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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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Dr. G. Timothy and Nancy Johnson will join the University on October 26 to break ground for the 101,000-square-foot Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, named in their honor.
New building honors North Park alumni Nancy and Dr. G. Timothy Johnson
The University will provide a live webcast of the groundbreaking ceremony beginning at 5:00 pm CDT.
“The Johnson Center is a project which will transform our University and enhance student learning for years to come,” said Dr. David L. Parkyn, University president. “We are pleased to begin construction of this much-needed academic and student life facility, and also delighted that it is named for the Johnsons who have contributed so much to North Park. We hope Oct. 26 will be as memorable for them as it will be for our community.”
Dr. G. Timothy Johnson is known for his work as chief medical editor for ABC News from 1984 to 2010. He graduated from North Park College (now University) in 1956, and earned a seminary degree at North Park Theological Seminary in 1963. He later earned a medical degree, and became one of America’s best-known physicians, providing award-winning on-air medical analysis on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. He was honored with the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1991, and is also an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), the church denomination with which the University is affiliated. Nancy Johnson was trained as a nurse at the Swedish Covenant Hospital School of Nursing, Chicago, including study in the sciences at North Park University. Immediately after receiving her nursing credential, she completed a short-term medical assignment in Indonesia. The Johnsons reside in Marblehead, Massachusetts.
The Johnsons will participate in a celebration in the center of the Chicago campus that will begin at 4:00 pm CDT, with outdoor festivities, food, and music. Following brief remarks and a groundbreaking ceremony at 5:00 pm, invited guests and project contributors will attend an evening reception and program at Hamming Hall, followed by a University Choir concert in Anderson Chapel.
“The Johnsons are an extraordinary couple,” said Mary Surridge, University vice president for development and alumni relations. “The time is right for us to name this transformational facility in their honor. It includes everything that has been so important to them as alumni, trustees, campaign leaders, medical professionals and lifelong stewards of North Park’s mission. The fact that it will be located in the central part of the campus is dear to their hearts because they know it will serve every student, faculty and staff member in our community.”
The $42 million Johnson Center is the most significant component of Campaign North Park, a $57 million comprehensive University fundraising effort. The campaign raised funds for the Johnson Center, the University’s Annual Fund, student scholarships, and Chicago-based academic programs and faculty development. Fundraising continues for the building project and a variety of academic needs related to the new building, Surridge said. The 101,000-square-foot Johnson Center is expected to open for the 2014 academic year.
North Park University Board of Trustees Confirms Decision to Build New Science, Community Life Center
The 101,000-square-foot Nancy & G. Timothy Johnson Center at North Park University is expected to be ready in the fall of 2014, and its design will reflect principles of environmental stewardship and energy conservation.
Trustees name building for alumni Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson
CHICAGO (May 15, 2012) — The board of trustees of North Park University confirmed construction of the proposed science and community life center, addressing a significant, longstanding need for state-of-the-art science laboratories and program facilities to serve North Park students. The board, which met here May 10–11, also acted to name the new building for Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson, longtime medical editor and senior medical contributor for ABC News, whom the trustees said “define a life of exemplary service.”
A formal groundbreaking ceremony for the 101,000-square-foot Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life is planned for October 26, 2012. Building site preparation will begin this summer, and construction is expected to be completed in time for the 2014 fall semester.
“This new academic building will position North Park University to recruit students competitively and educate them effectively,” Parkyn said. “In like manner, this new building will assist us in hiring new faculty in several disciplines and in providing for their effectiveness as teachers and researchers.”
The Johnson Center resulted from the University’s comprehensive fundraising effort, Campaign North Park. The $57 million campaign is raising funds for the new building, the University’s Annual Fund, student scholarships, and Chicago-based academic programs and faculty development. Fundraising continues.
The new building will be named for Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson, recognizing and honoring their lives of exemplary service.
Dr. G. Timothy Johnson graduated from North Park College (now University) in 1956, and earned a seminary degree at North Park Theological Seminary in 1963. After completing a medical degree, he served as chief medical editor for ABC News from 1984–2010. Johnson became one of America’s best-known physicians, providing award-winning on-air medical analysis on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, Nightline, and 20/20. He was honored with the University’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1991, is the founding editor of the Harvard Health Letter, and the author of several books on medicine and faith. He is also an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), the church denomination with which the University is affiliated. He chaired a task force in 1979–1980 that recommended the University remain in its historic location on the North Side of Chicago.
