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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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Mayor Emanuel Joins River Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Mayor Rahm Emanuel cut the ceremonial ribbon to celebrate the re-opening of the River Park track and soccer field, a facility shared by North Park University and local neighborhood residents.
CHICAGO (October 21, 2013) — North Park University joined Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Alderman Deborah Mell (33rd Ward), Chicago Park District Superintendent Michael Kelly, and members of the local community at River Park on Monday, October 14, to celebrate the rehabilitation of the River Park track and soccer facility located two blocks from North Park's campus. Representing the University were Jack Surridge, director of athletics, John Born, head men's soccer coach, Steve Imig, head cross country coach, and Geoffrey Masanet, head track and field coach.
Originally built in 1999–2000, the artificial turf and running track were in need of serious repair; an estimated $1.26 million was invested in the project by the University and the City of Chicago. "The track and field had basically worn out from use, and exceeded its predicted life of eight to 10 years," said Surridge. "The field was resurfaced with the second-generation of FieldTurf synthetic grass, which has more durable fiber. It also has a longer fiber; this improves the resilience of the surface. The drainage system had been an issue since 2001, and that was addressed in the rehab project," he added.
The facility re-opened for use in early August with an 84,240-square-foot artificial turf soccer field and a resurfaced eight-lane running track. The facility is used by University track and soccer teams, as well as programs of the Chicago Park District and Chicago Public Schools.
“This investment will ensure that children, teens, and adults in the neighborhood will have state-of-the-art fields for playing a variety of sports,” said Mayor Emanuel at the ceremony. “Community investments in our parks are essential because they promote active and healthy lives for residents.”
Superintendent Kelly praised the longstanding community partnership between North Park and the Chicago Park District for this facility, and Mayor Emanuel encouraged the University to continue to nurture this relationship for the good of the whole neighborhood.
The updated track and soccer field is located at River Park in the Albany Park neighborhood.
"We are excited about all of these improvements, and also to partner with the Albany Park community in this project. River Park Director Vera Onate has been a terrific person to work with over the years and we look forward to sharing the facility with her many programs," Surridge said.
This rehabilitation is part of the Building a New Chicago initiative, a $7.3 billion infrastructure renewal program championed by the mayor. Last year, Mayor Emanuel announced a comprehensive plan to build and improve parks across the city so that every resident is within a short walk of a park facility.
North Park Theological Seminary Graduate Named to 2013 TIME 100 List
Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús is senior pastor of the country's largest Assemblies of God congregation.
Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús also featured in magazine's cover story this month
CHICAGO (April 25, 2013) — Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús, a graduate of North Park Theological Seminary, was named this week to TIME's list of the 100 most influential people in the world, along with other honorees such as singer Jay Z, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, actress Jennifer Lawrence, and tennis star Li Na. Earlier this month, De Jesús was featured in the magazine's cover story, "¡Evangélicos!," which noted rising numbers of Latino members in evangelical Protestant churches.
De Jesús is senior pastor, New Life Covenant Ministries, Chicago, the country's largest Assemblies of God congregation. He earned a master of arts in Christian ministry in 2006 from the Seminary, the graduate theological school of North Park University. De Jesús is known to his congregation and friends as "Pastor Choco."
Writing about De Jesús for TIME, Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, Calif., said De Jesús "embodies the true definition of what Christ said the church should be … Pastor Choco encourages others to go out into the community not just with words but with his own actions. Under his leadership, New Life is reaching out to the outcasts and forgotten in our society—the homeless, women suffering with addiction and prostitution, and young people in gangs," Warren wrote.
"But his influence spreads far beyond the Chicago area as vice president of social justice for the nation’s largest Hispanic Christian organization, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference," Warren observed. "With Hispanics playing such a large role in the expansion of the evangelical church in the U.S. and their vast influence on the political landscape, Pastor Choco is and will continue to be a strong, ardent voice on the direction of our country."
Warren, a prominent U.S. church leader, is the best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life.
