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.
On #NPUBlueandGoldDay we invite the entire North Park community to Wear It. Give It. Share It. all in support of student scholarships and the University we love!
Here is how you can be a part of #NPUBlueandGoldDay:
WEAR IT! Show your North Park pride by wearing blue and gold. GIVE IT! Make a gift to the North Park Fund in support of our students. SHARE IT! Post on social media using #NPUBlueandGoldDay.
We look forward to celebrating #NPUBlueandGoldDay with you on May 3 and please encourage your North Park friends and family to join us on this special day.
North Park University held a candlelight vigil on the steps of Old Main on February 20, 2017.
President Parkyn welcomed students, faculty, staff, and the public to a candlelight vigil on February 20, 2017, called “Hope Has a Home Here.” Held in response to the travel ban issued several weeks previously by President Trump, the vigil tapped into the movement “Hate Has No Home Here,” created by a North Park alumnus.
Candles were lit starting from the center candle, and the light moved through the crowd, each person giving light to the next. A series of litanies were performed by students and faculty, led by Professor Boaz Johnson and Student Body President Steve Smrt, with an audience response of “Hate has no home here” and “Hope has a home here.”
“We remember,” said Faith and Justice leader Jorie Dybcio, “our own immigrant origins, and the origin of North Park University as a Christian institution that, from the beginning of its existence, has sought to empower and give voice to all.”
“Hope has a home here!” the audience responded.
Dr. Helen Hudgens performed a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine” substituting some of the lyrics to reflect the current events, such as the DREAMers act, and calling out prominent political figures, letting them know that her light will continue to shine. This was followed by a multi-lingual reading—including in English, Spanish, German, Korean, Afrikaans—of Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (NIV).
Although the night was windy, and multiple candles were blown out, there was always someone nearby to share their light. It characterized the attitude of those who attended: they were there to help re-light the candle that had been snuffed out in others’ lives.
“The Hope Candlelight Vigil was an attempt for us to follow the teaching and example of Christ, to love our neighbor—the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the Samaritan. . . . My hope and prayer is that we’ll continue to be a community which keeps doing this. In doing so, we will be more like Jesus, and truly a Christian community,” said Dr. Boaz Johnson.
Michelle Dodson C’03, biblical and theological studies alumna, shares why she chose North Park.
Michelle Dodson C’03, biblical and theological studies alumna, shares why she chose North Park.
As a high school student, Michelle chose to come to North Park University because she was looking for a Christian liberal arts university that was small enough for her to get to know people. “I was attending a Covenant church in California at the time,” she says, “and my pastor suggested I apply to North Park.”
As it turned out, North Park was a great fit for Michelle. “The relationships that I built at North Park are what I enjoyed the most,” she says. “I have had the privilege of doing life and ministry with many of those people to this day.”
What’s more, she says, Michelle’s experience inside and outside of the classroom as a biblical and theological studies major helped prepare her professionally for the work she does in ministry today. “North Park was a great training ground for what I do,” she says. “It was as a student there that I got my first experiences leading in the areas of racial righteousness.” Serving in campus ministry and engaging with college diversity “helped me develop a theology of racial reconciliation. It also gave me opportunities to learn how to communicate that theology.”
Michelle serves as associate pastor of New Community Covenant Church in Bronzeville, a neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side. She describes New Community as “an intentionally multiracial congregation that actively pursues racial reconciliation and social justice.” She’s currently working toward a PhD in sociology with a focus on multiracial congregations.
Tim Ahlberg C’13, a business and economics alumnus, shares why he chose North Park.
Tim Ahlberg C’13, a business and economics alumnus, shares why he chose North Park.
Tim chose to attend North Park because he wanted to be in a big city, but at a college that felt personal. “I wanted to have relationships with my professors and mentors, and to live in a close-knit community where I could get to know other students from all different backgrounds,” he says. “And coming from a Covenant Church family, I knew I wanted to attend a Christian school, to be surrounded by others that shared my faith and would help me build and sustain my own faith throughout my formative college years.”
Maybe most important, Tim wanted a college environment that placed focus not just on finding a career, but living a life of significance and service. When he came to North Park, he got that environment—not only in the classroom, but in experiences around the campus and city. “There’s really nothing else like the community there that I’ve experienced before or after North Park. Students and faculty really all-in for your success, both personal and professional.”