Nancy Johnson was trained as a nurse at the Swedish Covenant Hospital School of Nursing, Chicago, including study in the sciences at North Park University. Immediately after receiving her nursing credential, she completed a short-term medical assignment in Indonesia. The Johnsons, residing in Marblehead, Mass., have volunteered considerable time to the University through their service on the board of trustees and on behalf of North Park’s two most recent fundraising campaigns, including Campaign North Park.
“North Park was the first stop for both of us in our long academic journeys,” the Johnsons said. “It gave us a moral and intellectual foundation that has lasted a lifetime — and for which we will always be grateful. We are both very pleased but humbled by this naming honor.”
Naming the building for the Johnsons recognizes their service to the University, and as lifelong stewards of its mission and values, said David Helwig, Thousand Oaks, Calif., chair of the University’s board of trustees and a member of the class of 1978. “Tim has tirelessly championed the need for this new facility to prepare North Park’s students for demanding careers in modern science, medicine and nursing. Nancy likewise is deeply committed to this important mission,” he said.
The Johnson Center will be located in the heart of the campus, and will be constructed to reflect environmental stewardship and energy conservation. The project will target Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification, demonstrating characteristics such as lower operating costs, resource conversation, and healthful and safe working conditions. The center will feature 30 technology-enhanced laboratories, academic facilities, and faculty and staff offices. Student co-curricular services will be housed in the new facility, as will a café, plus conference and meeting spaces.
Through the summer months prior to the start of construction, the University will complete the building design with the architectural team, finalize a finance plan, and continue fundraising.
Board of Trustees Hears Update on Campaign North Park, New Building Plans
Fundraising for a new $42 million Science and Community Life Building is a "top priority," said University President David L. Parkyn.
Fundraising top priority for president, development office
CHICAGO (February 21, 2012) – The president of North Park University, Dr. David L. Parkyn, told the University board of trustees that there is significant progress toward the goal of initiating construction on a new $42 million Science and Community Life Building. Fundraising continues to be a "top priority" of his office and the University Office of Development, he reported.
The University first began consideration of a new Science and Community Life Building as early as 2008, Parkyn said to the board, which met here Feb. 10-11. When finally completed, the project will "transform the face of the campus," he said. "Much more than that, it will transform the student experience both in and outside the classroom," Parkyn said.
At present, the University is working assertively to raise funds for the new building, part of Campaign North Park, Parkyn said. Plans for the new structure have been informed by several charrettes with faculty and staff who will lead academic and University programs to be housed in the new building, Parkyn said. Academic and student life programs assigned to the new building have been confirmed. The University has been working with VOA Associates, Inc., Chicago, to design the building, the University president said.
The board of trustees met Feb. 10-11 at North Park University.
Representing VOA, William Ketcham described preliminary building plans to the board. The building design is a work in progress and continues to evolve, he said. "It's about a place in the urban environment, it's about a spirit of community engagement with people in a place advancing education, advancing the mission of this institution," Ketcham said.
Among the organizations the University has consulted with are Health Education Research Associates Inc., for design assistance on science laboratories and other instructional spaces. The University has also contracted with the Boldt Company to serve as owner's representative and to facilitate the construction process, employing integrated project delivery techniques, Parkyn said.
During the board meeting, VOA architects met with the board's Advancement Committee to discuss ways to recognize donors in the building's design. Boldt Company representatives met with the board's Finance Committee to introduce their role, and to facilitate a discussion regarding the price for the building and an initial construction calendar.
In addition to $42 million for the new building, Campaign North Park set goals of $8 million for University's Annual Fund; $6 million for scholarships; and $1 million for Chicago-based academic programs and faculty development. Fund raising continues for all campaign goals.
The board received reports on other matters:
Parkyn reported that undergraduate enrollment at mid-year continues to be strong, while enrollment has softened in some graduate programs.
The president presented ideas on how the University can continue to feature and effectively communicate its mission and identity to various constituencies.
The board received a report from the Seminary Leadership Committee, and affirmed the Rev. Dr. David Kersten as the nominee for dean of North Park Theological Seminary. Kersten's nomination must be affirmed by leadership bodies of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), and he is expected to move into his new role Aug. 1.
The North Park University board of trustees' next meeting is May 10-11, 2012, in Chicago.
North Park Theological Seminary Announces New Financial Aid Program for Students
Aid program is for new students, current students' aid not affected
CHICAGO (March 23, 2012) – For Alicia Vela, qualifying for financial aid assistance is the reason she is a student preparing for ordained ministry at North Park Theological Seminary (NPTS), Chicago. The Rev. Brian A.K. McCutchen says without the financial aid he got from NPTS, he's not sure he would have been able attend any seminary.
