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.
The safety and support of our students are our highest priority.
CHICAGO (November 22, 2016) — One week ago I wrote to our campus community twice on the same day in related messages. On each occasion the general topic of my communication was to reiterate our campus commitment to civility in our life together. In these messages I stressed that interactions based on hate have no place at North Park.
The second message in particular was prompted by an incident of intolerance that occurred in a student’s off-campus residence. I’m writing today to notify our community that this incident has been fully investigated and resolved. Sadly, we discovered that the incident and related messages were fabricated; the individual responsible for the incident is not continuing as a student at North Park. We are confident there is no further threat of repeated intolerance to any member of our campus community stemming from this recent incident.
I want to state again two central topics of my previous messages. The first is that the safety of and support for our students is of highest priority for us as an educational community. The second is that, rooted in our understanding of and commitment to the Christian gospel, we are committed to embracing all people who enroll as students and who are employed at North Park. Interactions between individuals should always reflect our campus ethos of “open inquiry, integrity, and civility;” these are the principles that guide our life together, the dialogue between us, and the learning context of the university at large.
When student safety is compromised, and when institutional values are not maintained, we will respond with resolve as we did in the most recent incident. Additionally, we ask members of the community to reflect our institutional ethos and commitment in our interpersonal relationships—through inclusion, civility, dialogue, respect, hospitality, and a mutual love for God and all people.
As is our national tradition, this week we gather with family and friends across our country to give thanks—for our community, for our nation, for each other. We do so at North Park as well, giving thanks to God for this special community that is our educational home. Blessings to each one as we travel near and far; may God protect us by his gracious and ready help.
The new mark honors the institution’s 125-year legacy, while pointing to a bold future.
CHICAGO (November 17, 2016) — North Park University this week unveiled its new logo, which harkens to the University’s history in Chicago. The cupola is a depiction of the first campus building, Old Main, built in 1893. Once the tallest point on the north side of Chicago, the cupola was historically used as a guiding landmark for pilots landing at Orchard Field (now O’Hare International Airport).
In the new rendition of this architectural feature, the steeple breaks out of a shield, emphasizing North Park University’s continued role as a directional point for students, alumni, and community members. A cross is visible towards the top of the symbol, a reflection of the University’s identity, which is “rooted in Christianity, with open arms.”
Founded by the Swedish Evangelical Covenant Church, North Park has long identified with the colors blue and gold, originally drawn from the Swedish flag. This is maintained in the new logo, as well as the marker “CHICAGO,” indicating North Park’s continued commitment to engaging its urban environment.
Located in Chicago, North Park University is a Christian comprehensive university that serves nearly 3,200 undergraduate and graduate students from around the country and the world. Within a diverse, close-knit, urban community, North Park offers a values-based education to students through more than 40 undergraduate majors and an adult degree-completion program, as well as graduate and continuing education in business, nonprofit management, nursing, education, music, and theology. By integrating faith with learning—as it has done since its founding in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church—North Park University continues to focus on the important task of preparing students for lives of significance and service.
CHICAGO (November 16, 2016) — In a campus-wide communication on Tuesday, I reminded us that all are welcome at North Park University. I noted that our Christian values call us to be present with each other, to be a neighbor, to welcome, to walk alongside, to show love, to do justice, and to show mercy. Our student standards of conduct exist to teach students how to live in relationship to each other and behave respectfully.
Additionally, I noted that messages and expressions of hate have no place on our campus. Words and symbols of hate are not only hurtful and cause pain, they demonstrate intolerance for others, place victims in positions of fear, and threaten their personal safety. On our campus, the safety and security of our students is our highest priority. It is because of this priority, alongside our commitment to being a welcoming and hospitable community, that we denounce hate speech in any form.
Of late, there has been evidence of intolerance that is counter to our climate of civility. We fully investigate all incidents that involve violations to the rights and dignity of any person. We follow with appropriate action through student conduct proceedings.
We ask God to send us His amazing grace as we work to love and care for all students on our campus.
Please keep North Park University in your prayers,
Chicago Intensive program part of University curriculum combining classroom and experiential learning
CHICAGO (October 21, 2016) — North Park University’s Chicago Intensive is a semester-long urban experiential program with all classes and hands-on learning focused on the city of Chicago. Designed to foster learning in the context of relationships, students in the program share the same curriculum, with opportunities for group discussion and interaction.