He loved taking part in Chapel and College life services; was voted president of the student body; served with homeless ministries; and was captain of the men’s soccer team his senior year, being named an Academic All-American. “North Park is such a personal university that, no matter your area of study, your background, or your future pursuits, the entire campus feels like one community that exists because of and for each other,” Tim says. “I met amazing people who were so different than I was, and we learned so much from each others’ experiences and life stories.”
A business and economics major with a concentration in accounting and a minor in Spanish, Tim got to know his faculty members in North Park’s small class sizes. They encouraged him to study abroad in Guanajuato, Mexico, where he became fluent in Spanish. In his senior year, Tim received a Fulbright Binational Business Exchange Grant, which allowed him to complete a business internship and take MBA classes in in Mexico City. “None of this would have been possible without the support of the faculty and staff of North Park,” he says.
“By the time I started my full-time job in the United States, I was not only prepared with specific business acumen and skills gained through curriculum, but armed with a global perspective and bilingual capabilities that really set me apart in today’s competitive workforce,” Tim says.
As an assurance associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, he focuses on accounting solutions and business operations improvements. “This includes traveling to business all over the country, and to Mexico, where I have been able to use my fluency in Spanish. I feel like North Park has prepared me beyond my peers for entering the global workforce.”
Alumna Jacqueline Strapp began as director of diversity this fall
CHICAGO (October 24, 2016) — In an effort to better serve its intercultural campus community, North Park University launched its strategic new Diversity Team this academic year. Consisting of University Dean Dr. Liza Ann Acosta, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement Dr. Barrington Price, Director of Diversity Jacqueline Strapp, and Director of the International Office Dr. Sumie Song, the team will focus on student success and recruitment, as well as retention of diverse students and faculty.
Strapp, who joined the staff this fall, is a 2008 North Park graduate. Her return to campus follows the appointment of Acosta as University dean and the creation of Price’s new role over the summer.
Acosta works with deans across campus to create strategies for faculty development and diversification, while Price, formerly the director of student success, provides leadership for students to effectively navigate college transition and establish clear pathways to graduation. Song will now also guide global campus conversations within the context of the diversity team.
Strapp calls the University’s approach to diversity programming “cutting-edge.” Here, she shares her thoughts on what compelled her to return to North Park, how the Office of Diversity is expanding its initiatives, and how their work addresses everyone on campus.
North Park:What made you want to return to North Park as a staff member?
Jacqueline Strapp: Having the chance to come back to North Park and really make some changes that I wish were being done for me when I was a student was an amazing opportunity. So I jumped at the chance to do that. I worked for some great institutions before I came here, but nothing can compare to being back where you started everything. I have a vested interest in North Park.
NP: What are some of the new initiatives that the Office of Diversity will be pursuing?
JS: We’re going to have a real focus on student success. It’s something that’s worked very well for the COMPASS program, helping students get integrated into college life and providing them with success counselors. So we’re going to emulate a lot of those practices. My background is in student success, making sure we’re increasing retention rates, specifically with students who are of minority status. So that’s really going to be helpful for us.
We also want to talk about topics that maybe have been avoided in the past on campus. What I’m hearing from students in conversations and from the administration is that we’re in a climate where we can’t ignore things anymore, we can’t talk around it.
NP: What are some of the sponsored talks you’re hosting?
JS: We’re going to hit things head-on, and we’re going to do things like talk about Black Lives Matter; immigration; “Race and Politics,” an event we just held, focused on some of the racial tensions that have been expanding in our country, and what that means for students.
This relates to student success because it’s very difficult for students to be successful with a lot of these things playing in the backdrops of their mind. You can’t separate a successful student from their experience—it goes together. So we’re addressing these issues and giving students places to talk about them safely.
We’re going to make sure we have a wide spectrum of views, and give students a chance to voice things that they’re thinking about. The process of letting people hear from others that are different from them, and becoming informed on things that maybe they weren’t before, is going to be huge. So this is going to play out on our campus in a lot of different areas.
NP: How does the work of the Diversity Team differ from how we’ve approached these issues in the past?
JS: The Division of Student Engagement has been really intentional in making sure we’re giving focus to each one of the areas represented on the team, whereas before, it’s largely fallen only to the Office of Diversity. So now with me specifically focusing on students, Barrington expanding his programs, Dr. Acosta focusing on faculty and staff, and Sumie focusing on the greater global picture, I feel like we have a dream team. I’m excited about the role we’re going to play on campus, making sure that we’re keeping leadership informed about things that are happening, how what’s going on in the world is impacting our students, and the changes that they want to make.
