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.
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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.
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 University to Host Bach Week Festival Concert May 5
University students to perform in first-ever festival concert in Chicago
CHICAGO (April 16, 2013) — North Park University will host a Bach Week Festival performance at 2:30 pm, May 5, at the University's Anderson Chapel, the first time a festival performance will be held in the city of Chicago. The North Park concert—featuring works by the renowned German Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach—will include performances by University musicians as well as professionals from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Lyric Opera of Chicago.
The Bach Week Festival is an annual event held in the Chicago area in spring. Now in its 40th year, the festival is a signature blend of solo, concerto, orchestral, and choral performances in concerts, according to a Bach Week news release.
"The North Park School of Music is honored to collaborate with the Bach Week Festival to present this concert," said Dr. Craig Johnson, dean of the University's School of Music and professor of music. "This event is a wonderful example of the advantages that North Park music students have to experience the artistic excellence so prevalent in Chicago—right on the campus." Johnson added that all undergraduate School of Music students will be able to attend and hear the musical excellence offered by the Bach Week performers.
The North Park concert features Margaret Martin, University organist. Making her Bach Week Festival debut, she will open the concert with Bach’s Toccata in F Major, BWV 540. Her spouse, Christopher Martin, principal trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will perform in Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047. Cellist Katinka Kleijn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform Bach’s Suite No. 3 for solo cello, BWV 1009.
The finale will be Bach’s Magnificat in D, BWV 243, a 12-movement work for vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Among the soloists is Dr. Julia Davids, who will make her debut with the Bach Week Festival. Davids directs the University's choral activities and holds the Stephen J. Hendrickson Endowed Chair in Music. The North Park University Chamber Singers, directed by Davids, will perform with the festival chorus and orchestra, directed by Richard Webster, director of music and organist at Boston's historic Trinity Church, and the festival's music director since 1975. This will be only the second time in Bach Week history that a guest ensemble has sung with the festival’s own chorus, and the first time for a student group, according to festival organizers.
The Chamber Singers' participation "adds a touch of historic resonance" to the festival’s first Chicago concert, Webster said. "Bach himself conducted ensembles of local university students, professionals, and guest artists at weekly public performances at Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig, Germany. This collaboration honors that tradition and will be a wonderful experience for performers and audience alike," he added.
The 2013 Bach Week Festival also features concerts April 19 and April 21 at Nichols Concert Hall, Evanston, Ill.
Axelson Center to Honor Nonprofits for Exemplary Managerial Practices
Porchlight Counseling Services was awarded the 2013 Excellent Emerging Organization Award. Accepting the award for the organization at the Annual Symposium were Anne Bent, founder and board chair; Dr. Maria Nanos, therapist and LCSW; and Diana Newton, executive director; pictured above with Dr. Pier Rogers, director of the Axelson Center; Maree Bullock; and Dr. Wesley Lindahl, dean of the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University.
Applications due December 3 and January 10 for awards
CHICAGO (October 11, 2013) — The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management is now accepting applications for the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence and Excellent Emerging Organization Award—two prestigious awards that honor nonprofit organizations in the Chicago area that have built a strong management and leadership capacity.
Applications for the Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence are due Tuesday, December 3, 2013. Two winners will receive up to a $7,500 cash award, including a large nonprofit with a budget over $3 million and a small nonprofit with a budget under $3 million. The deadline for the Excellent Emerging Organization Award is Friday, January 10, 2014. One winner will receive a $2,500 cash award and a package of services designed to build organizational capacity that is valued at up to $50,000.
Managerial excellence is a critical, yet often unrecognized, element of nonprofit organizational success, said Axelson Center Director Dr. Pier Rogers, when describing the awards, which honor the legacies of nonprofit leaders Nils G. Axelson and Jimmie R. Alford.
“There is often a great deal of attention paid to nonprofit organizations for excellence in programs, however such programs require excellence in management and leadership in order to be sustained for the longer term,” Dr. Rogers said. “The awards are intended to elevate organizations that are models of excellence in how they are being managed.”
