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.
After 125 years, we’ve learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don’t see what you’re looking for on our website, please contact us directly!
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.
High School Visit Day is a great way to get a jump-start on your college search. Designed specifically for current high school sophomores, juniors, and their families. This is a great opportunity to discover North Park and see if it is the right fit for you.
Highlights:
-Explore our campus oasis on a tour led by North Park students
-Get all your questions answered about the college admissions process and financial aid
-Eat in our dining hall and get a glimpse of what life looks like as a Viking
Viking Preview Days offer you a firsthand taste of the North Park University experience by allowing you to connect with our community and learn about our vibrant student life. Viking Preview Days are an ideal opportunity for students to take the next step in their college journey and discover what makes North Park special.
Highlights:
-Attend “Coffee with Coaches” and learn more about Viking Athletics (optional)
-Explore our campus oasis on a tour led by North Park students
-Get all your questions answered about your admissions application and financial aid
Viking Preview Days offer you a firsthand taste of the North Park University experience by allowing you to connect with our community and learn about our vibrant student life. Viking Preview Days are an ideal opportunity for students to take the next step in their college journey and discover what makes North Park special.
Highlights:
-Attend “Coffee with Coaches” and learn more about Viking Athletics (optional)
-Are you a first-generation college student? Attend a session designed just for you! (optional)
-Connect with faculty from your intended major
-Explore our campus oasis on a tour led by North Park students
-Get all your questions answered about your admissions application and financial aid
Viking Preview Days offers you a firsthand taste of the North Park University experience by allowing you to connect with our community and learn about our vibrant student life. Viking Preview Days are an ideal opportunity for students to take the next step in their college journey and discover what makes North Park special.
Highlights:
-Attend “Coffee with Coaches” and learn more about Viking Athletics (optional)
-Are you a first-generation college student? Attend a session designed just for you!
-Connect with faculty from your intended major
-Explore our campus oasis on a tour led by North Park students
-Get all your questions answered about your admissions application and financial aid
North Park University launches Center for Civic Engagement.
North Park University has launched the Center for Civic Engagement, an outgrowth of its Catalyst 606 program in which the university’s faculty and students will work with community leaders to strengthen the important work they’re doing in Chicago’s neighborhoods. As part of the initiative, North Park will also offer a Public Policy major beginning in fall 2023.
“The main idea is to build more of a city-centered ethos on campus, and to augment North Park’s commitment to the just flourishing of cities by honoring the work that is going on in neighborhoods,” said Richard Kohng, assistant vice president for the Center of Civic Engagement.
The center enacts this mission through four core divisions: the Catalyst Hub; the Community Assets and Program Evaluation Consortium; the Community Development Hub; and through public policy engagement.
“The Center for Civic Engagement elevates North Park’s unique distinctives as a Christian, city-centered, intercultural university,” North Park President Mary K. Surridge said. “Faculty and students learning and working alongside community leaders across Chicago is yet another example of North Park living into its mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.”
As part of the center, faculty will provide their specialized expertise to community groups for a reduced fee. For instance, Assistant Professor of Psychology Amy Governale will provide at-cost guidance on program development for organizations that lack the resources to do so themselves.
“A lot of locally led groups don’t see the money they should from grants or philanthropy,” Kohng said. “This will help level the playing field.”
Students will be involved as well, via the Catalyst Hub. Since 2017, students have participated in a designated civic engagement block every Wednesday afternoon. The schedule allows immersive learning experiences to be incorporated into classes across the curriculum, Kohng said.
Building on Catalyst’s success, the new program will incorporate a consortium that allows students to work on real-time projects that benefit community groups. For example, a business class might work on a marketing campaign for a fundraising drive, or a math class could analyze data related to program participants.
The center will be led by a board of community leaders from across the city, and with the guidance of partner Transform Capital—a nonprofit lending initiative cofounded by Paul Hawkinson, a professor in North Park’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management.
Through the cross-disciplinary lenses of history and science, Professor and Lecturer in History Peter Olfelt and Associate Professor of Biology Drew Rholl, shared their expertise to offer an innovative curriculum teaching North Park students about pandemics.
Through the cross-disciplinary lenses of history and science, Professor and Lecturer in History Peter Olfelt and Associate Professor of Biology Drew Rholl, shared their expertise to offer an innovative curriculum teaching North Park students about pandemics.
Professor Olfelt teaches a hybrid class called Pandemics in History, where he juxtaposes three historical periods in the context of pandemics including the plague pandemics, the 1918 influenza outbreak, and AIDS. Students learn how pandemics have been perceived differently in these historical periods as well as the short-term and long-term effects the diseases have had on our society and culture.
Peter Olfelt, Professor and Lecturer in History
In the sciences, Dr. Rholl teaches about microbes, how they grow, and how they affect the human body in his online course, Advanced Topics in Biology: Pandemics. With a specialized focus on the spread of diseases, the course explores the nature of organisms that cause disease, what different diseases look like, how they can be treated, and how the body is working.