We’re going to start off by making sure our approach is data-driven. We’re going to conduct focus groups, including a climate survey for diversity across the entire campus, and we’re going to use the results from these focus groups and surveys to influence what we’re going to tackle first.
NP: How does Dr. Price’s work in student success within Student Engagement interact with yours within the Office of Diversity?
JS: Barrington has done great work with the COMPASS program, and working withLighthouse and those cohort models. So our future-thinking is that we’re going to implement some cohorts and expand on what has already been done in COMPASS. They’ve done a great job of mentoring students—minority students, specifically—and encouraging their retention at North Park. I looked at the data and said, “Whoa. We’re going to have to emulate this elsewhere.”
The Office of Diversity is under Student Engagement, and we’re going to be more intentional about making sure that our efforts are the same. We’re going to expand programming, and some of them will be working directly with me.
The Diversity Team is about focusing our positions, and zooming in on these specific things. That’s the difference that I love about this job. When I first heard about it, I thought, “Wow, that’s very intentional.” It’s cutting-edge for an institution to even take the time to change the structure and think strategically in this way.
NP: What are some of the ways that work will be expanded?
JS: We’re not just focusing on creating groups and places of community for individuals of minority backgrounds, but we’re also focusing on educating students that are outside of the minority status on issues and sensitivities that they need to have in order for them to be successful as whatever they plan to do in the world. They have to learn how to work with people of diverse backgrounds.
So that’s something else that’s going to be very intentionally targeted. Our events will not just be for minority students, although we do still have those. We’re going to be intentional about addressing the entire campus.
Chef returns to North Park for 125th Anniversary Alumni Panel
CHICAGO (October 3, 2016) — As a North Park University undergraduate student, Shanna Horner O’Hea had no idea that her major in art and minor in marketing would eventually lead her to competing in TV cooking shows. But while her career has taken an unexpected path, she’s always been driven by a pursuit of creative work.
“My connection with food is very related to art,” O’Hea, a 1994 North Park graduate, said. “Instead of using a paintbrush, I’m using food as my palate.”
Today, O’Hea and her husband, Brian, co-own the Kennebunk Inn and Academe restaurant in Kennebunk, Maine. Academe gained national notoriety when O’Hea’s lobster potpie dish was featured on the Food Network series The Best Thing I Ever Ate and her lobster white pizza made O magazine’s O List. Since then, she has competed on the shows Chopped, Rewrapped, and Beat Bobby Flay.
When she recently returned to campus for the University’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, she spoke at an Alumni Panel session about her experiences as a chef while performing a live cooking demonstration, then distributed toasted s’mores to the audience. “Education is in my bones,” said O’Hea, daughter of former North Park president Dr. David Horner. “My desire to continue to learn is something I absolutely got at North Park.”
We spoke with O’Hea about how staying true to herself led to a career she loved, the ways in which her small seaside town is like North Park, and “the dance” of a kitchen running smoothly.
North Park: How did your time at North Park prepare you for what you do now?
Shanna Horner O’Hea: North Park provided great structure and accountability for me. It’s the first time in your life when you’re really making personal decisions that have consequences. I think that structure reflects my job now because I feel accountable for employees, our reputation, inspiring staff to give it their all.
I also felt a great deal of community in a large city at North Park, which is something rather special about the campus and the people that encompass it. I made lifelong friends at North Park, and I think this feeling of a small community in an interesting area led me to Kennebunk. My job as an innkeeper and chef introduces me to Maine locals, international and domestic tourists, and interns. I love the cultural diversity that this small seaside town can provide, which mirrors my feelings while attending North Park.
NP: Was there a specific moment or experience at North Park that helped kick off the trajectory of your career?
O’Hea: I truly did not understand my direct connection to becoming a chef while at North Park, but I did have an “aha” moment of the importance of pursuing a career in something you love. As a freshman, I started with an art focus because I always loved to create. But I got a little self-conscious with the first classes and wondered if I was good enough to pursue this path. I also fell under some peer pressure of “what kind of job are you going to get after college as an art major?”