University Launches Certificate in Music for Social Change
The School of Music expands its undergraduate program offerings with a certificate and four degree concentrations
CHICAGO (September 27, 2013) — Students in North Park University’s School of Music are the first in the nation to have an undergraduate academic certificate option to prepare them to teach classical music using El Sistema-inspired methods, the new certificate in music for social change. Growing out of a social movement in Venezuela, El Sistema is a philosophy of providing free music education to school-aged children as one way of bringing communities together and inspiring young students to achieve great things.
“El Sistema isn’t really a technique, it’s a philosophy. You give young students these intensive experiences—usually every weekday after school—so that in the critical late-afternoon part of the day when they could be doing any number of things, they are occupied becoming young musicians,” said Dr. Craig Johnson, dean of the School of Music. “Programs are offered free, which is a part of the philosophy, but there are many different iterations that grow out of what is most appropriate for each individual setting.”
The School of Music’s involvement in the El Sistema movement has grown from the idea of one student into an ongoing collaboration with The People’s Music School, a Chicago organization dedicated to providing free music lessons to young people. In 2008, North Park student Deborah Wanderley dos Santos C’10 helped found the youth orchestra program at nearby Hibbard Elementary School, which operates under the El Sistema philosophy. dos Santos and other students volunteered and formed a partnership with The People’s Music School that has persisted and grown; the orchestra at Hibbard is now the Albany Park Nucleo of The People’s Music School Youth Orchestras: El Sistema Chicago, and University students continue to serve as mentors and teachers for aspiring string players. Dr. Tom Zelle, the University’s director of orchestral activities, has also become their artistic director.
The philosophy of El Sistema music programs fits closely with the mission and core values of North Park, offering University students a hands-on way to join their love of music with their desire for a life of significance and service. According to Zelle, it’s a musical experience for youth that is not dependent upon socioeconomic factors for access, in a time where private lessons and instruments are costly.
“El Sistema inspires a dynamic of community and social change that is rare,” Zelle said. “We are moving away from what separates toward what unites, with an emphasis on a shared experience of the orchestra practicing and performing together.”
The certificate in music for social change will introduce North Park music majors to this El Sistema philosophy through teaching stringed instruments to elementary-aged students. Through theory and methods courses, as well as three semesters of internship, graduates of the program will gain the tools and experience to use El Sistema-inspired techniques throughout their career, developing young musicians who might not otherwise have the opportunity to learn classical music. The partnership with The People’s Music School will help provide internship opportunities at the Hibbard School orchestra as well as at orchestras in Logan Square and Evanston. Any student majoring in music can pursue this 8-credit-hour certificate alongside their degree.
New concentrations in bachelor of arts degree
The School of Music is also now offering an enhanced bachelor of arts (BA) degree, providing concentration options for students to focus their studies. According to Johnson, 35 percent of music majors are in the BA program. Now, along with a broad general studies option, students can select concentrations in arts administration, composition, or instrumental jazz studies.
The composition track replaces a bachelor of music in composition degree that was focused heavily in classical music. The new program allows space for majors to experiment with a range of pieces, from writing and performing singer/songwriter material all the way to large orchestral or choral arrangements.
Along with music curriculum, students choosing arts administration will take focused courses in topics like nonprofit leadership, volunteer management, and complete an arts administration internship in a music-focused venue. This program draws on the strength of the University’s resources in nonprofit coursework and connections that have grown through the School of Business and Nonprofit Management.
The instrumental jazz studies concentration is a performance-focused track, but distinct from the classically oriented bachelor of music in performance. According to Johnson, this is an important way to respond to the varied interests of students.
“Right now, students can come and get a really top-notch performance degree, go audition for grad schools, and pursue that dream of being a classical musician or opera singer. But they can also come pursue this enriched BA with a much broader approach and free themselves up to experiment with many more options,” Johnson said.
Substantial Progress Reported to North Park University Trustees
The North Park University board of trustees met here February 8-9.
University building project moving ahead, milestones in giving achieved
CHICAGO (February 14, 2013) — With the sounds of new building construction outside, North Park University administrative leaders told the board of trustees about significant financial milestones, plans aimed at increasing enrollment for the next academic year, and positive results from a national student learning survey. The trustees met here at the University's campus February 8-9.