Alford-Axelson Award honors established nonprofits, large and small
“Proud” was how Brenda Swartz, president/CEO of Concordia Place, described the feeling of winning the 2013 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence. “We are very proud to have been this year’s recipient and want to share the excitement with our donors, partners, friends, and those we serve,” she said.
The community organization began more than 30 years ago as a childcare center to support children and families and now provides an array of programs for at-risk individuals of all ages and economic levels. The agency’s growth and adherence to guiding principles helped them expand their reach into more neighborhoods and develop programming that inspires confidence, compassion, and independence.
The award has enhanced Concordia Place’s fundraising efforts and increased the agency’s visibility. They used the cash prize to develop a newsletter and create a summary for board members to share with donor prospects. “We have had a number of people congratulate us on the award that might not have otherwise known us,” Swartz said.
The rigorous two-part application process was valuable for emphasizing the significance of strategic planning. “That’s a reminder to an organization of the importance of a longer-term vision than just the day-to-day,” she said. “An organization can too easily become obsolete when it is so absorbed in the here and now that it can’t maintain a focus on the future and incorporate these into its regular activities.”
Between Friends, winner of the 2013 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence in the small category, provides resources and educational programming for domestic violence survivors, youth, health care professionals, and community members. With 20 full-time staff and two part-time staff, the organization also works to prevent domestic violence from occurring in the first place. Between Friends served 10,000 people last year and more than 156,000 individuals since its inception in 1986.
Cited for strong leadership, effective strategic planning, and positive board relationships, winning the award sent a strong message to clients and board members about the importance of paying attention to governance issues and provided a boost for a dedicated, compassionate, and mission-driven staff, said Kathleen Doherty, executive director. “People were ecstatic,” she said. “It’s one thing to say you are doing great work, but it’s another for nonprofit experts in the community to validate the work you are doing.”
The award application was a learning process for Between Friends, which had applied once before and used the feedback to reevaluate its policies and practices. “Even if you don’t win, you will get another perspective on how [well] you’re doing things,” Doherty said. “There’s not a whole lot out there like this award that validates the great work that agencies are doing.”
Excellent Emerging Organization Award supports young, promising nonprofits
The Excellent Emerging Organization award honors and supports a nonprofit that shows promise in managerial excellence. “What we want to encourage is the attention to building a strong foundation for the organization so it is sustainable in the long term,” Dr. Rogers said. “Giving an honor to a small or young organization helps to encourage these organizations to build both on the program side and the internal infrastructure to support those programs.”
The 2013 winner, Porchlight Counseling Services, is a 10-year-old organization that provides counseling services for college survivors of sexual assault. The agency has one full-time staff member and contracts with seven therapists who provide at least six months of counseling to 30-50 students per year. Recognized for its use of resources, staying true to its mission, and data-driven decision-making, Porchlight Counseling Services has become a significant resource for a number of college campuses, based on its knowledge and expertise in the area of support for survivors of sexual assault.
Porchlight Counseling Services used the cash award to provide two clients with six months of free therapy and has begun to utilize the capacity-building services offered by the Axelson Center, including an organizational assessment, legal assistance, and software development.
For the young organization, winning this award provided a renewed sense of excitement and determination to take Porchlight Counseling Services to the next level. “It made us feel more confident that we are going in the right direction,” said Diana Newton, executive director. “Now we will be able to enhance our organization and services even more.”
The process of applying for the award provided Newton with a “great snapshot” of the organization. “You are able to see your strengths and weaknesses in multiple areas,” she said. “We felt proud of how far we have come in 10 years and are excited about where we can be in another few years with the opportunities that this award offers.”
Applicants must have 501(c)3 status and benefit the Chicago area. The winners of all three awards will be announced at the annual Axelson Symposium on June 3, 2014.