Both are examples of how students' lives can be changed with the help of financial aid and scholarships to help them meet the costs of theological education. This month, North Park Theological Seminary announced a new financial aid program for students that will provide aid to even more students, as well as a more flexible framework that responds to changing needs of students today and developments in the delivery of courses, certificates, and degrees.
NPTS students currently enrolled and receiving financial aid will not be affected by the changes in the aid program. Academic scholarships, such as Nyvall Scholarships and Lund Scholarships, will remain as scholarships based on students' academic records. Needs-based grants will be available to students seeking degrees and professional certificates.
Key changes in the new financial aid program include:
opening up Presidential Scholarships to both full- and part-time degree-seeking students preparing for vocational ministry in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC). Scholarship amounts vary, with the most generous scholarships reserved for full-time main campus students.
a new Mosaic Leadership Scholarship to support leaders with multicultural or multiethnic backgrounds seeking degrees. This scholarship may be combined with other scholarship funds, and all qualified students may be considered.
a new Seminary Church Matching Grant Program, in which NPTS will match a church gift toward student tuition of up to $500 per semester.
the Spiritual Direction Cohort Program, in which any student can apply for a needs-based grant or Church Matching Grant. Previously, aid was only available for ECC clergy.
Research into financial aid programs at other similar seminaries has shown that while tuition is very similar across institutions, the NPTS financial aid program "is more generous and comprehensive when compared to other schools," said the Rev. Mark Olson, dean of enrollment and director of church relations, North Park University. "The result is an opportunity for students to study and personally engage with professors with national and even international reputations for exceptional biblical and theological scholarship."
Students, present and past, speak highly of their experiences at NPTS, opportunities they would not have had without generous and meaningful financial aid that benefited them. Vela, a second-year master of divinity student from Arvada, Colo., and McCutchen, now serving as camp director, Frontier Ranch, Mission Springs, Calif., qualified for prestigious Presidential Scholarships at NPTS.
Vela is president of the NPTS student association, and wants to become a youth pastor in a church setting after she completes her degree. "It's important for me to be educated at a school that is so gender-inclusive, and is so empowering of women in ministry. All of my professors are really encouraging and helping me to find my voice as a pastor," she said in an interview. To Vela "financial aid is invaluable" in helping her achieve her career goals.
"This school has a lot to offer. Biblical scholars teach us, and leaders in fields of ministry teach us. (We're) able to have that experience because of financial aid," she added. Her home congregation is Christ Community Covenant Church, Arvada.
McCutchen, a member of Community Covenant Church, Santa Cruz, Calif., earned a master of divinity from NPTS in 2007. "I felt a call to ministry in a broad sense," he said. But high costs at other seminaries made it difficult to for him to think about theological education – until his pastor and his father-in-law, an ECC pastor, both encouraged him to consider NPTS.
While at NPTS, McCutchen worked in University departments and offices as part of the service requirement of his scholarship. Today he is part of an ECC-affiliated program that hosts groups such as science students from local schools during the week, and hosts church groups and provides programs for them on weekends. McCutchen is now hiring college students, preparing Bible study curricula, and recruiting speakers for Frontier Ranch's busy summer program.
NPTS offers generous financial aid to students because of the ECC's financial commitment to the University, and the support of donors, particularly to the seminary annual fund, and endowment-based revenue.
McCutchen said he appreciates the ECC commitment to his seminary education. "I want to stay a part of this denomination. I work with college students, and I've encouraged a lot of them to look into the University and the Seminary," he said.
North Park Theological Seminary is the graduate theological school of North Park University, Chicago, and of the Chicago-based Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).
North Park University to Host Annual Sankta Lucia Pageant December 8
The University's Sankta Lucia pageant features University students in the Scandinavian Studies program, Swedish language program, and students who are from Scandinavian countries.
Washington senior to be 'Sankta Lucia' in University and city pageants
CHICAGO (November 30, 2012) — North Park University senior Eva Larson will play the role of Sankta Lucia, a patron saint of Christian churches, in the University's annual Sankta Lucia pageant at 4:00 pm December 8, in Anderson Chapel. The pageant is a traditional Advent celebration similar to events honoring the saint held in Scandinavian and other European countries.
Following the pageant is a traditional Scandinavian smörgåsbord in Hamming Hall. Both events are sponsored by the University's Center for Scandinavian Studies.