"Certainly there’s great excitement on campus with the beginning of construction for the Johnson Center," said Dr. David Parkyn, president of North Park University. The $44 million Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, now under construction in the center of the campus, is expected to be completed for the 2014 academic year. Funds to support construction of the Johnson Center have been provided through Campaign North Park, the University's comprehensive fundraising effort.
After the City of Chicago issued the foundation permit late last year, the Johnson Center construction team began excavation and concrete foundation work and installed 78 concrete caissons for the building's foundation, said Carl Balsam, executive vice president and chief financial officer. Next, the construction team expects to complete foundation walls on the east-west wing, and to excavate the lower level of the north-south wing. In March and April, the team plans to pour the slab-on-grade for the lower level. In May, steel erection should begin, and in July, the team expects to start work to enclose the structure, he said.
Two milestones announced, Annual Fund donors grow
To date, commitments to Campaign North Park are now more than $60 million, said Mary Surridge, vice president for development and alumni relations. Thus far, $39.8 million has been committed for the Johnson Center, she said, adding that additional giving was inspired by the groundbreaking in October 2012. The campaign has also secured $12.6 million for endowed scholarships, $2.6 million for academic support, and $5.7 million for the Annual Fund. The number of donors participating in the Annual Fund to date is about 1,600, twice as many as the previous year, Surridge said. She noted that Campaign North Park has helped broaden the University's donor base.
In addition, North Park University's endowment has passed the $70 million mark, Balsam reported. The endowment was $6 million when Balsam joined the University staff nearly 25 years ago, he noted.
Enrollment news shows promise
The University welcomed 93 new undergraduate students for the spring semester, the second largest mid-year new student enrollment in eight years, said Nate Mouttet, vice president for enrollment and marketing. In addition, 1,653 undergraduate students returned for the spring, he said, a 95 percent persistence rate of students eligible to return from the fall semester for the spring semester. Early trends for fall 2013 undergraduate enrollment are positive, similar to the record traditional undergraduate enrollment in 2011, he said. Mouttet emphasized that more work is needed to secure student commitments for fall. The University is also working on a multi-year strategic enrollment planning process with Noel-Levitz, a higher education consulting group, he added. That process is being carried out in concert with a multi-year University strategic planning effort.
Student survey results positive for North Park
The University presidentreported results of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), which asks first-year and senior students about their participation in certain student activities, and the activities' relationship to the students' learning and personal development. The 2012 results showed North Park students reported high levels of satisfaction in active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experiences, as well as a supportive campus environment, compared to results from three years earlier, Parkyn told the trustees. "We have long held, and now have research to show, that how students interact with faculty makes a difference. We need to walk alongside our students," Parkyn said, adding the 2012 results provide "lots of encouragement."
Institutional planning, leadership transition
Parkyn said he is in dialogue with University faculty and staff on an initial draft of an overall University strategic planning document, a five-year plan that includes the University's 125th anniversary year in 2016. He also reported that Andrea Nevels will leave the University this month after 10 years as vice president of student development and dean of students, to begin a new role at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Elizabeth Snezek, assistant dean of student development, is interim dean through the remainder of the academic year.
Astrophysicist Reflects on Science, God, and Jesus in North Park Lecture Series
Dr. Jennifer Wiseman discussed her own views regarding science and faith from the perspective of a Christian astrophysicist.
Campus Theme speaker Dr. Jennifer Wiseman comments on 'What is Nature?'
CHICAGO (March 4, 2013) — New telescopes have enabled humans to see billions of miles into the universe and billions of years back in time, said Dr. Jennifer Wiseman, director of the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Being able to witness God's creation in this way has led to her conclude that "God is a grand and creative God," she said.
Wiseman made the comments in a March 1 presentation to North Park University students, faculty, and staff. She was invited to speak as part of the 2012–2013 Campus Theme Lecture Series on the topic, "What is Nature?" Wiseman is also senior project scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. She was the 2001–2002 Congressional Science Fellow, American Physical Society, and served with staff of the Committee on Science of the U.S. House of Representatives. Wiseman spoke her own views from the perspective of a Christian astrophysicist.