Intended for students in their second year at North Park—after they’re comfortable with the university experience, but before being fully immersed in their major classes—the program’s cohort serves and learns together. Courses address the urban context, students volunteer with community-based organizations across Chicago, and faculty facilitate firsthand exploration of the city.
The Chicago Intensive first ran as a pilot program last spring, continues this fall, and will expand next semester. Here, Provost Dr. Michael O. Emerson shares his thoughts on the nature, history, and future of the program.
What was the thinking behind launching the Chicago Intensive?
I believe it’s important to find meaningful ways to engage North Park students with the world around them—but also to bridge the gap between theory and practice. There’s plenty of valuable learning happening in the classroom, but with North Park situated in Chicago, it’s a terrific opportunity for students to get to know the city and our world on a much deeper level.
What is the Chicago Intensive concept?
The concept is likened to study abroad, where students have the opportunity to learn about something entirely new in a hands-on experiential learning format. The program taps into the city right here, and engages our students in a unique way not found in the classroom.
Will it take longer to complete my undergraduate degree?
The curriculum is designed to work in conjunction with meeting general education requirements, so there is no time lost in completing your degree.
What does the Chicago Intensive curriculum entail?
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, the cohort takes classes together on campus. The curriculum is designed around best practices of educational goals—both in-the-classroom academic and hands-on experiential learning—and each course is focused in some way on Chicago. On Mondays and Fridays, the students spend time in their assigned nonprofit organizations, organizations striving for a better Chicago. On Wednesdays, the cohort travels together with their instructors to visit specific sites, and then spends time processing the experience and talking about how it all fits together.
What kind of outings do students go on?
Students have had hands-on learning experiences ranging from community-based organizations like urban gardening to business-oriented subject matter like visiting a downtown courtroom.
How does the Chicago Intensive tie into North Park’s Christian, urban, and intercultural mission and values?
The origin of the program is very much connected to our Christian tradition and commitment to intercultural community. Students engage the city not just through academics, but by serving its people through our ministries, and learning from the diverse people of Chicago. The Chicago Intensive is designed to provide ample opportunities for students to focus on the meaning of living a life of significance and service.
What is behind North Park’s focus on students having a complete and fulfilling college experience?
Our faculty is here to teach and prepare the next generation. The student body is diverse, and as a society, we need to educate a broader base of students—the educators at North Park are in tune with what’s needed for a thriving society, and recognize that the status quo of only educating the elite is something we need to be active in demystifying.
What type of student will get the most out of the Chicago Intensive?
Students who are motivated by justice and making the world a better place. We’re here to teach and support students in being part of a team to make a real difference.
Why is North Park investing in this program, without a tuition increase?
We care deeply about our students and their success and are always looking for ways to provide our students the highest quality comprehensive college experience, expanding academics, faith, and exposure to hands-on learning off-campus. Our Christian values are rooted in making a high-quality education accessible to a student body made up of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Because Chicago is a world-class city, our students will benefit greatly from understanding it and learning from it. They will be prepared for today’s global world.
Given your background as an urban sociologist, what are your thoughts on how living and working in a major metropolitan city influences a career?
Studies have shown that students who have their first job in large cities like Chicago—regardless of their actual job or title—rise up the ranks faster, are promoted more often, and earn a higher wage. This is because the best and brightest are attracted to global cities, and they are the sites of the world’s innovation, creativity, and inventions. Rubbing shoulders with such people and organizations benefits students for a lifetime.
How far back do North Park’s roots go to being in a major metropolitan city?
North Park just celebrated its 125th anniversary. Over the years, the University was offered land outside the city, but the decision was made in 1980 to stay in our original urban location. This decision was thoughtful and deliberate, as North Park’s identity as an Christian, urban, and intercultural institution has remained consistent—students and graduates develop real connections with the city, the people around them, opportunities for career growth, and opportunities for truly rich, meaningful lives in service to others.
How is being in a cohort part of the Chicago Intensive experience?
In a cohort, you learn from one another’s strengths, and in the same way, students get to role model their strengths—it’s a win-win where students serve as leader and learner. And together, the cohort works to problem-solve, a valuable skill, transferable as students and graduates pursue their career paths.
How does the Chicago Intensive contribute toward growing Illinois’s workforce and building an engaged citizenry?
