry of Jesus, Johnson explained. "We're trying to do is what the biblical texts originally intended," Johnson said. "Prose was not originally conceived in the early church. In its original form, the gospels are songs, and were sung by the early church."
Johnson, who travels often to India, has researched tribal societies in India and lived among them. He chose to translate into their language because they worship using poems, he said. "Poets or village bards sing songs, and the people respond. They've been doing this in worship for a long, long time," he said.
Collaborators in this unusual Bible translation project include Sunil Sardar, who co-founded Truthseekers, an international organization that advocates for lower-caste people living in India. The project's purpose is to bring the Bible to millions of people who have no access to it because of language barriers, he said. "They don't have a book of their own," Sardar said in a telephone interview from Delhi. "The language is not the same." Sardar explained that most lower-caste people don't understand the higher-caste Indian language in which the Bible has been published previously. But they do understand the poetic language of the Bible written in Hindi.
Sardar said that when he met Johnson, they each learned the other had concluded the need to translate the Bible and put it into its original poetic expression. "It was like a meeting of the minds, a "God thing." It was the right time, and the right message. God has baptized us with this project," he said.
"Now is the time to get the whole Bible in both the language of the people and in the language of poetry," Sardar added. "People love to have this book. We can hardly keep up with the sales."
In addition to recording biblical poems in Hindi, Johnson said he hopes to publish the poems in English. He is also working with students to turn the poems into music familiar to them, such as rap. "I think this a project for the future of the church. Young people want to use their own theologies. This is a way to do it, to give them texts of the Bible in a genre that was originally intended."
University President Addresses Student Recruitment, Planning, New Construction
Construction on the Johnson Center is in full swing. The new building is expected to be ready in fall 2014.
David Parkyn welcomes University community to spring semester
CHICAGO (January 30, 2013) — North Park University faculty and staff returned to the campus for the spring semester amid a strengthened effort to recruit students for future years, a long-range institutional planning process, and sounds of new construction as the foundation is prepared for the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life.
Faculty and staff gathered January 25 for worship, and Dr. David Parkyn, University president, provided updates on campus initiatives. "Being together at the beginning of the spring semester reminds us of our common purpose, and I trust renews within each of us our common commitment to this purpose," he said.
The University welcomed 105 new undergraduate students for the spring semester, up from 91 new undergraduate students in 2012. Retention of returning students was also strong for the spring, Parkyn reported. For the upcoming academic year, the number of undergraduate applications is high, and this spring, North Park will host several events for prospective students. Parkyn urged faculty and staff to help in recruiting students and "warmly welcome each one."
The North Park president also addressed other topics:
Strategic planning continues: In January and February, Parkyn said he will meet with 20 groups of faculty and staff to discuss the strategic and long-term direction for the University. Planning documents will be revised and combined with information learned through a planning process underway with Noel-Levitz, a higher education consulting firm.
Continued fundraising: Staff with the Office of Development and Alumni Relations is working on concluding aspects of Campaign North Park, a comprehensive fundraising effort, and developing a robust post-campaign effort, Parkyn said. "Our donors are optimistic about North Park’s future, and for this we are deeply thankful," he said.
New construction in full swing: Parkyn noted that center of the campus is noisy and filled with construction activity at the Johnson Center building site. Regular communication will be provided to North Park community with updates on building progress, he said. The building is expected to be ready for use in Fall 2014.
Campus leadership transition: Parkyn announced that Andrea Nevels, vice president of student development and dean of students, will leave the University in mid-February to assume a new role in the Office of Student Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The president said he has appointed Elizabeth Snezek, assistant dean of student development, as interim dean of students through the end of the academic year.
New faculty and staff who joined the University community for the spring semester were introduced:
Professor Nnenna Okore Featured in Sculpture Magazine
Nnenna Okore, associate professor of art
Artist discusses her goal to "engage the viewer visually and provoke questions"
CHICAGO (September 3, 2013) — Nnenna Okore, associate professor of art, is featured in the July/August 2013 issue of Sculpture magazine, a publication of the International Sculpture Center. In the piece, "Political by Nature," Okore discusses her process and approach to creating, her use of a wide range of materials, and her subtle approach to issues of poverty, social class, status, and wealth through her work.
Okore began teaching at North Park University in 2005, and returned this year after a sabbatical leave spent working and teaching on a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Lagos in Nigeria.
Learn more about Sculpture magazine and where to purchase the print edition.
'Chicago Reload' Urban Youth Worker Conference at North Park April 6
Speakers, workshops highlight event; early registration through April 2
CHICAGO (March 19, 2013) — A youth advocate, author, and corporate vice president, plus a Chicago gang intervention specialist, are keynote speakers at this year's Chicago Reload, April 6, at North Park University, with the theme "Kingdom-Minded Ministry." Reload is a daylong continuing education event for urban youth workers, pastors, parents, teenagers, volunteers, and more. It is expected to attract as many as 500 attendees from the Chicago area and Midwest region.
"Chicago Reload is a one-stop shop for people to gather for training and engage in networking that is urban-specific and youth-specific," said Dr. Daniel White Hodge, director of the University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies (CYMS), and assistant professor of youth ministry. Participants will learn and discuss a wide-range of topics from both academic and experiential points of view, he emphasized. The event also offers participants a chance to be refreshed, hear stories of hope, and meet people engaged in urban and youth ministry, said Alison Burkhardt, CYMS associate director.
Early registration for individuals and groups ends April 2. Walk-in registration is available April 6 at the North Park Gymnasium.
Chicago Reload keynote speakers are Steve Pemberton and Amy Williams. Pemberton is a child advocate, motivational speaker, and author of A Chance in the World, a personal memoir published in 2012. He is chief diversity officer and divisional vice president for Walgreens, Deerfield, Ill. Pemberton has become recognized as one of the nation’s leaders on matters of diversity and inclusion, and their importance to the growth of the American industrial complex. Forbes named Pemberton one of the top 20 chief diversity officers in corporate America in 2006.
Williams is an 18-year youth ministry veteran, working with teens involved in gangs, youth on probation and parole, and teens in the juvenile justice system. She is a certified gang intervention specialist who moved into a Latino gang neighborhood in Chicago’s Humboldt Park community to be a "hope dealer" where she does street outreach. Williams has pursued her callings as a youth pastor, reentry coordinator for paroled youth, and mentor trainer and coordinator.
More than 20 workshops are planned throughout the day, including early-morning and concurrent sessions, plus lunchtime forums, said Burkhardt. New workshop offerings focus on veteran workers in urban and youth ministry, "living in Spanish and English," a workshop that addresses cultural identity for Latino youth, and best practices for working with undocumented youth. There is also a teen leadership track to teach storytelling, communication, and leadership skills.
A Chicago Reload team planned the event. Reload is sponsored by North Park University's Center for Youth Ministry Studies, in partnership with Urban Youth Workers Institute.
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