According to legend, Lucia was a young girl who was persecuted for her faith in God, and died a martyr in 304 A.D. She is associated with light in the darkness, and the hospitality of food and drink. The traditional date of the festival of Sankta Lucia is December 13, celebrating light returning to the world on the darkest day of the year, just as her faith brought light to a dark period for early Christians. In pageants, the Sankta Lucia wears a crown with lighted candles, and is accompanied by a court, including "star boys," who carry stars.
Each year, a senior woman in the Scandinavian Studies program is chosen to represent Lucia. Larson, of Vashon Island, Wash., will graduate from the University next month, with a double major in Media Studies and Scandinavian Studies. "Lucia is very close to my heart," she said. "I have been participating in various Lucia pageants since I was in the first grade. I think that it is a really beautiful service and a lot of fun for everyone involved." Larson's home congregation, First Covenant Church, Seattle, hosts a similar event – Julfest – that celebrates ancestors and the Swedish Christmas traditions, and includes a Lucia procession, children's and adult choirs, and Scripture readings, she said.
At the North Park pageant, students in the Scandinavian Studies and Swedish language programs will read the Christmas story in English and Swedish from the Gospel of Luke, tell of Christmas traditions in Scandinavia and here in the United States, and recall the story of Sankta Lucia. Swedish Christmas carols will be sung. Students from Sweden, Norway, and Iceland will also participate. About 400 people are expected to attend.
Tickets for the pageant are $5 per person, $10 per family, and may be purchased in advance or at the door the day of the performance. Tickets for the pageant and smörgåsbord are $15 for adults, and $10 for children under age 12. Tickets must be purchased or reserved in advance online or by calling (773) 244-5592.
Larson will also represent the University in the City of Chicago's Sankta Lucia pageant, December 13 at the Daley Center. That event will include a performance by the North Park University Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Julia Davids, assistant professor and the Stephen J. Hendrickson Endowed Chair in Music, School of Music.
North Park University was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a Christian denomination formed by Swedish immigrants. North Park University is affiliated with the ECC, and maintains a connection to its Swedish and Scandinavian roots through academic programs and other cultural exchanges.
North Park University among Top 50 Midwest Universities in U.S. News and World Report Rankings
North Park University moved up in this year's "Best Colleges" rankings.
University improves ranking, looks forward to Johnson Center groundbreaking
CHICAGO (September 13, 2012) — North Park University is among the top 50 best Midwest regional universities in U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 edition of its annual "Best Colleges" rankings. The University tied four other Midwest schools for 49thamong 112 regional universities, improving its 58th ranking on the magazine’s list in 2011.
"Rankings are helpful for families, and yet they often do not paint the full picture of a university," said Dr. David Parkyn, president of North Park University. "In our case, we are pleased to see North Park move up in the rankings because we believe this reflects a quality institution, and recognizes the significant improvements we continue to make."
On October 26, the University will break ground for construction of the 101,000-square-foot Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, a significant step to enhance academic excellence and student life. "We are excited to develop this new center for science and community life as part of our commitment to a great learning and living environment for our students. This and other improvements continue to show North Park University as a world-class university in a world-class city," Parkyn added.
To evaluate regional universities, U.S. News and World Report applied quality measures such as peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving. Data was collected this spring and summer, the magazine reported. Beginning in 1983, U.S. News and World Report has published annual rankings of colleges and universities nationwide. Nearly 1,400 accredited schools were included in this year's survey.
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. 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.
McKnight said he was honored that his book was recognized by Outreach. "When I was told, I was pleased to hear that someone had the courage to rank my book at the top for books on evangelism, because this book shifts what evangelism means," he said.
"The message of this book is that the standard gospel – 'God loves you, you are sinner, Jesus died for you, respond in faith and you can be reconciled to God and go to heaven when you die' — is not what the New Testament means by 'gospel,' McKnight said. In his book, McKnight focuses on 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul said the gospel is "the Story of Israel coming to completion in the Story of Jesus who is King (Messiah), Lord and the one who saves his people from their sins," he said.
"The 'standard' gospel has created the church as a 'salvation' culture, focusing on who is in and who is out. The second approach creates a gospel culture, one noted by living under Jesus as king," McKnight said.
McKnight joined the University in 1994. He is a New Testament scholar, author, teacher and sought-after speaker. He has authored more than 30 books, including the award-winning The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others, which won the Christianity Today book of the year in 2005 for Christian Living. McKnight also writes a blog titled, "The Jesus Creed."