I then decided to pursue business and marketing for that post-college job. Although I enjoyed the marketing classes—and the free candy and inspirational videos the instructor had us watch—economics was certainly not my thing. I eventually went back to the arts with encouragement from my mother about truly enjoying my time in college and doing what made me happy. She was right with the advice that keeping true to yourself would lead to a career that I loved.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the dining scene in Chicago. I certainly think going out to eat in such a live culinary city help guide me to becoming a chef.
NP: You mentioned that your connection to food is related to your passion for art. Could you tell us more about that relationship?
O’Hea: Art is about creating and evoking feelings on many levels; this is also true of dining. As a chef, I am constantly creating dishes and recipes by paying attention to colors, textures, temperatures, plating, beverage pairings, and of course, selling it to the customer. Food can make you happy, provide memories, give you comfort—it makes you feel, just like art.
There is also a sense of magic in the kitchen when we are working the line. They call it “the dance.” This happens when a team has worked together for a while, and the timing of courses and expediting is on point. It feels amazing when it happens. It is what keeps me cooking; that adrenaline push when you do a great night of service is wonderful. And finally, some dining experiences can be like going to the theater—and can cost even more. But I love it, on every culinary level.
NP: Do you have a favorite North Park memory?
O’Hea: One of my favorite memories was our art Senior Show. I volunteered to be responsible for the food, which, given my passion for hospitality and culinary arts now, seems rather appropriate. I remember being just as excited about showcasing my art projects as I was about the menu-planning and execution of the show. Another example of the arts and the culinary intersecting.
CHICAGO (September 27, 2016) — Generations of North Park alumni returned to campus over the weekend to celebrate the University’s 125th Anniversary and to share in Homecoming 2016 festivities.
There were several Homecoming highlights, including an alumni art exhibit, the River Run 5K, and Homecoming Fest. Alumni were also treated to home games from both soccer teams, including a men’s 2-1 victory over conference rivals Carroll University, and a 2-2 tie against Carroll by the women’s team.
At Homecoming Brunch, all past Distinguished Alumni Award recipients were invited to celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s designees. Four alumni were honored for their contributions to the North Park community and for leading lives of significance and service, exemplifying the University’s mission:
Theodore Ernst A’51 C’54, U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame inductee, Distinguished Academy Alumnus
Dr. Janice Phillips C’76, director of government and regulatory affairs for CGFNS International, Distinguished University Alumna
Mary Helwig C’06, one of just over 115 women to finish the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Distinguished Young Alumna
Joanna (Ericson) Kanakis C’06, vice president and account executive at Societe Generale Americas Securities LLC, Distinguished Young Alumna
125th Anniversary Celebration
On Friday of Homecoming weekend, alumni, families, students, faculty, and staff came together to honor North Park’s 125-year legacy and to celebrate its future with events throughout the day.
A history and heritage exhibit, Cultivating Great Intellects & Great Hearts: North Park University’s Quasquicentennial, traced the evolution of the University through text by North Park historians and photographs from the F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections. The exhibit, displayed in the Johnson Center, also included University artifacts and publications from the Archives.
Three concurrent Alumni Panels featured North Park graduates sharing about their accomplishments in the fields of entrepreneurship, health professions, and the arts—in which chef Shanna Horner O’Hea performed a live cooking demonstration and distributed toasted s’mores to the audience. “Education is in my bones,” said O’Hea, daughter of former president Dr. David Horner. “My desire to continue to learn is something I absolutely got at North Park.”
Following the Alumni Panels, two Back-to-Class sessions were held, featuring three concurrent classes taught by current and former faculty members on their areas of expertise. “When we say we want to be the leading city-centered Christian university, it’s because the world desperately needs that,” said Provost Dr. Michael Emerson, describing North Park’s engagement with the city of Chicago, in the “Urban Sociology and Context” session.
The day concluded with an evening concert and program featuring performances by the Alumni Choir, under the direction of Associate Professor of Music Dr. Julia Davids, Professor Emeritus Gregory Athnos, and former professor Dr. Rollo Dillworth, respectively. Dr. Marvin Curtis also led the University Choir in a performance of his commissioned piece in honor of the 125th anniversary.
In addition to the musical performances, the David Nyvall Medallion for Distinguished Service to North Park University was presented to former board chair and two-time interim University president Bruce Bickner and former board chair Stanley Helwig. Former North Park presidents William Hausmann (1980–1986) and Horner (1987–2004) also shared remarks about their time serving the University.