Participating in the Chicago Intensive is engaging in nature, where students are exposed to the complexities of community-related and real business issues, requiring creative thinking, problem solving, and polished communication skills to work together in a team environment. The hope and goal is for students to form relationships within the community, build a connection to Chicago, and find good and meaningful careers and vocations.
What faculty members are leading the program?
Dr. Rachelle Ankney, professor of mathematics, and Rich Kohng, Urban Outreach coordinator with University Ministries, launched and lead the Chicago Intensive and continue to monitor learning best practices.
University a Founding Partner in Administration’s Effort to Expand College Opportunity
CHICAGO (June 10, 2016) — Today, North Park University announced that it has joined with the Obama Administration and 24 other colleges and universities around the country as a founding partner for the launch of the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge. The pledge provides higher education institutions with the opportunity to voice support for improving their communities through expanding college opportunity and eliminating barriers for those with a criminal record.
This morning at the White House, U.S. Secretary of Education John King and Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Muñoz hosted North Park, along with 14 other higher education institutions, to announce the pledge. Together, the 25 founding partner institutions represent and serve more than one million students.
“Too often, a criminal record disqualifies Americans from being full participants in our society—even after they’ve already paid their debt to society,” the White House Office of the Press Secretary said in a statement. “This includes admissions processes for educational institutions that can make it difficult if not impossible for those with criminal records to get an education that can lead to a job.”
North Park University President Dr. David L. Parkyn agrees. “North Park prepares students for lives of significance and service,” he said. “We believe that all people desiring a high-quality education deserve the opportunity. This has meant expanding the range of students we are educating, and expanding the support services we provide. We applaud the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge, and we will work diligently to create pathways for a second chance for people with a criminal record. We are delighted to join fellow universities in working to remove unnecessary barriers for a higher education and becoming places of hope and opportunity.”
President David Parkyn was hosted at the White House to announce North Park’s founding partnership in the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge.
“North Park University applauds the growing number of public and private colleges and universities nationwide who are taking action to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, including individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system,” reads the pledge. “When an estimated 70 million or more Americans—nearly one in three adults—have a criminal record, it is important to remove unnecessary barriers that may prevent these individuals from gaining access to education and training that can be so critical to career success and lead to a fulfilled and productive life.”
“We are committed,” the pledge continues, “to providing individuals with criminal records, including formerly incarcerated individuals, a fair chance to seek a higher education to obtain the knowledge and skills needed to contribute to our nation’s growing economy.”
Provost Michael Emerson believes that as a university that deeply values its Christian identity, urban location, and intercultural campus community, North Park is uniquely positioned to broaden college opportunity. “People with criminal records have often made a series of serious mistakes,” he said. “As our educational system is currently set up, they will pay consequences for their mistakes for the rest of their lives, unable to get a university education.”
“We believe people can and do change, and like anyone else, need an opportunity to learn, grow, earn a living, and serve their community,” Emerson continued. “As a Christian university, we are compelled by our understanding of faith to offer the possibility of a university education to all who are willing to commit to higher learning.”
A Transformative Model
One of the ways North Park University has already worked to increase access to higher education is through Theological Seminarycourses held in Stateville Correctional Center. The semester-long classes, launched last year, have included a field education course called Intercultural Dialogue, in which Seminary students learned alongside Stateville students. “Several of those students have asked if, upon their release, they can continue their education at North Park,” said Emerson. “It is important to us that they can do so.”
Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom, professor of theology and ethics, co-taught the class. “North Park’s education in prison envisions a transformative justice model of education that cultivates leaders in new contexts, forms Christian character through intercultural learning, and rethinks teaching and pedagogy,” she says. “We are committed to providing both theological and liberal arts education to individuals while they are currently incarcerated and after their release.”
Founding Partners
The higher education institutions serving as founding partners in launching the Fair Chance Higher Education Pledge are: Ancilla College, Arizona State University, Auburn University, Boston University, City University of New York, College of Saint Benedict, Columbia University, Eastern University, Howard University, New York University, North Park University, Nyack College, Raritan Valley Community College, Rutgers University (Biomedical and Health Sciences, Camden, Newark, and New Brunswick), Saint John’s University, San Francisco State University, State University of New York, Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, University of California System, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, University of Puget Sound, and University of Washington. Find out more about the pledge.