"It's an exciting time for science in general," Wiseman observed. Astronomers generally agree that the universe began with "a spectacular energetic burst" about 13.7 billion years ago, she said, and much has been learned about its origins through the Hubble Space Telescope. Wiseman highlighted her comments by showing the audience several images from the Hubble Telescope, as well as her own cell phone video of the launch of a Space Shuttle mission to maintain the telescope.
Images from telescopes such as the Hubble remind people of the sense of wonder, she told the audience. "We're getting some kind of message from the heavens declaring the glory of God. That is the first and foremost response we ought to have as we look at the heavens above and nature around us," Wiseman said. Newer, infrared telescopes enable scientists to see distant galaxies, and to see farther back in time and space. A new infrared space telescope with expanded capacity is expected to be launched into Earth orbit in 2018, she said.
Though Wiseman cautioned against using science to try to "prove God," she said that based on her own faith perspective and inferences, science can contribute ideas about the nature of God. "I do think we can at least understand from a faith perspective that our God is a grand and creative God," she said. She urged that people of faith talk about issues involving science. Wiseman also noted that when nature is mentioned in Scripture, such as in Psalm 19:1-4, it is often brought up in the context of praise.
Jesus fits well in God's creation story, Wiseman observed. "There's a strong connection. Jesus was not just an afterthought of God's, but actually, he was the focus of creation for all time in terms of the Scripture, and that it is in Christ that the whole universe is sustained," she said, quoting Hebrews 1:1-3.
Wiseman was the fourth and final speaker in an impressive lineup of Campus Theme lecturers who addressed the nature topic this academic year, said Dr. Karl Clifton-Soderstrom, director of the Campus Theme Lecture series, assistant professor of philosophy, and director of general education. Previous speakers were Sir Peter Crane, dean of Yale University's School of Environmental Studies, author, and former director of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Great Britain, Chicago's Field Museum, and of the University of Chicago's geophysical science program; Dr. Vandana Sheeva, an internationally known environmental activist and Nobel Peace Prize nominee; and Barry Lopez, a best-selling nature writer and National Book Award winner.
Speakers for next year's Campus Theme Lecture series will address the topic, "What is Peace?"
University Hosts Forum to Seek Solutions to Chicago Street Violence
Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton was among parents of slain Chicago teens who addressed the North Park audience. The shooting death of her daughter, Hadiya Pendleton, became a national story earlier this year.
Families affected by violence represented, students hold neighborhood prayer vigil
CHICAGO (March 22, 2013) – Parents of Chicago teenagers killed in acts of violence spoke about their sons and daughters to a large audience at North Park University March 20, as did activists and elected officials working to stop community violence. They were part of a daylong series of educational activities, "Creating Peace on Chicago Streets," aimed at promoting a culture of peace and nonviolence.
Richard Kohng, urban outreach coordinator, North Park University Ministries, said "Creating Peace" initiated dialogue on ways to prevent community violence. "Throughout our nation's history, students have been involved in large movements when there has been change, and I think a lot of the students really wanted to be part of this movement," he said in an interview.
A central piece of the event was a public forum in Hamming Hall which included testimony by parents and family members of murdered teenagers. Ashley Douglas, a North Park student majoring in communications, recited a poem recalling her twin brother, whom she was with when he was shot and killed at a high school basketball game in Chicago. She was 16 years old at the time. "The violence has to cease before it spreads any more like an incurable disease. Please use your resources to help our community be free and build unity," she said.
A case that attracted national attention was the shooting death in a Chicago park of Hadiya Pendleton, 15, just days after her school band performed at President Obama's inauguration. "I have not yet accepted the fact that my daughter has been murdered," said her mother, Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton, to the North Park forum. "Violence is very real. It tears families apart."
Pendleton said she was proud of her daughter, whom she said loved variety, reflected in her choices of music and interest in different cultures. In her memory, the family is creating Hadiya's Foundation, focusing on social, educational, and economic services, Pendleton said.
Klyn Jones, Hadiya's classmate and friend, was with her in the park when the shooting occurred. "It's been very hurtful for me. I can't hear her laugh. I can't see her smile. It hurts. It's probably never going to stop hurting," she told the North Park audience. Students and others performed "Never Again!" (Hadiya's Song), an original musical piece written by Asim Allakim, a student in the University's Music in Worship program, and others.