“We are living in a global world, and it surrounds our campus,” said Hausmann. “I like to think that we started to build bridges to this world back in the 1980s. Our decision (in 1980) to stay in Chicago was the most important in North Park’s history, next to its founding.”
Film producer returns to North Park for 125th Anniversary Panel
CHICAGO (September 22, 2016) — When North Park alumnus Joshua Musil Church returns to campus this week for the University’s 125th Anniversary Celebration, he’ll be doing so as a graduate with a particularly unique career trajectory.
“I never thought that helping run the Chapel service at North Park would lead to working with Pee-wee Herman,” Church says, “but that’s exactly what happened.”
After graduating in 2000, Church moved to Los Angeles and found a job working for writer-director Judd Apatow on the TV series Undeclared. From there, he joined Mosaic Media Group, where he worked as a producer on several of Will Ferrell’s films, including Step Brothers and Talladega Nights. He is now head of development and production for Apatow Productions, where he has served as executive producer onPee-wee’s Big Holiday and co-producer on Trainwreck, among other movies.
Ahead of North Park’s 125th Anniversary Alumni Panels—where Church will speak on his career in the arts—we caught up with him about working in comedy, how his experience at North Park led to his job, and why serving on the Chapel team is like being a Hollywood producer.
North Park: How did your time at North Park prepare you for what you do now?
Joshua Church: One of the main roles of a producer is to work behind the scenes to pull together complicated TV series or movies. North Park afforded me the opportunity to become very involved in many different areas of campus life, from serving on the Chapel team to being Student Government Association vice president. Looking back, it’s clear to me that those were my first producing jobs.
NP: Was there a specific moment or experience at North Park that helped kick off the trajectory of your career?
Church: I don’t think that there was a specific moment where it all “clicked in” and I knew what I wanted to do, career-wise. It was probably a combination of a bunch of moments. I always had fun performing in comedy sketches, and my advisor, Professor Robert Hostetter, worked with me to ensure that I could spend a semester at the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, which was an important step in me deciding to move to L.A. after college.
NP: Did you know that you wanted to work in comedy, and in production specifically?
Church: Like many people, I grew up loving comedy. I’d watch episodes of Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Saturday Night Live. To be honest, at the time, growing up in Maine, I never really thought about the fact that there were jobs in comedy. It seemed so far away. But as I learned more about the film industry in college, I realized that there was a world out there of people helping make comedy. I decided, probably sophomore year, that I wanted to eventually move to L.A. and try to get a job in the comedy film or TV industry.
NP: Do you have a favorite North Park memory?
Church: I have so many great memories of being at North Park. My best friends and I lived in an on-campus house called the Arena, and I probably laughed more in that house than on any movie set I’ve been on, and those friendships have continued to this day.
When I was student body vice president, the student body president and I were invited to a meeting with then-President Dr. David Horner at his home. We were really nervous—we were used to meeting with other students at night while drinking coffee in Java Haus. But this seemed like a big step, a meeting with an adult before 10:00 a.m.
To prepare, we had to set our alarms to make sure we were up by 9:30, which was a big change from our normal schedule. We borrowed an iron for our shirts, and practiced saying things that we imagined adults said, like, “The markets are fluctuating, how’s your portfolio doing?” or “I’m not sold on NAFTA, I worry it will do more harm than good.”
Confident we had mastered the art of faking adulthood, we showed up at his house, only to find Dr. Horner standing in his bathrobe while he studied up for his fantasy baseball draft, which was in an hour. Dr. Horner was not interested in discussing NAFTA at all. But at least our shirts were ironed.
An Tran C’14 earned first prize at the 2016 Hamilton International Guitar Festival and Competition
CHICAGO (August 3, 2016) — Class of 2014 North Park University graduate An Tran won first prize at the 2016 Hamilton International Guitar Competition last month in Ontario, Canada, earning a cash prize, a custom handmade guitar, and an appearance at the 2017 Hamilton Guitar Festival.
Tran received first prize in the Vietnam National Guitar Competition at the age of 12; Vietnam’s Best Overseas Student Award in 2010; a certificate of merit granted by Vietnam’s vice president in 2010; first prize in the 2013 Society of American Musicians Guitar Competition; and first prize in the 2013 North Park University Performance Awards. In 2013, he was honored as a Student Laureate by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois.