Outreach gave special recognition to 20 resources in categories that include compassion and justice ministries, missional living, and cross-cultural ministries. The list is published in the magazine’s just-released March/April 2012 issue. About 170 resources published between Nov. 1, 2010, and Oct. 31, 2011, were submitted to Outreach for consideration – the most submissions in the last four years, according to the magazine.
Evangelical Covenant Church News contributed to this report.
'Come to the Manger' Theme of University's December 2 Festival of Lessons and Carols
About 200 musicians, including five University music ensembles and other musicians, are featured in the December 2 Festival of Lessons and Carols at Our Lady of Mercy Church, Chicago.
School of Music ensembles joined by community youth musicians
CHICAGO (November 19, 2012) — Focusing on Advent, Christmas and Epiphany celebrations, North Park University will present A Festival of Lessons and Carols, December 2, at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 4432 N. Troy St., Chicago. The event will begin at 4:00 pm, and features the theme, "Come to the Manger."
The Festival of Lessons and Carols is presented for free by the University. However, because of limited seating, attendees are asked to reserve general admission tickets online. More than 800 people attended in 2011.
Lessons and carols is a worship format first used in the Church of England in the late 1800s. "The celebration of lessons and carols is an ancient tradition shaped by faith-filled Christians over many generations," said Dr. David Parkyn, University president. "The story of Christian faith — from the creation of the world to the birth of savior of the world — is retold as words of Scripture and poetry are read and sung. Coming out of the Christian church in the West, at North Park the Festival of Lessons and Carols is transformed into a wonderful offering of Advent praise and anticipation as the music of many cultures trumpets the birth of Christ."
The festival theme provides attendees an opportunity to focus on the simplicity of the manger and the infant Jesus, said Dr. Julia Davids, assistant professor and the Stephen J. Hendrickson Endowed Chair in Music, School of Music. Lyrics from John Rutter's "Candelight Carol," highlight the theme and its simplicity, she said: "Shepherds and wise men will kneel and adore him, Seraphim round him their vigil will keep; Nations proclaim him their Lord and their Savior, but Mary will hold him and sing him to sleep."
Scripture readings from Genesis, Isaiah, Micah, St. Luke, St. Matthew and St. John will be presented by North Park University students, faculty, and staff, as well as representatives of Our Lady of Mercy Church. Music will be performed by about 200 musicians, including Margaret Martin, University organist, and University musicians in five ensembles:
The musical selections in the service are well written and arranged, and provide something for everyone, Davids said. "The variety of Christmas music for all ensembles is so incredible," she said. "To choose a dozen pieces of music to highlight Christmas Scripture is challenging, because there is so much great music out there."
Musical selections begin with the processional hymn, "O Come All Ye Faithful," followed by Johann Sebastian Bach's "Overture" from Third Orchestral Suite. Throughout the service are well-known pieces such as "Go Tell it on the Mountain," "Ave Maria," "Mary Had a Baby," "Silent Night," and "Joy to the World!," as well as music written by contemporary composers. Vocal pieces will be sung in English and Latin, as well as Spanish selections to be performed by the University Choir, accompanied by harp, marimba and guitar, Davids said.
Preceding the benediction is "The First Nowell," a piece to be performed by combined choirs and orchestras. The selection was arranged by Mack Wilberg, an American composer, arranger and conductor. "This is a stunning piece, with beautiful orchestration, written for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir," Davids added.
The North Park musicians will be joined by professionals, plus student musicians from the YOURS Orchestra at Hibbard Elementary School, Chicago, and the Chicago Children's Choir – Albany Park Division, Davids said. The Chicago Children's Choir will perform a recital at 3:30 p.m. prior to the festival service.
North Park University Graduate Reflects on Journey since Fulbright Award
Rebecca Miller taught English at a school in Indonesia as part of her Fulbright experience.
Rebecca Miller taught English in Indonesia
Editor’s note: Recent North Park University graduates Michelle Wells and Karen Kelly, and faculty member Nnenna Okore, received U.S. Fulbright Awards to teach internationally this year. To see how receiving a scholarship can impact a life in unexpected ways, Stan Friedman of the Covenant News Service spoke with Rebecca Miller, one of the first North Park students to receive the honor.
CHICAGO, IL (July 26, 2012) — North Park University professor of Spanish, Linda Parkyn, a former Fulbright scholar who has guided students through their process of applying for the U.S. Fulbright Awards, told Rebecca Miller that receiving the honor would change the her life forever. Neither woman imagined how true those words would prove to be.