North Park University, founded in 1891, prepares students for lives of significance and service, expressed through three core values: distinctively Christian, intentionally urban, and purposefully multicultural. North Park offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and programs in the liberal arts, sciences, and pre-professional preparation; adult degree-completion options that include nonprofit and nursing programs; and graduate degrees and certificates in business, education, ministry, music, nonprofit, nursing, and theology. Courses are offered at North Park’s four campuses throughout northeastern Illinois, including the main Chicago campus, plus satellite campuses in Arlington Heights, Grayslake, and Waukegan.
University Trustees Hear Positive Recruiting News, Building Progress Report
Board of trustees member David Otfinoski, Chester, Conn., joins other board members and signs a steel beam to be used in the construction of the Johnson Center.
Campaign North Park nearing completion, trustees told
CHICAGO (May 29, 2013) — News about student recruiting for the 2013 academic year, progress on the University's newest academic building, election of officers, and recognition of outgoing board members were topics of the North Park University board of trustees spring meeting. The trustees met here May 9–10, and participated in spring commencement activities May 11.
In his report, Dr. David L. Parkyn, University president, said recruiting of students through early May for the upcoming academic year "is on a good trajectory," with more work continuing through the summer. New student enrollment for the fall semester is expected to be higher than in 2012. The news follows spring semester enrollment of 1,653 undergraduate students, plus 93 new undergraduate students, the University's second largest mid-year new student enrollment in eight years.
Parkyn also noted that the University's 125th anniversary is in 2016, and commented on some preliminary ideas related to the anniversary. He said he plans to discuss more information in greater detail with the board and campus community in the coming year.
Campaign North Park, a comprehensive $57 million fundraising effort, is nearly complete, Parkyn said. The centerpiece of the campaign is the $44 million Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, now under construction. Bruce Bickner, University trustee from Sycamore, Ill., told the trustees that about $40 million has been committed to fund the building project, with additional gifts expected this summer. The new building's foundation is complete, and a steel infrastructure is being put into place. The Johnson Center is expected to open in 2014. Other components of the campaign included giving to the annual fund, scholarships, and Chicago-based academic programs and faculty development.
Annual giving remains a continuing priority for University's fundraising activities, Bickner reported. The number of donors to the University has significantly increased over a year ago, due to the momentum of donor participation in Campaign North Park. Ongoing annual giving efforts will focus on student success, highlighting scholarships for University students, North Park Theological Seminary students, and student and faculty enrichment initiatives, he said.
Rev. David Kersten, dean of the Seminary, said the Seminary faculty and staff are working on specific priorities resulting from a strategic planning report. Priorities include establishing metrics for stabilizing and building Seminary finances, adjusting academy time for master of divinity students, developing a robust plan for lifelong learning, and moving appropriate parts of the curriculum to online learning. He also reported that Hauna Ondrey will join the faculty next January for a two-year teaching fellowship in church history. Ondrey, who brings considerable teaching and writing experience to her new role, holds a bachelor of arts degree in biblical and theological studies from the University and a master of divinity from the Seminary. She is completing a doctorate at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
The board of trustees recognized members completing five-year terms: Ann Alvarez, Chicago; Donna Erickson, Minneapolis; Dave Hanson, Granite Bay, Calif.; Karen Tamte, Chanhassen, Minn.; and Louise Wilson, Arden Hills, Minn.
The board elected new officers, including Virgil Applequist, Palatine, Ill., who succeeds Hanson as finance committee chair and treasurer, and Kathryn Edin, Brookline, Mass., who succeeds Tamte as secretary. Continuing as officers are David Helwig, board chair, Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Paul Hawkinson, vice chair, Green Oaks, Ill. Dawn Helwig, Chicago, is the board's liaison to the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Bauer is one of about 610 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students awarded CLS scholarships in 2013 by the State Department. Recipients are assigned to one of 13 countries to become more proficient in a specific language.
Bauer, who is interested in the Middle East and Africa, has been learning Arabic only since he entered North Park last fall. He hopes to become proficient in the language and use it in a future career. In particular, Bauer's interest in the Middle East relates to the history of the region, and interactions between governments of that region and the West that have often produced mixed results. "I think that comes from a lack of understanding," Bauer said. "To a certain extent, learning the language, and knowing history and culture goes a long way toward greater understanding."
