North Park is in a time of transition, which can be both exciting and daunting, says Dr. Kristine Strand, chair of North Park’s Board of Trustees. “But because we are so well-positioned, we can embrace the coming year and the all-important presidential search, knowing that we will move forward in ways that are new yet well-grounded in our traditions of academic excellence and Christian faith.”
With the guidance of the Board and under the leadership of Interim President Carl Balsam (see page 18), Strand says, “we can assure our entire University community, including our alumni around the world, that we will not lose any time nor any momentum in advancing strategic initiatives for this University. It is our aspiration to be the premier city-centered Christian university. This is what we want and need to be.”
The presidential search process is now underway, led by a recently appointed search committee whose 15 members are drawn from the Board of Trustees and North Park faculty, staff, and students (read more on page 17). “Possibly the most important job in which North Park’s Board of Trustees engages is recommending a president,” says Strand. “We are devoted to fulfilling this important mandate, but we will rely on God’s guidance and the support of the University community. We invite all who value North Park and its role in Christian higher education to join us in prayer for this process.”
On the Trajectory
During the next year, Strand outlines, Interim President Balsam, the Board, and the senior leadership team will work together to fulfill the University’s new strategic aspiration affirmed in May 2016: North Park University will be distinguished as the nation’s leading city-centered Christian university during the coming decade and beyond (see North Parker Winter 2017, pages 18–23).
Within this strategic context, says Strand, the University will:
- Be differentiated by adopting the city as our place of learning and service.
- Educate students from diverse backgrounds.
- Practice Christian hospitality with students of all faith traditions while affirming our longstanding commitment to Christ.
A “true servant leader,” Balsam is committed to the University’s “forward-thinking strategy,” she says, and will continue to focus on areas identified by the Board in the University’s strategic plan:
- Enrollment: Annually achieving strategic recruitment and retention targets.
- Institutional Reputation: Increasing visibility as a Christian university offering the nation’s leading city-centered educational program.
- Student Learning and Engagement: Leveraging the city as a place of learning for both in-class and out-of-class programs.
- Student Access and Success: Supporting programs that foster engaged learning experiences and maximize student achievement.
- Faith Journey: Nurturing spiritual growth for all students, faculty, and staff.
- Partnerships: Forging strategic, collaborative, and mutual relationships with external partners.
- Resources: Stewarding our resources—financial, faculty and staff, technological, and physical—to support the educational needs of students.
During this transition year, the Board has asked that particular attention be given to enrollment management, fiscal management (balancing the budget), strengthening our partnership with the Evangelical Covenant Church with the goal of recruiting more Covenant students, implementing the University’s new city-centered curriculum (Catalyst 606_ _) and the inaugural living-learning discipleship cohort (CRUX), developing new net-revenue-producing programs (especially those in the health sciences), and completing some significant campus development projects, most notably upgrades to the Holmgren Athletic Complex and the complete interior renovation of Hanson Hall (see page 23), which houses the core of the University’s music program.
Interim President Balsam is the “ideal choice to lead us from Dr. Parkyn’s important work and into the next era for North Park under our future leader. What we will never lose sight of,” she affirms, “is our mission to prepare students for lives of significance and service. This is our history and it will be our future.”
New Search Committee Leads Presidential Search Process
The Board of Trustees of North Park University has established a broadly constituted search committee that is charged with recommending to the Board a successor to Dr. David L. Parkyn.
According to North Park’s bylaws, the new President will be recommended by the Board of Trustees for approval by the Executive Board of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Final approval takes place at the ECC’s Annual Meeting, which will next convene in June 2018, the aim for announcing the next permanent president.
The 15-person committee includes nine members of the Board of Trustees, two of whom serve ex officio, and six members of the campus community: two students, three faculty members, and a representative of staff and administrative employees.
The committee chair is Owen R. Youngman, professor and chair in digital media strategy, Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University; he first joined the Board of Trustees in 2008. “This is a key moment both in North Park’s history and for its future,” says Youngman. “We are seeking a leader who will share our aspiration to see North Park become the nation’s leading city-centered Christian university and who can lead its faculty, students, staff, and alumni to achieve that goal together.” Past searches that Youngman has chaired include those for the Evangelical Covenant Church’s executive director of communications; faculty at Northwestern’s Medill School; and the senior pastor at Libertyville (Illinois) Covenant Church.