Miller, an honors music major at the University, grew up attending Grace Covenant Church in Clay, N.Y. She wanted to learn more about teaching in a multicultural context, so she applied for the prestigious international scholarship in 2007. After receiving the award, she spent her Fulbright year (August 2008-May 2009) teaching English at a school in an Indonesian city run by one of the world’s largest gold-mining companies.
Several thousand Americans and Indonesians lived in the city and worked at the mine.
Many of the students were children of executives and other top-level workers. Miller was assigned to be the first-ever Fulbright scholar to teach there after being hand-picked by corporate leaders.
Outside the boundaries of the city lay another community that Miller compares to an Old West town, filled with brothels, poverty, acute malnutrition, and high crime. The area has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in Indonesia, Miller says.
The differences between the two communities dismayed Miller. "It was power and wealth next to kids without protein."
Her exposure to abject poverty and the disparity in living conditions was to be the first in a series of events that altered her future. Ever since, she has been on multi-year, multinational journey to medical school.
"I sure didn't see that coming," she says, laughing.
Miller was exposed to even more malnutrition in Papua, Indonesia, as she traveled around parts of the country with an anthropologist and met the Kamoro people, whose primary nutrition came from sago palms that were chopped up and processed into an edible starch. Most of their protein comes from eating live mollusks.
During a vacation break from her work, she traveled to Bangalore, India, with two other Fulbright scholars, one of whom was related to a woman who directed a music school. The woman initially offered Miller an opportunity to teach, but she declined.
Instead, when her Fulbright term was completed, Miller returned to Chicago, where she worked with a nonprofit organization that provided health care on the city’s South Side. She primarily was doing administrative work, however, and realized that was not a future she wanted.
"I decided I wanted to be the person giving services," she says.
That experience also caused her to reflect further on her time of living with North Park associate professor of art Tim Lowly, his wife, and their disabled daughter, Temma, for eight months between graduating and heading to Indonesia. Miller cared for Temma. "The most fulfilling job I've ever had has been working with Temma," she says.
Miller left her job at the clinic to accept an invitation to return to the music school in Bangalore. She gave lessons and directed children’s and adult choirs.
The students thought the only form of Western music was classical, so Miller introduced them to others, including gospel and spirituals. "We actually did a Rollo Dilworth piece," says Miller, referring to the popular former North Park University music professor. "That was exciting."
She also started an early childhood music program for which she wrote the curriculum. The program continues, and Miller says, "That was a highlight of working there."
But Miller again was being exposed to the desperate health needs of people in extreme poverty. She volunteered at a hospital for which she did community outreach. Twice a week, she also observed an obstetrician and pediatrician working at clinics in the slums.
The still small voice that had whispered to her about the possibility of entering medical school grew louder. She knew her future was in medicine.
Asked if she had ever considered medicine as a career before her Fulbright scholarship, Miller declares, "Absolutely not. I would not have arrived at that had I not had those experiences."
Miller hopes to provide primary care for urban underserved populations when she finishes school. She currently attends medical school at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.
North Park University Offers Alumni Grant for Graduate Studies Tuition
Grant applies to students who begin graduate study in fall 2013
CHICAGO (December 26, 2012) – North Park University will offer a 20 percent tuition reduction to undergraduate alumni who enroll in graduate courses, or seek graduate degrees or graduate-level certificates at the University. The tuition grants are available to students who begin coursework for the first time in the fall semester 2013, and can be used for classes students attend in-person or access online.
"This idea aligns with North Park's emphasis on lifelong learning," said Dr. Chris Nicholson, the University's director of graduate admissions. Continuing education, including graduate education, is key for success in many vocations, he said. Nicholson also pointed out that a growing number of the University's graduate programs are available online to alumni living anywhere in the world.
The tuition grants apply only to graduate-level programs, and are available to alumni who do not have other University grants or scholarships to meet the costs of graduate education, Nicholson explained. Some University schools already offer attractive grants to alumni, he said.
The tuition grants to University alumni for graduate study may provide an extra incentive to North Park University graduates considering advanced degrees, said Nate Mouttet, University vice president for enrollment and marketing. "The confidence our alumni had in the faculty as undergraduates is the same kind of confidence they will have in the graduate faculty. We're offering continuation of a great undergraduate experience with more depth at the graduate level," he said.
Author tomgabrysiakPosted on Categories Stories
The board of trustees met Feb. 10-11 at North Park University.