This will be Bauer's first time in the Arab world. He will live with a host family in Rabat, and study at a language institute there, with individualized tutoring and field experiences using Arabic, he said. After his CLS experience, Bauer said he hopes to continue language study by volunteering with neighborhood organizations in need of people with language skills, and study abroad in North Africa or the Middle East through North Park. He also plans to continue participation in the Middle Eastern Student Association, where he is currently an officer.
Students learn much through participation in a complete language immersion program such as the CLS, said Anis Said, University fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, and Arabic language instructor. In addition to excelling in Arabic class, Bauer is also a talented student athlete, according to Said. "Isaac is an extraordinary student who found the perfect balance between his academic duties and his extracurricular activities," he said. "I am also confident that when Isaac comes back to North Park in the fall, he will bring with him a new perspective on the Middle East and on Morocco."
Bauer's parents are Robert and Shelley Bauer, of Normal. He has three older brothers, Jesse, Matt, and Levi.
The CLS program is part of the U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical languages, according to the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It provides fully funded, group-based intensive language instruction and cultural enrichment experiences. Program participants are expected to continue their language study after the scholarship, and apply their language skills in future professional careers.
North Park University Plans to Reopen Friday, April 19
Update: 8:00 am, Friday, April 19
North Park University is open and classes have resumed.
Update: 4:30 pm, Thursday, April 18
North Park University plans to be open Friday, April 19, for classes and other activities at all locations, and all University offices will be open. The University’s Emergency Management Team said the Chicago campus experienced minor flood damage. Cleanup has begun in buildings that took on water.
The University is advising students and employees of the following area traffic concerns:
Cars parked on streets along the Chicago River are being towed and relocated to the Salvation Army parking lot, 5040 N. Pulaski Road.
Sandbags are being placed on streets adjacent to the Chicago River.
A portion of Foster Avenue has been closed near Pulaski Road.
Please use caution when traveling to and from the University for classes tomorrow.
Update: 11:00 am, Thursday, April 18
The North Park University Emergency Management Team closed the Chicago campus April 18, canceling daytime and evening classes, plus other activities, because of area flooding. Students, faculty, and staff were informed via text and email messages earlier today.
The University community was advised to follow www.northpark.edu for further updates and information.
The Emergency Management Team determined that high water around the campus made it advisable to close so students and employees could avoid flood dangers. Students who are on campus should use caution when approaching the North Branch of the Chicago River, and any standing water.
For students at the campus today, please note the following announcements:
Helwig Recreation Center is open and observing normal hours.
ARA, Aramark food service, is serving meals in the cafeteria.
The Library will be open from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm.
In addition, the University announced all evening classes April 18 at the Grayslake Campus were canceled.
The award honors and continues the legacies of Nils G. Axelson, a devoted community health care leader and visionary, and Jimmie R. Alford, a leading contemporary thinker and practitioner in the nonprofit arena.
"For more than 10 years, the Axelson Center has awarded the Alford-Axelson Award to two exceptional Chicago-area nonprofit organizations," said Dr. Pier Rogers, the center's director. "But this isn’t about the Axelson Center so much as it is about an elite group of 22 past award winners who represent the 'best of the best' in terms of nonprofit management structure and leadership. Without these organizations, Chicago wouldn’t be the same vital city that it is today."
Previous recipients of the award confirm its value for promoting overall organizational excellence and for improving staff. In 2012, Center on Halsted, Chicago, was the award winner for large nonprofit organizations. Modesto Tico Valle, chief executive officer, said the center's executive team invested several months in the award process by reviewing and improving organizational practices. "Auditing our practices really helped us as an organization," he said. "Whether we won or not, it was good to pause and reflect, and audit our work internally. Organizations should do that on a regular basis."