Although the classes are not synchronous, students engage with both the history and science perspectives through shared video presentations. “The courses were designed to leverage the experience of each group so they could build off of each other,” said Dr. Rholl.
Integrated into the curriculum is the biology of the disease and its history. “To really dig into the nature of the disease, where it comes from, how it spreads, and the various strains of it, I find that that has made my classes even better,” said Professor Olfelt.
As a smaller environment, North Park’s close-knit community fosters cross-departmental relationships and collaboration among faculty and students. “Sometimes when we’re siloed in our own fields, we suffer from blind spots, which basically means that as a microbiologist I don’t know what history instructors don’t know. By having a conversation, we can identify those questions and have a much more effective transfer of ideas,” said Dr. Rholl.
Professor Olfelt says students are responding well to the collaborative curriculum, and it has boosted student engagement. “When we’re studying various diseases and looking at newspaper articles or papers, it’s easy to engage the class with how this relates to their own personal experience,” says Professor Olfelt, who’s excited to be teaching at this particular moment in time.
Thanks to the collaboration between Professor Olfelt and Dr. Rholl, these innovative courses are creating additional learning opportunities for students to make connections between the classroom and real-world experiences.
Edson draws many parallels between academic discipline and gaming discipline. “You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to get better, otherwise, you won’t become good. You have to practice every day, you have to compete against other good players.”
Edson Lopez, a Business Management major, will graduate from North Park in May of 2020. Edson is also a Top 500 player in Fortnite. Fortnite is an online video game based on the Battle-Royale format. Players scavenge for loot and build structures until the last man standing. Fortnite has around 250 million registered users worldwide. Edson clocked over 1,000 hours of Fortnite last year on his PS4 alone. He has since moved to playing on PC and plays competitively.
To Edson, video games such as Fortnite are just like any other sport, “it’s just a passion. Gaming is one of those things where I just lose sense of time. I have a lot of fun, and it is something I would like to make a living off of.” For Edson, a career in gaming is becoming a reality. He is already signed on a contract with esports organization Bolt Esports LLC. “The organization chose me for placing well in events and I have proven that I can compete against some of the best players in the world,” Edson says. He hopes to improve and sign with larger organizations; his ultimate goal is to sign with 100 Thieves.
Edson draws many parallels between athletic or academic discipline and gaming discipline. “You have to be willing to put in the time and effort to get better, otherwise, you won’t become good. You have to practice every day, you have to compete against other good players,” he says. Communication and networking are other important aspects to gaming Edson says. Networking with other streamers and players has helped him grow his channels and bolster his online presence.
Edson attributes some of this success to North Park’s School of Business. He cites his professors who intentionally made personal connections with him. They have taught Edson how to communicate and market himself, and have shown him the numbers behind business. Edson says this guidance and learning has “translated over to the gaming side because communication and marketing myself has helped me grow my Twitch (streaming channel), and helped me make new friends and connections with people.” He adds, “I have learned the things I should and shouldn’t do as a professional. Gaming is more serious than many people think.”
Edson is also excited to join the gaming industry in other ways. Esports organizations are similar to other businesses, with a product to sell and talent to acquire. “Scouting would allow me to play the game more casually. The School of Business has really taught me how to communicate, and working as a scout involves a lot of interpersonal skills, so I feel like that would be a good fit for me.”
Last month, Edson and his Duo placed 43rd in a Fortnite tournament in one of the toughest regions in the world: North America East. Edson is currently competing in the Fortnite World Cup qualifiers in Solo and Duo categories. Each weekend, Edson has qualified for finals and has won cash prizes. The Fortnite World Cup has a total prize pool of $30 million.
To follow Edson’s gaming escapades, find him on Twitter or Twitch @PotentFN.
Program Director Andrew Lundgren talks about the career opportunities and advantages of North Park’s athletic training program.
Andrew Lundgren: Athletic Training Program Director and Associate Professor
What kinds of career opportunities can the athletic training program offer?
Athletic trainers are health care professionals who are experts in the prevention, examination, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of injuries and other medical conditions. Our graduates find employment in a variety of settings including secondary schools, colleges, professional sports, industrial settings, and physician/sports medicine clinics.
A degree in athletic training can also help prepare students for other health care programs like physical therapy, occupational therapy, or physician assistant studies. Other graduates pursue health-care related professions such as orthopedic technology or medical sales.
What type of student is a good candidate for the program?
Students with strong interpersonal skills who are interested in science, medicine, and working with active populations typically thrive in athletic training. Since each day in the field is different, it is important that athletic trainers are flexible and can adapt.
How does North Park’s athletic training program stand out?
As the only CAATE-accredited athletic training program in Chicago’s city limits, our students have access to a host of learning opportunities and are afforded a diverse array of locations for clinical education. Through these clinical placements, students gain hands-on experiences while learning from professionals in the field. Students gain additional experience as members of the medical team at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Shamrock Shuffle. Finally, our growing network of alumni remains actively involved in the program. Many alumni help to educate the next generation of students by serving as guest speakers, preceptors, and mentors. Supported by these unique opportunities and our network of alumni and friends, North Park’s athletic training programs are well-established within and outside Chicagoland.