Other parents who spoke were Ron Holt, a veteran police officer, whose son, Blair, 16, was shot and killed in 2007 when a gunman fired at a city bus, and Pamela Hester Jones, mother of Lazarus, 13, who was beaten to death by strangers in 2007.
Speakers included 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar; Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr., representing the city's 27th Ward; plus representatives of the Stop Concealed Carry Coalition, and Faith Rooted Chicago. Susanna Song, reporter for CBS 2, WBBM-TV was the forum's moderator.
Several students joined Dr. Mary Trujillo, professor of communication arts, in an evening prayer vigil and walk through the Albany Park community. They prayed for peace at spots in the neighborhood where people have been killed by violence, and they prayed at places of hope in the neighborhood, such as schools.
The day's activities concluded with a reception in Hamming Hall highlighting individuals and organizations using the arts to address violence. Trujillo's conflict transformation class hosted the event as a service-learning initiative.
Earlier, Rev. Corey Brooks, Sr., pastor of New Beginnings Church, Chicago, was guest speaker at the University's regular chapel service. The day before, Brooks said, he had officiated at the funeral of Jonylah Watkins, a 6-month-old girl killed while his father was changing the baby's diaper. The infant was fatally wounded by a gunman who opened fire on the minivan they were in. The father, Jonathon Watkins, was seriously wounded.
"Creating Peace" was sponsored by University Ministries, the conflict transformation class, and Faith Rooted Chicago.
During the weekend retreat, the group used Sylvania National Forest as a setting for a discussion on framing. Photo by Karl Clifton-Soderstrom
North Parkers sought the peace of nature to hone writing techniques and find inspiration.
By Keir Quackenbush Student Reporter for the North Park Press
CHICAGO (November 21, 2013) — On Friday, October 25, a group of 14 North Park students and four professors interested in nature, philosophy, and creative writing allowed themselves to retreat. No, not from an argument, the prose of Heidegger, or writer’s block, but from the realm of exhaust, excitement, and excess: they retreated from the city.
Their destination was Covenant Point, a bible camp located in the North Woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Located beside Hagerman Lake, the camp is idyllic, cozy, and accommodating, providing a perfect fit for their escapist purposes.
For two days they lived quite like Thoreau, simply, deliberately, and with home-cooked meals just a stone’s throw from their living quarters. These meals provided the skeleton structure of their schedule, which they planned out collaboratively to include frequent ‘sessions’ of learning and discussion, intermittent immersion in the forest, and lengthy periods of time spent by the fire.
The focus of the retreat was writing, particularly nature writing. Each of the accompanying North Park professors led sessions about various aspects of nature and writing, from nature journaling and the diverse meanings of ‘wonder,’ to the Native American Trickster folklore and how Arctic landscape mirrors the human soul.
After breakfast on Saturday morning, Covenant Point staffer and North Park alum Dustin Johnson led the first session by recounting how, as a young teenager growing up in the Upper Peninsula, he had stolen an egg from a crow’s nest and raised the bird to maturity. Dustin explained how the crow would cause mischief, pestering the dog for attention and burying his toys, pecking at the window when it felt ignored. He named the bird ‘Homer.’
Through stories like this and a collective intention to be attentive to their environment, the group established a sense of place in the forest. Together they weaved a new, rural weekend narrative, set apart from the urban one that had engrossed them just the day prior.
With the city’s grasp carefully peeled away, junior Anna Sardar enjoyed the calming and wild aura of the North Woods. “I felt dislocated from the glorified world of busyness and felt comfortable to fully rest,” she said. “It was a gift to get away from the man-made and revel in the world that exists without man's permission.”
Freshman Caleb McCoy expressed a similar, more succinct sentiment: “It was a nice break from the city. The total solitude was really refreshing.”
This retreat represents North Park's practice of experiential learning, a teaching technique that Greg Clark, professor of philosophy, has been employing in classes such as Zen and Archery, Intentional Christian Communities, and Philosophy of Nature. These courses instill knowledge that is learned outside of the classroom. Clark also helped organize the Covenant Point retreat.