Center on Halsted has about 70 employees, full- and part-time, and provides social service and public programs. It provides direct services annually to about 35,000 people, Valle said. The organization used its cash award to help senior staff improve a variety of management skills. The recognition has challenged the staff to be innovative and employ best practices regularly. "It was an honor to receive this in our fifth year of service, Valle added. "For me it also means, 'What does the next five years look like?' and 'How do we reflect that behavior and excellence in our work?'"
Lincoln Park Community Shelter, Chicago, was the 2011 award recipient for small nonprofits. Two years earlier, the awards committee had given the shelter's application an honorable mention, a catalyst to continue improving administrative practices, said Erin Ryan, the shelter's director. Among the changes the organization made when it tried for the award again were refocusing its board on strategic planning and hiring a business manager to help realign administrative duties.
"The application process is rigorous. It made us think hard and examine our processes," Ryan said. "It's easy for a small organization to assume it is 'too small,' but the application process dispels that myth. We can function as a bigger organization, be good stewards of money we raise and good stewards of the services we provide." The shelter serves about 400 people living with homelessness, and provides assistance to relocate people into permanent housing with support services. It has about 12 full- and part-time employees, plus volunteers. The shelter used its cash award to hire a social work intern for a summer, a helpful step for staff and clients, Ryan said. The award has helped donors trust that the organization is efficient administratively, and that its resources are well-managed, she said. This year, the shelter will enter into its first government contract to provide permanent shelter and temporary services to clients.
A selection committee will determine this year's Alford-Axelson Award recipients. "We established a set of seven hallmarks of nonprofit managerial excellence, and organizations that exhibit strength in all seven areas are recognized by their peers as leaders in our sector. The selection committee is made up of Chicago-area nonprofit and civic community leaders. They have the formidable task of selecting each year’s winners," Rogers added.
To be considered, applicant organizations must be defined as 501(c)3 organizations, with their primary mission focus benefiting Chicago and/or its surrounding communities. The Axelson Center will accept nominations for the award by email or by phone, however organizations do not need to be nominated to apply. Recipients will be recognized at the annual Axelson Symposium, June 4, 2013, in Chicago.
Rev. Kanyere Eaton challenges students to lead in an "edgy time"
CHICAGO (November 14, 2013) — Nearly 600 students, faculty, staff, and organizational leaders from across the country gathered at North Park University Saturday, November 2, for the fifth annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference. North Park’s Office of Diversity, under the leadership of Dr. Terry Lindsay, provides this event to equip college students as effective leaders and agents of change on their campuses. The conference goal is that each student would be equipped to return to their college or university and engage their peers in conversations and activities that create multiethnic cooperation and increase intercultural competency.
Dr. Kevin Kruger, the president and CEO of NASPA, brought a message of encouragement for young peoples’ roles in inspiring students of color to see college as a realistic option for their futures. NASPA, a national association of student affairs professionals in higher education, sees that the demographics of American students are changing, bringing new challenges for college preparation and success, especially around issues of diversity and intercultural cooperation.
According to Kruger, research reveals that, in about ten years, more than 50 percent of college graduates will be students of color. He called on the students gathered to see themselves as crucial role models and mentors for these future students. “You are tomorrow’s leaders and will be part of the solution,” he said.
Rev. Kanyere Eaton, pastor of Fellowship Covenant Church in the Bronx, New York, gave Saturday’s keynote address. Speaking on the conference theme, “Achieving Peace by Embracing Diversity,” Eaton said that “we have inherited all kinds of attributes and attitudes” from previous generations that now must be negotiated. “What are we going to do with what they left us?” she asked. In our current, changing culture and demographics, she said, today’s students must transform the reality they’ve inherited into the future they desire. As geographic and demographic boundaries are being moved, attitudes toward diversity have not yet caught up.
Eaton charged the students in attendance to recognize themselves as leaders chosen to help shape the legacy for future generation. “You could have been someone very different,” she said, “but you are who you’re supposed to be. And you’re supposed to lead.”