After earning a bachelor of arts in music with classical guitar as his major instrument, Tran was accepted into the Yale School of Music, where he earned a master of music this spring. “Yale has an amazing guitar graduate program, one of the best in the world,” he told the North Parker. “There were 200 applicants from all over the world, and they chose two. I am very lucky and honored to be one of them.”
A native of Hanoi, Vietnam, Tran was invited to perform Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra last year. As a senior at North Park, he toured Vietnam on behalf of the Red Cross Society, performing charity concerts.
While at Yale, Tran served as a teaching artist for the Music in Schools Initiative. He will return to the Chicago area this fall to pursue a doctor of musical arts at Northwestern University. “I want to become a professor to teach music and guitar, and also continue to provide music for people,” he said as a North Park student in 2013. “I want to share with others what I am learning from my teachers right now.”
Marvin Curtis C’72 has been commissioned to craft a piece for North Park’s 125th anniversary celebration
CHICAGO (May 10, 2016) — North Park University alumnus Dr. Marvin V. Curtis is no stranger to writing original songs for major events. The renowned composer has received numerous commissions for musical works from churches and schools, performed at the White House and at presidential cabinet members’ memorial services, and crafted the piece “City on a Hill” for President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. But Curtis, the first African American composer commissioned to write a choral work for a presidential inauguration, is currently working on a piece that’s a little closer to home.
Curtis has been commissioned to compose a work that will be performed by students at North Park’s 125th anniversary celebration on September 23, 2016. “The School of Music is honored that Dr. Curtis has accepted our invitation to compose a musical piece for the event,” said Dr. Craig Johnson, dean of the School of Music. “The piece will be written for choir and a chamber instrumental ensemble, using a text that will be meaningful for the occasion. We very much anticipate the performance of his music, and we are confident that it will be a highlight of a very memorable celebration.”
We spoke with Curtis, dean of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend, about his time at North Park, performing for presidents, and what to expect from his 125th anniversary piece.
North Park: How did you first come to North Park?
Marvin Curtis: An admissions counselor at North Park in the ‘60s came to my high school a couple times, Harlem High School, on the South Side. I wanted to go away to school. I came to North Park’s campus, and I remember walking around thinking, Okay, it’s still Chicago; I could live on the campus because they have housing. So I auditioned and was accepted, got a scholarship, and I came that fall.
NP: What are some of your favorite memories from your time as a student?
Curtis: It was a very different experience coming from inner-city Chicago to North Park. But I became part of the student body government, got involved in a bunch of different activities, and was a dorm counselor my third and fourth years. For three or four years, I was in charge of the Homecoming Committee, so we did a parade, we had fireworks—I had a lot of ideas. I was really engaged. At the same time, I was in the choir. I wrote my first compositions then, and the choir sang them on tour up and down the West Coast. One was called “Worship the Lord,” which was one of the first pieces I had published in the ‘70s. It was very different being in the choir and singing the pieces that I wrote. But the music faculty recognized my talent, so they programmed them! It was amazing to be a college junior and have your music sung by the North Park College Choir every night on tour, and then Orchestra Hall, and then later on, get those pieces published.
NP: What was the campus like at that time?
Curtis: It was a very interesting time. It was the late ‘60s, so there was a shift happening in politics. But I got to meet a lot of people, and being an African American student on campus, there were only 35 of us, and I was the only one in music. But it created an interesting dynamic. And I got involved with Covenant camps in the summertime, and Seminary Professor F. Burton Nelson, who I’d met along the way, got me involved. Burton kept me centered. I remember, my first year, we latched onto each other. So whenever things got crazy, I would go see Burton and explain stuff to him and we would agree on certain things. I was really involved with what was going on. But I had a good time meeting people and growing up. The music program really allowed me to grow and shape my thoughts about music education. They taught us to think outside the box.
NP: How did North Park influence the trajectory of your career?
Curtis: I graduated in 1972, and thanks to Burton Nelson, I ended up in the Seminary. I was working at Grace Covenant Church up the street, and Burton enticed me to study Christian education. So I was one of the first students that did the joint program with the Presbyterian School of Christian Education. I did my first year at North Park, then moved to Richmond, Va., and did my second year down there. So thanks to Burton, I got a master’s in Christian education. North Park was a big part of my life. I actually spent summers here working in the Student Union. And after my first year, I said, “I don’t think I want to go back home.”