English professor Reinhold Dooley was impressed by how well the retreat went. “This is the kind of high impact learning experience that sticks with you well beyond the classroom. Such experiences make my profession both meaningful and joyful, not just because of the contact with nature, but because I can better appreciate the quality of students at North Park.”
Adding to the voices of praise for experiential learning, Kristy Odelius, associate professor of English, considers this writing retreat as “a highlight of [her] nine years of teaching at North Park,” adding, “I was so impressed by the students—to see them thinking, dwelling, and growing together incited gratitude and wonder in all of us.”
This retreat was made possible by a grant given to the philosophy and English departments by the Domanada Foundation, a Christian organization that operates mainly in the Chicago area and central and eastern Europe. Clark and others hope that the retreat can become an annual event. He emphasizes that there is a "mutual desire to strengthen the connections between North Park and Covenant Point," adding, "[Covenant Point offers] us a setting where we can reflect on the ways [that] our city lives affect and are affected by the human and non-human lives in rural areas."
During the final evening of the retreat, both students and professors sat around the warming hearth, taking turns reading their own pieces of writing and reflecting upon the weekend. Each expressed a strong sense of gratitude and renewal, and that the fruits of the experience would last far longer than the two days spent in the North Woods.
This article first appeared in the November 15, 2013, print edition of the North Park Press, the University's student newspaper.
Author Aleksandar Hemon will present the first Campus Theme lecture on Tues., Sept. 24, at 7:00 pm.
North Park community welcomes authors, teachers, ministers, and activists to campus this year
CHICAGO (September 16, 2013) — Each year North Park University designates a question for the campus community to consider together throughout the year. This year brings the Campus Theme “What Is Peace?” to the forefront of discussion, activity, and events for students, faculty, and staff.
Starting with the question, “Who Is God?” the campus has considered themes of faith, justice, service, nature, community, significance, and more. This year’s question stems from a desire to think carefully and critically about what’s going on around the world. “Somewhat in response to what’s been going on in Chicago—and all the press about violence in the city, the murder rates, neighborhoods that are experiencing tremendous upheaval—“What is peace?” seemed like a fitting question for right now,” said Dr. Karl Clifton-Soderstrom, associate professor of philosophy and director of the general education program of which the Campus Theme is a part. “Obviously it’s a perennial question, as well.”
In addition, Clifton-Soderstrom said, the University hopes to build off the great energy and work being done in its Conflict Transformation program. “Asking this question is a different way to reflect on our core values of Christian, urban, and multicultural,” he added.
Campus Theme events for the year will start with a visit from Aleksandar Hemon on Tuesday, September 24. Hemon is a Bosnian author who has lived in Chicago since 1992. After visiting the United States as a journalist, he was unable to return to his country as Sarajevo was under siege in the Bosnian War. All first-year students have been reading his newly published set of autobiographical stories, The Book of My Lives, and discussing it together in small groups. He will be present on campus that day to meet with small groups of students, and then give a public lecture at 7:00 pm.
Clifton-Soderstrom said that Hemon will offer “a unique perspective of the problems of war and peace, because he experienced firsthand the turmoil that led up to war in Bosnia, and then had to endure watching as an immigrant in Chicago his native Sarajevo destroyed by the conflict.” He hopes that this will help students begin to build connections between international and local experiences of conflict and peace, as well as what peace means for individuals, for communities, and for relationships.
Dr. Joseph Jones, University provost, agreed that the Campus Theme this year is inviting students, faculty, and staff to reflect on broader issues, but also on their own personal peace and how that impacts relationships and communities. Jones, whose background includes significant work in restorative justice, suggested “how we treat others is often a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. Strife grows out of how people see themselves, in their homes and in their communities,” he said.
Jones said that, as an institution with a Christian worldview, North Park has to consider how to look at the world through the lens of Christ as the ‘prince of peace,’ and include in the larger conversation what it means to have peace with ourselves, with God, and with one another. “If we look at the broader questions of peace without reflection on these personal issues, I think we’ll miss something,” he said.
The answer to “What is peace?” is also about more than just the absence of war and conflict, Clifton-Soderstrom added. “It’s so easy, I think, when I hear the word ‘peace’ to think in terms of a utopian state of being. The idea of peace evokes in our imagination a static place of contentment or tranquility, as if it were only about the end goal. What we come to understand from those who spend their lives working for peace is that peace involves a living, active, and evolving constellation of relationships over time. Appreciating how we work for peace is as important as understanding the final result we hope to realize."
