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.
Starting this spring, North Park serves as one of 15 Illinois Universities chosen to partner with CPS and participate in the program offering CPS teachers an opportunity to further develop their credentials – all at reduced tuition.
Graduate Level Coursework Offered to Licensed Teachers at Discounted Tuition
CHICAGO (May 2017)—Filling high need positions in the Chicago Public School (CPS) system requires continuing education specialization beyond an undergraduate teaching degree. Important additional training combined with costly tuition to cover continuing education studies prompted the launch of the CPS Continuing Endorsement Program. Starting this spring, North Park serves as one of 15 Illinois Universities chosen to partner with CPS and participate in the program offering CPS teachers an opportunity to further develop their credentials – all at reduced tuition. The 15 Partner Illinois Universities tuition discounts range from 5% to 61% with North Park offering a 50% discounted tuition to CPS teachers.
For licensed teachers, the Continuing Endorsement Program provides access to graduate-level course work as well as additional endorsements, licenses, and a variety of master degree options. Programs begin Spring 2017 and are offered on campus, online, at CPS schools, and in hybrid formats. North Park CPS Partner courses range from bilingual to principal preparation where teachers can further develop their skills in these endorsement areas. “We encourage all staff (CPS) to explore these programs because even if you aren’t changing focus, these skills can enhance your practice and help address students’ diverse needs in your existing classrooms,” remarked Matt Lyons, CPS Chief Talent Officer in a letter North Park received.
“High-needs areas like Bilingual and Special Education require additional training and this program is a perfect opportunity to offer licensed teachers continuing education at a reduced tuition so they can go back into the classroom and meet the needs of these students,” stated Dr. Rebecca L. Nelson, North Park Dean, School of Education.
With school districts around the country facing challenges filling high-need positions, CPS reached out to North Park to participate in educating teachers so they can accommodate a diverse student learning profile. “North Park’s School of Education has a long-standing partnership with CPS and we are one of the select universities chosen to offer advanced coursework and licensure for CPS teachers,” expressed Dr. Nelson.
As an approved provider for CPS in the Continuing Endorsement Program, North Park sees this joint partnership with CPS as an effective pathway to both address serving a diverse student population and making it financially feasible for working teachers to obtain additional training.
Recognized for the third time, North Park has current Fulbright students in Macedonia, Mexico, and Peru.
Recognized for the third time, North Park has current Fulbright students in Macedonia, Mexico, and Peru.
CHICAGO (February 21, 2017) — North Park University, Chicago’s intercultural, Christian university, has been named a Top Producer of U.S. Fulbright Students for the third year. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced the U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2016–2017 Fulbright U.S. Students. North Park was named alongside two other Illinois institutions, University of Chicago and Northwestern University. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Top-producing institutions are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Three students from North Park University won Fulbright awards for 2016-2017: Katie Bast, Bethany Joseph, and Elizabeth Wallace. Read more about their stories.
North Park also has four semi-finalists for the 2017–2018 academic year, who are awaiting their final status from the respective countries.
“I am so very proud of our students and our Fulbright Committee,” said Dr. Linda Parkyn, professor of Spanish, who spearheads North Park’s efforts around Fulbright awards, serving as mentor and encourager to student applicants. She has been a Fulbright Scholar and twice a Fulbright Senior Specialist, and readily admits to having “Fulbrightis.” Good candidates, Dr. Parkyn says, have stellar grades, a keen interest in some other part of the world, involvement with immigrants and/or refugees at home, and knowledge of another language. “Fulbright is a prestigious award,” says Dr. Parkyn. “But to have this experience early in your life, to give back your first year out of college and become an American ambassador sharing language and culture, it will affect your career choices for the rest of your life—and affect change for good in our world!”
Dr. Linda Parkyn expressed deep pride and joy over the honor of North Park being named a Top Producer of U.S. Fulbright Students three times. Since 2008, the school has produced 19 Fulbright Student awards and leads its category—Master’s Institution— in Fulbright Student award winners.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 370,000 participants—chosen for their academic merit and leadership potential—with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. Over 1,900 U.S. students, artists, and young professionals in more than 100 different fields of study are offered Fulbright Program grants to study, teach English, and conduct research annually. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in over 140 countries throughout the world. Lists of Fulbright recipients are available at www.fulbrightonline.org/us.
The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States also provide direct and indirect support.
In the United States, the Institute of International Education administers and coordinates the activities relevant to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the Department of State, including conducting an annual competition for the scholarships.The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, some 4,000 new foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study for graduate degrees, conduct research and teach foreign languages.
The Fulbright Program also awards grants to U.S. scholars, teachers and faculty to conduct research and teach overseas. In addition, some 4,000 new foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the United States annually to study for graduate degrees, conduct research and teach foreign languages.
Organization of Educational Historians focus on ‘Position of Place in History of Education’
CHICAGO (September 30, 2016) — Since 1965, the Organization of Educational Historians has brought together a wide range of scholars to examine the history of education through a broad framing of perspectives and possibilities.
The School of Education at North Park University is sponsoring this year’s annual conference of the Organization of Educational Historians, held today and tomorrow on North Park’s campus.
Historians from institutions such as Texas A&M University, the University of Chicago, Baylor University, Indiana University, the University of Oklahoma, and North Park University will be presenting on a variety of historical topics related to women in higher education, race and schooling, higher education during wartime, religion and education, and many others.
The theme of the 2016 conference, “The Position of Place in the History of Education,” directs attention to the importance of examining local dynamics as they relate to education.