After getting my master’s, I moved to New York to teach, and also took a couple of church jobs. I ended up at Riverside Church, with my own choir. Then I left New York and moved to California. Eventually, I was invited to come to the University of the Pacific in California for a fellowship, so I came out there in ’86 and graduated four years later with my doctorate. In the meantime, I’m still writing music. I had done commissions for several schools and churches. I ended up getting my doctorate and moving, then, back to Richmond.
NP: And that’s when you were commissioned for the presidential inauguration?
Curtis: Through a friendship I had, I got the opportunity to write for the president. He called me up one day and said, “We want you to write a piece for us. We’ve been asked to sing at the inauguration, if Bill Clinton wins.” He knew Clinton. And he knew me as a composer, and asked if I could write this piece. I thought, You have to be kidding. This was in September 1992. So I called him back and said, “Are you serious?” He said, “Yeah!” So I began working on “City on a Hill.” And I ended up at the inauguration with the president, sitting on top of the Capitol, shaking his hand afterwards, and hearing my piece performed live with the United States Marine Band on top of it.
NP: What was that like?
Curtis: I’ve described it several ways. People asked how I felt, and I would say, “All the people in my life that told me I wasn’t going to do anything are watching me on television.” It was very humbling, too, because I was sitting there listening and watching the ceremony, and it didn’t dawn on me that this was being broadcast around the world. So people around the world heard this piece that I wrote. Totally blew me out of the water.
NP: How do you find inspiration to write a piece for something that big?
Curtis: I thought, I want to leave the president a message with this song. So the message came out of Colossians, and then I had a text. Within two days I had written this whole thing. And I’m writing it and faxing it to my publisher and he’s writing back with some notes and corrections. And then we just waited until the election came. In December, I went to Little Rock, Ark., to hear it for the first time, and they sang it, and I was blown away. So there I was, January 20, 1993. I sat there and watched this take place, and it’s still amazing to me. My music is now in the Clinton Library, it’s in the Smithsonian, and it’s still being performed.
NP: What made you want to come back and do something for North Park?
Curtis: I’m very honored that my alma mater would ask me to do something like this. I know it’s about the celebration of the school, and as an alumnus of North Park, I know something about the school. I know about the capabilities of the school. So I thought, Let’s do something joyful.
NP: Were there things about North Park, based on your experiences here, that you wanted to make sure you included in a piece about it?
Curtis: The text I used for one section of the piece is from Luke 13:29: “The people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.” I started with that verse first as a potential text because that was my experience being at North Park: people came from all over. That was something about North Park that I really liked: it was not just people from Chicago. People came to this one school for a common purpose. It was interesting for me, being a kid from Chicago, to begin meeting people from all over the country. I was able to make friends from all over because of North Park. I also traveled across the country with the Concert Choir. For me, it was a way of connecting the dots.
NP: What else will the song convey, textually or musically?
Curtis: I got an idea of the kind of text I want to use from the book of Micah. There are four verses on display at the center of campus, including Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” That’s one of my favorite passages. I’m trying to craft this to reflect the ideals that I learned at North Park. The section that I wrote for the Luke passage is more of an introspective part. But the piece will open triumphantly and will close the same way. Most of my music has a big opening and a big closing, and I think that’s the way this has to be—this is a celebration. But it’s still formulating itself. Getting that soft part written took a while, but I got it the way I wanted it.
NP: How does the process of composing this piece compare to your process for something like a presidential inauguration?
Curtis: I’m a text-painter. The text, for me, is driving the writing of the music. For example, this part about “the people will come from east and west.” I could’ve used it as a bombastic thing, but I decided to use it as a quiet section. When I wrote “City on a Hill,” I started with John Winthrop’s speech, the actual “city upon a hill” part, first, and then worked everything else around it. With “City on a Hill,” it was a quiet text, and I built everything else around it, and I’m doing the same thing with this. That piece was specific in its nature. I always use the phrase, “I was trying to figure out what to say to the president in music.” In this case, I’m trying to say, “How do I celebrate my school in music?” So that’s the approach I’m taking. There are loud moments; there are quiet moments. I’m trying to do that in the sense of making it so that it fits a celebration of an institution and what it’s done over 125 years.
Author Ana SeklerPosted on Categories Announcement, Stories
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