Liza Ann Acosta as University dean; Gregor Thuswaldner as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
CHICAGO (June 2, 2016) — North Park University has announced the appointment of two new deans, effective August 15. Dr. Liza Ann Acosta will serve in the newly created position of University dean, and Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner has been named as the new dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
As University dean, Acosta is charged with the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty across the University; faculty development; and hearing academic grievances and student appeal cases. The position reports to Provost Michael Emerson, and will be housed within the Office of the Provost.
Acosta, who earned her PhD in comparative literature from Penn State University, has been on North Park’s faculty since 2000, and will continue in her role as professor of English. For the past four years, she has served as division director and associate dean of humanities, arts, and social sciences. Prior to that, she served as director of humanities, and two terms as chair of the English department. She has held numerous additional leadership roles on campus and in the larger Chicago community.
In addition to her success as an educator, Acosta is an accomplished writer and performer. Colleagues, students, and alumni find that she has embodied and championed North Park’s values for the entirety of her professional career. She has been a strong, consistent advocate for the ethnic and racial diversification of the student body and faculty, and has served as a role model and mentor for many.
As part of her new role, Acosta will be working with the deans of the colleges, schools, departments, and other units on campus to create strategies for faculty development and ethnic diversification. She will also oversee the Teaching and Learning Cooperative, work with the Professional Development Committee, and develop faculty-mentoring programs to help faculty progress through each stage of their careers.
In accepting the position, Acosta said, “After 16 years at North Park University, I am honored to serve my colleagues and my students in this capacity, leading the way to a campus that lives its values of equity and justice, built upon a rich immigrant heritage and a foundational Christian tradition.”
“I can think of no one better situated to serve as the inaugural University dean than Liza Ann,” said Emerson. “She embodies everything this important position requires. We need imaginative strategies to continue diversifying our faculty, and we need careful, focused attention on faculty development and mentoring. To become the university we strive to be, elevating the centrality and care of our faculty is essential.”
Gregor Thuswaldner named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Thuswaldner will serve as both dean and professor of humanities. A native of Austria, he has served as professor of German and linguistics at Gordon College since 2003. In his six years as department chair, he greatly diversified the department faculty, created highly successful major and minor programs, and substantially grew the number of linguistics majors.
So successful is Thuswaldner’s department that College Factual, in conjunction with the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, now rank Gordon as one of the nation’s colleges “Most Focused on Languages and Linguistics.” He is also the cofounder and academic director of the Salzburg Institute of Religion, Culture, and the Arts, a flourishing Christian liberal arts summer study abroad program. He has served most recently as interim director of the Center for Faith and Inquiry at Gordon.
The new dean has a strong background in faith-based and intercultural higher education administration, and a track record of fundraising and obtaining research grants. He is a prolific scholar—he has published six books, numerous journal articles and book chapters, and translated two books from German to English—and an award-winning teacher. After just three years at Gordon, he received the college’s Distinguished Faculty Award.
“I am absolutely thrilled to connect with the Chicago community and join North Park University,” Thuswaldner said. “North Park’s three core values—Christian, urban, intercultural—deeply resonate with me, and as a fellow Covenanter, I am very impressed with the University’s heritage and trajectory. I look forward to collaborating with the faculty on a number of projects in order to heighten the visibility of the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Carmen Velazquez-Alvarez and Blake Thomas honored for embodying University mission of significance and service
CHICAGO (April 28, 2016) — On Monday, the North Park University community gathered in Anderson Chapel for the annual Honors Convocation, a celebration recognizing students who demonstrated excellence in the classroom and community.
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Mary Surridge presented the 2016 Distinguished Senior Awards to Carmen Velazquez-Alvarez, Kerman, Calif., and Blake Thomas, Olathe, Kan. This honor is bestowed each year to one woman and one man from the graduating class, recognizing extraordinary leadership, dedicated service, superior academic performance, and embodiment of the University’s mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.
Velazquez-Alvarez, a conflict transformation studies major and nonprofit management certificate recipient, fled the violence of her native Veracruz, Mexico, at age 11. She and her family were homeless for several months, managing with little food and without access to medical care. She worked in the fields of California’s Central Valley with her mother from a very young age, and dreamed of one day attending North Park, which she had heard about through her church.