Youngman says the search committee will lead an open and transparent process in order to engage the entire University community:
- Interested constituents can share recommendations, ideas, and other thoughts about the University and about the search at:
presidentialsearch@northpark.edu. - Regular communications about the committee’s work will be published both offline and online at: www.northpark.edu/presidentialsearch
- Committee members will also hold town hall–style meetings on campus over the balance of this calendar year.
“We look forward to receiving broad input at all stages of the process as we move forward with God’s grace and guidance,” says Youngman.
Members of the search committee include the following from the Board of
- Kristine Strand, chair of the North Park Board of Trustees (serving ex officio); associate professor (retired), department of speech, language, and hearing sciences, Boston University; senior speech-language pathologist and literacy specialist, Learning Disabilities Program, Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital
- Gary Walter, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church (serving ex officio)
- Peggy Bley, certified public accountant, San Francisco
- Rebekah Eklund, assistant professor of theology, Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore
- D. Darrell Griffin, pastor, Oakdale Covenant Church, Chicago
- David Helwig, president and West Region CEO (retired), WellPoint, Inc., Plymouth, Calif.
- Karen Meyer, vice president, sales and partnerships, Welltok, Inc., Denver
- David Otfinoski, president, Catamount Medical Information, LLC, Chester, Conn.
Members of the campus community include:
- Alyssa Anderson, assistant professor of athletic training
- Roby Geevarghese, major gift officer, Office of Advancement
- Mackenzie Mahon, incoming president of the Seminary Student Association
- Angela Nevoso, president of the undergraduate Student Government Association
- Jonathan Peterson, professor of politics and government, and chair of the North Park Faculty Senate
- Elizabeth Pierre, assistant professor in both the Seminary and School of Professional Studies
Interim President Carl Balsam: Committed to Advancing North Park’s Mission
As North Park University undertakes a presidential search in the 2017–2018 academic year, Executive Vice President Carl Balsam has been approved by the Board of Trustees to serve in the interim with “all rights and responsibilities as president,” says Board Chair Kristine Strand.
“The Board is grateful to Carl for agreeing to continue his deep dedication to the University to serve as president, beginning July 1. Because Carl has so generously stepped up to serve, we will benefit from his decades of experience and his steadfast commitment to North Park’s mission. Under his leadership we will continue to move forward with our goals and aspirations during this transition period,” says Strand.
Balsam joined North Park nearly 30 years ago. Since 1988, as EVP and Chief Financial Officer, he has managed North Park’s annual budget and finances and has overseen the University’s endowment, continuing its strategic growth to a current value of $75 million.
Among the “most exciting and most enjoyable parts” of his job, says Balsam, has been directing architectural planning for significant additions to campus, including Anderson Chapel, Brandel Library, Helwig Recreation Center, and the Holmgren Athletic Complex, as well as development of the campus green space and campus frontage landscaping.
Campus development initiatives were aided by negotiating a special “planned development” zoning designation with the City of Chicago and vacating Spaulding and Christiana Avenues where they intersect University property. Other work with the City of Chicago has included partnership agreements with the Chicago Park District to create shared facilities for University soccer/track and tennis teams at River Park and shared use of a new boathouse at Clark Park for the women’s rowing team.
Balsam was instrumental in leading the design and construction of the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, envisioning its “integration of cutting-edge learning with gathering spaces to promote interaction and collaboration” and ensuring its commitment to creation care and environmental stewardship. Opened in 2014, the Johnson Center was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Balsam has committed three-and-a-half decades of professional life to Christian higher education. Prior to North Park, Balsam also served six years at Barrington College, Barrington, R.I. He holds a BS in Engineering Science from Pennsylvania State University; Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; and an MBA from the University of Rhode Island. Carl also serves on the Board of Directors for Covenant Trust Company.
Carl and his wife Barbara are parents to two North Park alumni: Aaron C’98 and
Ashley C’02.