“Centering inquiry on particular contextual understandings brings with it the potential to shape and reshape educational history based on cultural experiences, sociopolitical landscapes, community, time, and scale,” said Dr. John J. Laukaitis, assistant professor of education at North Park and president-elect of the Organization of Educational Historians. “As historians of education shift their inquiry to more localized treatments, new perspectives in the field can provide meaningful insights into the power of place in education.”
Keynote speaker Dr. Ann Marie Ryan, associate dean of academic programs and associate professor of education at Loyola University Chicago, will deliver an address titled “Chicago Educators’ Responses to the Standardization and Measurement Movements of the Early 20th Century.”
For more information, visit the Organization of Educational Historians website. North Park faculty and students interested in attending any session may pick up a program and name badge in Hamming Hall.
Bast, Wallace, and Joseph to teach in Macedonia, Peru, and Mexico, respectively
CHICAGO (May 4, 2016) — North Park University continued its record of Fulbright success this spring, when the U.S. Fulbright Program awarded overseas teaching opportunities to two University students and one alumna.
Seniors Katie Bast and Elizabeth Wallace and 2015 graduate Bethany Joseph were awarded English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) in Macedonia, Peru, and Mexico, respectively. Combined with previous awards, 19 North Park students and three faculty members in the past eight years have earned Fulbright grants.
A double-major in English literature and secondary education, Bast will serve as an ETA for a nine-month placement in Macedonia this September. Although the specifics of her grant haven’t yet been announced, Bast expects to be teaching English reading, writing, and vocabulary in a secondary school or university setting while also engaging in educational outreach programs.
“North Park has given me opportunities to step into leadership positions, and I have gained the skills to think critically due to my experiences,” Bast says. “Translating this into the classroom has benefitted my teaching greatly. I’ve learned how to teach English in different contexts because of the varying schools I have taught in through my placements with the School of Education.”
A native of Holland, Mich., Bast participated in a wide variety of both academic and non-academic activities during her time at North Park. She served as a writing advisor for three years, took trips with Global Partnerships and the Sankofa Experience, and played Ultimate Frisbee. “These groups have all helped me develop and grow, and I’ve loved all the relationships that have flourished due to all of these different experiences,” Bast says.
“Katie is a dedicated, intellectually curious, and broadly accomplished student who is committed to sharing her love for language and literature,” says Professor of English Dr. Nancy Arnesen. “She is an organizer, a doer, a truly unflappable, unstoppable force for the better.” At last month’s University Honors Convocation, Bast was recognized as the English department’s outstanding senior.
When Bast completes her program, she plans to return to Chicago to teach English in a middle or high school, either in Chicago Public Schools or in the suburbs. “I am excited to see how I grow as a teacher through the Fulbright experience and to be able to apply what I learn in the classroom upon my return,” she says.
‘A wide range of experiences and adventures’
Wallace will graduate this month with a bachelor of arts in Spanish, a K–12 teaching license, and an ESL/bilingual teaching endorsement. In March 2017, she will travel to Peru to serve as an ETA through next December. She will most likely be teaching at a university.
Wallace’s experience studying abroad was an important part of her time at North Park. “Studying in Cuenca, Ecuador, had such a positive impact on me, and helped me develop deep friendships that I may not have otherwise,” she says. “It prepared me through the wide range of multicultural experiences and adventures that we had.”
Wallace, of Oak Lawn, Ill., also feels prepared for her Fulbright position because of her experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. “North Park has prepared me thoroughly through my classes, but also my clinical experiences,” she says. “During student teaching, I worked with students in the classroom and after school, helping direct a play. It is by these real-life experiences—that were challenging and fun—that I feel prepared to teach in Peru.”
Dr. Linda Parkyn, professor of Spanish and Fulbright program associate, agrees. “Elizabeth just finished student teaching with an excellent record of captivating classroom assignments and many kudos from her students,” she says. “After study abroad last year in Ecuador, I am sure Peruvian students will be impressed as well!”
After her time in Peru, Wallace plans to return to the United States and teach Spanish. She looks forward to exploring teaching all grades, and hopes to eventually teach in a bilingual school.
A ‘significantly expanded worldview’
Joseph, who majored in both Spanish and communication studies, will begin her 10-month ETA placement in Mexico this August. Like Wallace, Joseph’s experience studying abroad helped her determine her plans following graduation.
“I participated in the study abroad program during my junior year, spending a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina,” says Joseph. “It filled me with enthusiasm for Latin America, for its culture, warmth, and color. It reminded me of the beauty of intercultural friendships.” She finds that North Park “significantly expanded my worldview. I am a more open person because of the classes I took as an undergrad.”
While Joseph, of Grand Rapids, Mich., hasn’t yet received the details of the age group she will be teaching, she has a sense of what some of her work will involve. “Each Fulbright applicant is required to describe the unique teaching style that they would apply to the job, and to propose a side project that will be conducted in addition to the teaching,” she says. “Long story short, I will be doing a lot of songwriting and cartooning in Mexico.”
Parkyn attests to Joseph’s creativity. “Bethany is an inventive student who will excel in the Mexican classroom,” she says. “Her Spanish skills and her tutoring experience at North Park will help her to teach English with a fluency that is hard to match. She will thrive.”
Eventually, Joseph expects to work in a nonprofit environment, whether in Latin America or in the United States. “I am interested in community engagement and in working with people,” she says. “I anticipate being part of an organization that provides services to lower-income families.”
The Fulbright program was established by the U.S. Congress in 1946, and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. It is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
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CHICAGO (September 30, 2016) — Since 1965, the Organization of Educational Historians has brought together a wide range of scholars to examine the history of education through a broad framing of perspectives and possibilities.
CHICAGO (May 4, 2016) — North Park University continued its record of Fulbright success this spring, when the