Both Jones and Clifton-Soderstrom hope that students will be inspired—by Hemon and other speakers and events throughout the year—to consider how peace might be more than a place or state of being.
“You don’t just "arrive" at peace,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “If peace is about relationships, relationships take place over time, they change and evolve. Peace has to have that same type of imperative to see the work through and not leapfrog ahead to whatever an imagined utopia is.”
“I hope that, by the end of this year, students will be able to grab hold of a paradigm of peace through which they can view the world,” Jones said. Our mission here is to prepare students for lives of significance and service, he added, and part of that is to challenge them to consider how they might be “mature models of peace for the world.”
Other Campus Theme events will broaden the conversation to include perspectives from around the world and from challenging chapters in America’s past and present.
“For the fall, we’ve got a real mix of local, international, and very American,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “With this year as the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, we thought it was essential to bring in the American experience and reconciliation between African Americans and other Americans.”
Public lectures for the fall semester include Dr. R. B. Lal, the leader of a Christian fellowship in India who is working to seek justice and empowerment for members of the lowest social caste; Allan Boesak and Curtiss P. DeYoung, authors of Radical Reconciliation: Beyond Political Pietism and Christian Quietism; and Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core. A full schedule for these public events is available online.
“Each year, the Campus Theme begins as a kind of big question in the fall and we try to bring in some big perspectives on it to expand our imagination,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “Our hope is that classes and groups will take up projects and continue the conversation in the spring semester.”
Plans are in the works for a conference on peace and reconciliation in the spring semester, led by the Conflict Transformation Studies program. “That will be a kind of culminating event,” Clifton-Soderstrom said. “We hope it will inspire students to ask, ‘How do we go out and realize this now? How do we work for it?’”
North Park University's dining hall in Magnuson Campus Center now offers a variety of seating options and bright decor.
New Flex Dollars Program Also Available for Students, Faculty, Staff
CHICAGO (August 19, 2013) — North Park University students will step into a new dining experience on campus this fall. Over the summer, major renovations have transformed the campus dining hall, located on the second floor of Magnuson Campus Center.
When entering the facility, diners will now be greeted by a refurbished meal-service area with non-slip floors and upgraded service windows and equipment. According to food service director Joshua Davis, ARAMARK Food Services is working on new menus it will serve the University to reflect its new capacity while also keeping favorite student items. Available at every meal will be a variety of hot protein, vegetable, starch, and vegetarian options, along with a partially self-serve deli station, pizza, grill, salad bar, and made-to-order station. Nutrition fact cards will accompany menu items so individuals can easily identify options that fit their dietary requirements.
More extensive renovations were completed in the seating area of the dining hall. Along with traditional tables, diners can choose from restaurant-style booths, bar stools at higher counters, lounge chairs, and even a fireplace lounge at one end. Electrical outlets are accessible from nearly every seat, making it easier for students to plug in laptops or phones while eating. The south end of the room may be partitioned off for private events or meetings.
Throughout the facility, the walls have been repainted, ceilings have been dropped, new flooring installed, and windows replaced. New lighting allows for brightening and dimming in response to the external environment, and both motion sensors and automatic programming control lights. Together, these upgrades all contribute to a more energy-efficient room that is also welcoming and encourages a wide variety of community interactions.
“A vibrant dining experience is vital to create an environment where all members of the campus community are eager to gather around the same table,” said Elizabeth Snezek, dean of students, of the renovation project. “Dining services plays and important role in fostering a sense of community and encouraging conversation.”
ARAMARK Food Services, which manages the dining hall and provides all food services on North Park’s campus, is also rolling out a new Flex Dollars meal plan option this fall, allowing students, faculty, and staff to pay for purchases at the dining hall and Viking Café with their University ID card instead of carrying cash or using a bank debit or credit card. Flex Dollars accounts will be managed individually online through the ARAMARK website. Diners, or other authorized users they designate, can add funds to accounts at any time during the year, and Flex Dollars will carry over between semesters.