“Carmen’s story is the story of the impossible becoming possible,” says Dr. Liza Ann Acosta, professor of English. “She is leading the way for other undocumented students to dream big and work towards fulfilling their goals. Carmen has made her North Park experience one to remember.”
Velazquez-Alvarez served as the president of North Park’s Latin American Student Organization and cofounder of the Latinas Unidas Mentorship Program, established to prepare her fellow Latina students for success. She was also active as a Faith and Justice Team student leader, and completed an internship this semester with the YMCA’s diversity and inclusion department.
“Carmen is a dynamo, an organizer, and at the forefront of Latino and immigrant justice issues,” says Dr. Linda Craft, professor of Spanish. In addition to her service work, Velazquez-Alvarez was honored this year as one of the top academic students in the state, receiving the Student Laureate Award and an educational grant from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. She earned a 3.98 grade point average at North Park.
“There are kids who came from Central America or Mexico, and they don’t get to go to school,” Velazquez-Alvarez says. “So I’m not going to school just for me. This isn’t even for me. It’s, one, for God, and two, for my family and the people that I work with and are around me. I know there are serious circumstances that keep them from going to school, but how can my education help them in the future? How can I go back to the Valley and help my people?”
‘An outstanding student and a stellar human being’
During his time at North Park, Thomas majored in both youth ministry and biblical and theological studies, completed an internship that led to a job offer, and participated in multiple music ensembles, all while maintaining a 3.69 grade point average.
“Being a part of the Chamber Singers and the University Choir has been the most rewarding experience for me at North Park,” says Thomas. “From singing Handel’s Messiah with 400 people to going on choir tours around the country, I’ve loved my time being under the direction of Dr. Julia Davids and singing with my peers.”
Thomas came to North Park out of a desire to merge his gifts in ministry and music, and a commitment to serving the city of Chicago. Music Recruiter Dr. Rebecca Ryan has seen Thomas’s success firsthand. “I know Blake well—he served as my admissions assistant for three years and has been active in the School of Music,” she says. “He is an outstanding student and a stellar human being.”
Dr. Daniel White Hodge, director of the Center for Youth Ministry Studies, agrees. “I’m not surprised that he won the award,” he says. “Blake has been an outstanding student with exemplary leadership skills. I’m very proud of him and his accomplishments, including serving as youth intern at North Park Covenant Church, where he was able to do some really good work.”
Following his internship, Thomas has been hired as a youth pastor at North Park Covenant Church, and will begin his position this summer. “North Park University provides a very well-rounded perspective on theology and provides the space for students to discern what is biblical and gospel-centered,” he says. “North Park shaped the way I view God and approach theology.”
In addition to the Distinguished Senior Awards, the Honors Convocation ceremony also noted the top graduating students from each department and school, and service and leadership awards were given to seniors embodying excellence in co- and extracurricular activities. View a complete list of students recognized in this year’s Honors Convocation program.
The University’s graduation ceremonies, including the presentation of the Ahnfeldt Medallion given to the senior with the highest grade point average, will officially close the year on Saturday, May 14, at 10:00 am, 3:00 pm, and 7:00 pm.
April 30 event at St. James Cathedral celebrates Scandinavian life in early Chicago
CHICAGO (April 22, 2016) — Artifacts and records from Chicago’s first Swedish congregation, St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church, are now freely available online and are on display at St. James Commons in Chicago.
The church, established in 1849 in what is now the River North neighborhood, is significant to both the city of Chicago and Scandinavian American history for the role it played in the fledgling immigrant community. “The church records, which survived the great Chicago fire of 1871 and had lately been restricted from use due to their fragility, are valued by researchers for both the light they shed on the early Swedish population in Chicago and for the missing links they can fill for genealogists seeking their roots,” said North Park University Director of Archives Anna-Kajsa Anderson. “We’re excited that not only are they no longer restricted, but that they can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection.”
In celebration, the F. M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections, Center for Scandinavian Studies, Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and Swedish-American Historical Society are cosponsoring the exhibit St. Ansgarius Artifacts: Under One Roof Again. The gallery features remaining artifacts from the early years of St. Ansgarius, now cared for by several different organizations around the city. It can be viewed free of charge through April 30 in Kyle’s Place Gallery at St. James Commons, 65 E. Huron St., Chicago, Ill. 60611.