Organized by the Undergraduate Research Committee, 25 students present original research at North Park’s 12th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.
North Park students, faculty, advisors, and family gathered May 2 at the Johnson Center for the 12th annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Organized by the Undergraduate Research Committee, the 25 student presenters first submitted an abstract to the committee for entrance into the symposium.
“Most of these student scholars conduct their research in their Directed Research course throughout the academic year,” said Dr. Yoojin Choi, chair of the committee. “Students really learn best when doing authentic inquiry,” added Dr. Choi.
As part of the Directed Research course and/or independent studies coursework, the research topics represented students majoring in biology, psychology, exercise science, physics and engineering, nursing, philosophy, environmental science, English, chemistry, and biochemistry.
Eleanor Manning
“This is the best learning experience I’ve had at North Park because we can apply what we’ve learned,” said Eleanor Manning, a physics and engineering major. She credits her understanding of the mechanics of prosthetics to participating in undergraduate Directed Research coursework.
“Conducting research projects is the best way to learn research and it allows our top students to shine,” said Provost Michael O. Emerson.
Exercise science major Victoria Pudussery expressed her gratitude for her learning experience.
“I now have perspective on how large research is and am fortunate to learn the research process as an undergrad,” said Pudussery. Post-graduation, Pudussery will pursue a degree in physical therapy at Northwestern University.
Victoria Pudusserey
Students displayed the practical, career-building skills they acquired at North Park via media such as charts and graphs. Physics and engineering senior Kristina Lundeen illustrated an analysis of wind in her presentation of Improving a Pedestrian Comfort Model for Arbitrary Geometries. Nursing student Aisha Badla presented statistical reporting and data analysis that answered Does Breastfeeding a Neonate Improve Oxygen Saturation Levels Without Any Other Intervention?
Spending hours in North Park’s Brandel Library conducting in-depth research, the participants further developed their critical thinking, case study reading, oral presentation, and confidence in fielding questions from the audience.
“The Undergraduate Research Symposium is a magnificent spotlight on what is great about a North Park education,” said Provost Emerson.
“Most grad schools require research experience in the undergrad years and having the Research Symposium on your CV is very good,” said Dr. Choi. The CV credential is a bonus—but even more, these students displayed true to North Park form their appreciation for research, gratitude to their mentors, and exceptional work ethic.
Acknowledgments
The Undergraduate Research Symposium wishes to thank the students and faculty mentors for their efforts at creating original works of knowledge. This year’s Undergraduate Research Committee consisted of Professors Yoojin Choi, Gianfranco Farruggia, You-Seong Kim, Suzen Moeller, Rachel Schmale, Sarah Thorngate, and Joel Willitts. Special thanks to Brandel Library, Provost Emerson, and Interim President Balsam for their support and for underwriting the cost of the symposium.
North Park Senior Renee Baker is nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship after completing an internship with NASA.
North Park Senior Renee Baker has been nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship, an honor bestowed upon an outstanding natural science major at one of the six colleges recognized by the Swedish Council of America as a Swedish Heritage College. North Park is recognized as such an institution because of its active connection with modern Scandinavia, via its language studies and academic exchange programs.
“I’m so incredibly honored to be nominated for this scholarship,” said Baker, an environmental science major, of the award named for the famed Swedish chemist.
She’s certainly worthy: while many college kids spend their break on the beach or working a part-time job, Baker was doing test flights with NASA. Last summer, Baker spent two months in California interning with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, tagging along on plane rides, collecting atmospheric data and learning how various instruments worked.
The Carol Stream, Illinois native actually applied for the NASA internship on something of a whim. “I honestly just got an email from [chemistry professor] Dr. Rienstra-Kiracofe, and I applied because, why not?” Baker says. Rienstra-Kiracofe provided a letter of recommendation, and the next thing Baker knew, she was on her way to Irvine, Ca.
In addition to the flying experience, Baker spent several weeks on campus at the University of California, Irvine, where she learned how to use tools to perform remote sensing and took a trip to the Jet Propulsion Lab. At the end of the internship, she and her group presented to a group of NASA employees and fellow students.
Ultimately, Baker, a physics minor, plans to pursue a career in alternative energy and biomimicry engineering, a field of science that seeks sustainable solutions to human-generated problems by copying patterns in nature. For instance, scientists who specialize in biomimicry are testing new plumbing and electric systems that mimic the branch-like structure of trees and leaves, as they may be more efficient than pipes positioned at right angles.
Baker will find out in March if she has won the coveted Seaborg prize, which includes airfare to Sweden, a living stipend, and participation in December’s Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar, a weeklong series of events arranged in connection with Nobel Peace Prize activities.
North Park Senior Renee Baker has been nominated for the prestigious Glenn T. Seaborg Science Scholarship, an honor bestowed upon an outstanding natural science major at one of the six colleges recognized by the Swedish Council of America as a Swedish Heritage College. North Park is recognized as such an institution because of its active connection with modern Scandinavia, via its language studies and academic exchange programs.