“You’ve also been privileged,” she added, noting that information, connections, opportunities, and responsibilities are part of the package of a college education. “We live in an edgy time,” Eaton concluded, “and consciousness has not caught up with our condition. We’ve got to work with what we have, and take seriously the responsibility to leave things better than we found them.”
The North Park University gospel choir ensemble, step teams from North Park and Bethel University, and two African dance troupes gave inspired performances to round out the plenary activities. Following the session, conference attendees spent the afternoon at more than 30 workshops, with topics ranging from leading conversations on diversity, to developing safe, inclusive communities, to understanding the current national atmosphere of race relations.
The next Student Diversity Leadership Conference at North Park University will take place on Saturday, November 1, 2014.
North Park University Student Earns Fulbright Grant, Headed to Turkey
Bailey Schwartz C'12 learned this month she was a granted a Fulbright award and will be working as an English Teaching Assistant in Turkey.
Bailey Schwartz among 11 University Fulbright grantees in five years
CHICAGO (May 30, 2013) — When she was a student at North Park University, Bailey Schwartz took a class taught by Dr. Susan Rabe, professor of history, about the history of the Ottoman Empire from the 15th century to the end of World War I. That class struck a chord with Schwartz, who developed a strong interest in Turkish history, culture, and the historic city of Istanbul. With a grant she earned from the U.S. Fulbright Student Program, she will now explore the area firsthand as she lives and works in Turkey for nearly a year beginning this fall.
Schwartz learned this month that she was awarded a grant to work as an English Teaching Assistant in Turkey, the precise location yet to be determined. She joins two other University students who were earlier awarded Fulbright student grants earlier this spring. The program has awarded 11 of its prestigious grants to North Park University graduates in the past five years.
For Schwartz, getting a chance to live in Turkey is like reading the sequel to good book. "I'm excited about the prospect that I can actually go to this place, and walk the streets that we had talked about in class," she said. Schwartz, who grew up near Lake Geneva, Wis., transferred to North Park after one year at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse because she wanted to attend college in Chicago. She graduated from the University in December 2012 with a bachelor's degree in history. Schwartz also earned certification to teach secondary education and an endorsement for English as a Second Language. Her mother, Denise, lives in Colorado. She has a brother, Robert, who lives in Wisconsin, and a sister, Samantha, of Chicago.
Rabe, who was a reference for Schwartz's Fulbright application, said she was an exceptional, motivated student, and is a great Fulbright candidate. "In a 30-year teaching career, she is one of the best students I've ever had," Rabe said. "She stands out not just for her intellectual capacity, which is considerable, but because of her motivation, her discipline, and maturity. She's an incredibly mature young woman."
Turkey is an excellent place to study history and learn, Rabe said. "You see whole span of history from ancient to the present, and you see it in a place where there is a rich culture between continents. It's a country that is such mixture of identities in its own right. It's a fascinating study in humanity, a fascinating study in human history. And it's beautiful," she said.
Schwartz wants to return from her Fulbright experience next year and teach history in a Chicago public school, and later, possibly attend graduate school. The Fulbright program attracted her because she will gain some valuable teaching experience, share U.S. history and culture with Turkish students, and learn about their lives, she said. "I'm sure they have an idea of or an assumption of what it means to be an American," she said. "Any interaction I have with anyone there is going to form the basis of their opinion, and hopefully, I can help it be positive."
Two other North Park graduates were informed earlier this spring about their Fulbright student grants, which begin this fall. Sam Auger of Chicago will work as an English Teaching Assistant in a high school in Haskovo, Bulgaria. Timothy Ahlberg, Perrysburg, Ohio, was awarded a Binational Business Exchange Grant, and will work in a business in Mexico City.
North Park University to be Site of Wheel Gymnastics World Championships
Athletes coming to Chicago July 8-14
CHICAGO (July 3, 2013) — The 10th Wheel Gymnastics World Championships are coming to Chicago July 8–14, with much of the competition happening on the campus of North Park University. This unique form of gymnastics originated in Germany, putting athletes inside a large wheel, known as a Rhönrad, to perform exercises in categories that include straight line, spiral, and vault.