The gallery will culminate in the event A Celebration of Scandinavian Episcopal Life in Early Chicago, Saturday, April 30, at St. James Cathedral. The day will include an opportunity to peruse the exhibit, worship in a choral Eucharist, and attend a symposium on the St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church. Register online for the lunch and afternoon symposium. There is no charge to view the exhibit or worship at the Eucharist.
North Park University was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC), a denomination formed by Swedish immigrants. North Park maintains a connection to its Swedish and Scandinavian roots through academic programs and other cultural exchanges.
President Parkyn addresses MAP Grant funding and North Park’s commitment to affordability
The Monetary Award Program (MAP) has provided grant funds for Illinois residents to attend college in the state since 1967. The State of Illinois budget, which includes authorization for this program, ran out on July 1, 2015, leaving many students and universities (including North Park University) vulnerable to funding shortages. Significant coverage has been given by news outlets to the impact of the budget impasse on higher education.
Last month, Professor Jon Peterson offered some background on how the state arrived at this point, as well thoughts on what must happen at the state level to restore these funds. Director of Financial Aid Carolyn Lach also addressed the issue in the Spectrum, North Park’s student magazine.
Here, in an open letter to future North Park students and their families, President Parkyn addresses concerns related to MAP Grant funding and other financial aid issues.
By Dr. David L. Parkyn, President of North Park University
Many of us here at North Park University and around the state of Illinois have been carefully monitoring the budget impasse in Springfield. The standoff involving the governor and both sides of the legislative aisle represents a real threat to the way all colleges and universities across the state are able to provide students with a high quality of affordable education. This confrontation has left the Monetary Award Program (MAP) awaiting funding for the current (2015–2016) budget year as well as for the next (2016–2017) budget year. No one in the state knows when funds for MAP may become available. However, as the legislature reconvenes this spring for its next session, we are hopeful for some good news.
I wanted let you know that all of us at North Park University are keenly aware of the sacrifices that students and families make, and the careful considerations that you will be making about where to attend college in the fall. I want to assure you that, despite threats from the state, North Park University is strongly committed to making every effort to support our incoming students and their families to make attending North Park a reality.
Here at North Park, we often think about who we are. Our core values of being Christian, urban, and intercultural are clear to anyone who steps onto our campus. Along with these values, we like to reference something our founders mentioned 125 years ago. They said North Park would be an institution where “hospitality is especially insisted upon.” Hospitality offers the sense that everyone is welcomed. In higher education, it means that students feel valued in their learning environment. At North Park, it means that each student is a treasured member of our tight-knit community.
North Park decided over a decade ago to offer a private, high-quality education at a price point well below our competitors. Since that time, we have kept our tuition at a competitive level, and with substantial financial aid from the University, our students graduate with close to the lowest amount of debt for Chicagoland colleges and universities (as reported last month by Crain’s Chicago Business). We’ve remained committed to offering an affordable education to align with the integrity of our Christian identity.
As such, we encourage our incoming students to contact us about the affordability of a North Park education. Please continue the conversation with our admission staff to determine the best way to finance your education with us, including a review of institutional aid opportunities, user-friendly payment plans and ways to ensure appropriate student loan indebtedness upon graduation. Take us up on the offer to learn about the welcoming family that is North Park University.
In doing so, I am confident that, as I have come to experience, you will feel the promise of our hospitality and love of our community.
CHICAGO (November 22, 2016) — One week ago I wrote to our campus community twice on the same day in related messages. On each occasion the general topic of my communication was to reiterate our campus commitment to civility in our life together. In these messages I stressed that interactions based on hate have no place at North Park.
Author Mireille GallegosPosted on Categories Stories
CHICAGO (October 21, 2016) — North Park University’s 
CHICAGO (June 10, 2016) — Today, 
CHICAGO (June 2, 2016) — North Park University has announced the appointment of two new deans, effective August 15. 
Thuswaldner will serve as both dean and professor of humanities. A native of Austria, he has served as professor of German and linguistics at Gordon College since 2003. In his six years as department chair, he greatly diversified the department faculty, created highly successful major and minor programs, and substantially grew the number of linguistics majors.
CHICAGO (April 28, 2016) — On Monday, the North Park University community gathered in Anderson Chapel for the annual Honors Convocation, a celebration recognizing students who demonstrated excellence in the classroom and community.