All students, both commuter and resident and regardless of whether they purchase a meal plan or not, can purchase Flex Dollars that will be tied to their student IDs. Faculty and staff can also enroll in the Flex Dollars program. The University hopes this new program will encourage all members of the community to take advantage of the excellent food service available in the dining hall and Viking Café, and also use that time to build relationships and experience a rich community life. “Students, both resident and commuter, faculty, and staff can meet at mealtimes in friendly and enriching conversation, and not have to worry about having cash or a meal plan,” Snezek said.
Flex Dollars are being rolled out this year in anticipation of increased options on North Park’s campus when the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life opens in Fall 2014. At that time, Flex Dollars will be able to be used in the dining hall, Viking Café, and any additional food venues that are part of the ARAMARK campus food services. As part of the launch of the program, students on some meal plans will receive a complimentary bank of Flex Dollars on their accounts, and anyone who adds $200 or more to their Flex Dollars account by Sept. 10, 2013, will receive a bonus $20 in Flex Dollars.
North Park University to Offer Undergraduate Major in Nonprofit Management
North Park University will become the only college or university in Chicago offering nonprofit management degree programs for undergraduates.
Nonprofit management bachelor's degrees to be offered beginning in fall 2013
CHICAGO (March 11, 2013) – This fall, North Park University undergraduate students can pursue a new academic program leading to either a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in nonprofit management. The new degrees replace the current academic concentration in nonprofit management offered by the University's School of Business and Nonprofit Management (SBNM), said Dr. Wesley E. Lindahl, the school's dean.
When the major is initiated, the University will be the only higher education institution in the Chicago area offering a nonprofit major for undergraduates. "The change was mainly driven by student feedback, but also driven by our school's strategic plan to be a fully engaged educational institution in the nonprofit area," Lindahl said. Students currently interested in nonprofit management are business and economics majors, and take extra courses in the nonprofit area.
A nonprofit management major, with expanded coursework, enables the University to take advantage of a growing area of interest for incoming students, and is expected to bring about 15 new students per year to North Park, Lindahl explained. Undergraduate students can also declare a minor in nonprofit management.
Students majoring in nonprofit management will learn about fundraising, building relationships with donors, working with boards, managing volunteers, understanding nonprofit budgets and accounting, and marketing in nonprofit organizations, Lindahl said. They will also take classes in sociology, and develop leadership and management skills.
Evan Woods, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kan., is excited about the new nonprofit management major, and plans to switch from his current business major. "This goes back to the reason why I came to North Park. The (University's) mission is 'preparing students for lives of significance and service.' With nonprofits, the theme is the same." Woods is an intern with a Chicago-based nonprofit, By the Hand Club for Kids, where he works in development.
"I'm working directly with something for a cause and for a purpose," he said. "It's not just to make money. It's to help the neighborhoods in Chicago, and to help kids." Woods has worked with the University's Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management, and is also a member of the University's Nonprofit Leadership Club. He hopes to make a career in nonprofit management working in "green" business initiatives.
The new bachelor of science degree program requires 52 semester hours in nonprofit management courses, said Christa Beall Diefenbach, a member of SBNM's teaching faculty and Axelson Center associate director. Bachelor of science students will also complete requirements for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance certificate, she said.
"Every student who graduates with this certificate will be a Certified Nonprofit Professional (CNP), which makes students more competitive when they start their career searches," Diefenbach said. Bachelor of science students will also participate in the University's Nonprofit Leadership Club and attend one Alliance Management Institute, an annual nonprofit management educational symposium, she said. Students who opt for the new bachelor of arts program will take 40 semester hours in nonprofit management and other relevant courses, and could combine the program with another major.
Like the nonprofit sector in general, a growing field in the nonprofit arena is "social entrepreneurship," which employs innovative approaches to address the world’s most pressing social and environmental issues. "This is a hot field right now in the nonprofit sector. Organizations are looking for alternative, sustainable revenue streams. We're going to be offering a class that will focus on just that," Diefenbach said.
Among the new undergraduate degree programs, the University also offers programs leading to a professional certificate in nonprofit management, and a master's degree in nonprofit administration.
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