Hosted by the USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation and American Sokol, the championships feature more than 130 athletes from 17 nations. General admission tickets are available, and can be purchased online. Competition will be divided between males and females, and junior and senior competitors. Awards will be given for best all-around, spiral, straight line, vault, and mono wheel competitions. This is the first time the competition has been held outside of Europe.
Prior to the world championships, the 8th USA Wheel Gymnastics Open Championship and first ever qualification trials for TEAM USA Wheel Gymnastics took place March 7–10, 2013. Dubbed the “Chicago Big Wheel Weekend,” the USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation and American Sokol hosted this weekend of training courses and competition trials to qualify for TEAM USA in the July World Championships.
About the Wheel Gymnastics World Championships
In 1924 Otto Feick invented and built the Rhönrad (the German Wheel), and began traveling all over Europe and to the United States to promote the newly-created sport of wheel gymnastics. After a surge in popularity following World War II, the Internationaler Rhönradturn-Verband (IRV) was formed to oversee all international competitions and training. Seven member countries comprise the IRV and approximately 25 nations participate in the sport, with international training camps and World Championships being hosted in alternate years. The initial World Championship was held in Den Helder, Netherlands, in 1995.
Marketing Transformation Driven by New Tools, New Behaviors, Says Graduate
Today's marketers face a "paradox of choice," said Renee Borkowski C'90.
Razorfish VP speaks at North Park University Breakfast Series
CHICAGO (May 24, 2013) — There has been an incredible transformation in marketing practices in the past 15 years, much of it driven by dramatic shifts in how consumers use digital devices and experiences to fulfill their information and entertainment needs. The result is that there are many players in the marketing landscape today, creating a "paradox of choice" for many marketers.
"Deciding where to pay attention, where to spend, and how and where to stay connected with consumers is increasingly complex," said Renee (Johnson) Borkowski, Chicago, group vice president of strategic marketing for Razorfish, a global digital agency. Borkowski, a 1990 North Park graduate in physics and marketing, spoke to an audience of about 80 people at this spring's Breakfast Series event in Chicago, sponsored by the University and the School of Business and Nonprofit Management. Her topic was "Marketing Transformation in the Post-Digital Era." Borkowski, a member of the University's board of trustees, brings 20 years of experience working with top-name brands.
Agencies today are challenged to cover all bases—search engine optimization, web and customer analytics, email marketing, marketing automation, social media, social marketing and multi-channel marketing management—along with many traditional forms of communication. With the growth in marketing, channels, and agencies working in the field, "we as marketers are at the intersection of decision-making, of managing our budgets, of figuring out what is going to get us the most for our money in the midst of a very confusing landscape," Borkowski said.
What has changed for marketers? Borkowski suggested several possibilities:
Planning is now a continuous and cyclical process. Insights are required to inform annual, quarterly, and daily decision cycles.
Digital marketing is experiential. As evidence, she pointed to changes in retail marketing, where shopping is mobile-enabled or occurs in "virtual" stores. More consumers are using multiple devices at home at the same time, including televisions, tablets, and smartphones.
Marketing is happening in real-time more than ever. Social media demands quick, short-term, relevant messaging, but must be done responsibly. "The volume and velocity of social online behaviors requires that break-through brands adopt a real-time mindset, and establish 'always-on' teams," she said.
New skills and vocations are emerging in marketing. There are growing needs for "data scientists" and "chief marketing technologists."
For nonprofits and mission-driven organizations with smaller budgets, Borkowski suggested an emphasis on social media-fueled experiences, coupled with highly targeted search capabilities to help organizations set themselves apart from others. Digital storytelling can also be more powerful by inviting members and followers to capture video with smartphones and making video blogs highlighting service projects, she said.
Despite the need for real-time marketing, decision-making and communication must be considered carefully and align with business and brand objectives, Borkowski said. "Organizations that take their cues solely from their audiences or cultural happenings without a true brand purpose end up diluting or damaging their brands," she added.
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