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鈥檚 global reach and outlook.
After 125 years, we鈥檝e learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to North Park and find affordable ways to attend. If you don鈥檛 see what you鈥檙e 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鈥檚 mission and alumni needs.
Marvin Curtis C鈥�72 has been commissioned to craft a piece for North Park鈥檚 125th anniversary celebration
CHICAGO (May 10, 2016) 鈥� 萝莉社 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鈥� memorial services, and crafted the piece 鈥淐ity on a Hill鈥� for President Bill Clinton鈥檚 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鈥檚 a little closer to home.
Curtis has been commissioned to compose a work that will be performed by students at on September 23, 2016. 鈥溌爄s honored that Dr. Curtis has accepted our invitation to compose a musical piece for the event,鈥� said聽, dean of the School of Music. 鈥淭he 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.鈥�
We spoke with Curtis, dean of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend,聽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 鈥�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鈥檚 campus, and I remember walking around thinking, Okay, it鈥檚 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鈥擨 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 鈥淲orship the Lord,鈥� which was one of the first pieces I had published in the 鈥�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 鈥�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 in the summertime, and Professor F. Burton Nelson, who I鈥檇 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鈥檚 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, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I want to go back home.”
After getting my master鈥檚, 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 鈥�86 and graduated four years later with my doctorate. In the meantime, I鈥檓 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, 鈥淲e want you to write a piece for us. We鈥檝e been asked to sing at the inauguration, if Bill Clinton wins.鈥� 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, 鈥淎re you serious?鈥� He said, 鈥淵eah!鈥� So I began working on 鈥淐ity on a Hill.鈥� 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鈥檝e described it several ways. People asked how I felt, and I would say, 鈥淎ll the people in my life that told me I wasn鈥檛 going to do anything are watching me on television.鈥� It was very humbling, too, because I was sitting there listening and watching the ceremony, and it didn鈥檛 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鈥檓 writing it and faxing it to my publisher and he鈥檚 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鈥檚 still amazing to me. My music is now in the Clinton Library, it鈥檚 in the Smithsonian, and it鈥檚 still being performed.
NP: What made you want to come back and do something for North Park?
Curtis: I鈥檓 very honored that my alma mater would ask me to do something like this. I know it鈥檚 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鈥檚 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: 鈥淭he people will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God.鈥� 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: 鈥淲hat does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.鈥� That鈥檚 one of my favorite passages. I鈥檓 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鈥檚 the way this has to be鈥攖his is a celebration. But it鈥檚 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鈥檓 a text-painter. The text, for me, is driving the writing of the music. For example, this part about 鈥渢he people will come from east and west.鈥� I could鈥檝e used it as a bombastic thing, but I decided to use it as a quiet section. When I wrote 鈥淐ity on a Hill,鈥� I started with John Winthrop鈥檚 speech, the actual 鈥渃ity upon a hill鈥� part, first, and then worked everything else around it. With 鈥淐ity on a Hill,鈥� it was a quiet text, and I built everything else around it, and I鈥檓 doing the same thing with this. That piece was specific in its nature. I always use the phrase, 鈥淚 was trying to figure out what to say to the president in music.鈥� In this case, I鈥檓 trying to say, 鈥淗ow do I celebrate my school in music?鈥� So that鈥檚 the approach I鈥檓 taking. There are loud moments; there are quiet moments. I鈥檓 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.
Bast, Wallace, and Joseph to teach in Macedonia, Peru, and Mexico, respectively
CHICAGO (May 4, 2016) 鈥� 萝莉社 continued its record of Fulbright success this spring, when the 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 and , Bast will serve as an ETA for a nine-month placement in Macedonia this September. Although the specifics of her grant haven鈥檛 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.
鈥淣orth Park has given me opportunities to step into leadership positions, and I have gained the skills to think critically due to my experiences,鈥� Bast says. 鈥淭ranslating this into the classroom has benefitted my teaching greatly. I鈥檝e 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.鈥�
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 for three years, took trips with and the , and played . 鈥淭hese groups have all helped me develop and grow, and I鈥檝e loved all the relationships that have flourished due to all of these different experiences,鈥� Bast says.
“Katie is a dedicated, intellectually curious, and broadly accomplished student who is committed to sharing her love for language and literature,鈥� says Professor of English . 鈥淪he is an organizer, a doer, a truly unflappable, unstoppable force for the better.鈥� At last month鈥檚 University , Bast was recognized as the English department鈥檚 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. 鈥淚 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,鈥� she says.
鈥楢 wide range of experiences and adventures鈥�
Wallace will graduate this month with a bachelor of arts in , a , and an 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鈥檚 experience was an important part of her time at North Park. 鈥淪tudying in Cuenca, Ecuador, had such a positive impact on me, and helped me develop deep friendships that I may not have otherwise,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t prepared me through the wide range of multicultural experiences and adventures that we had.鈥�
Wallace, of Oak Lawn, Ill., also feels prepared for her Fulbright position because of her experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. 鈥淣orth Park has prepared me thoroughly through my classes, but also my clinical experiences,鈥� she says. 鈥淒uring student teaching, I worked with students in the classroom and after school, helping direct a play. It is by these real-life experiences鈥攖hat were challenging and fun鈥攖hat I feel prepared to teach in Peru.鈥�
, professor of Spanish and Fulbright program associate, agrees. 鈥淓lizabeth just finished student teaching with an excellent record of captivating classroom assignments and many kudos from her students,鈥� she says. 鈥淎fter study abroad last year in Ecuador, I am sure Peruvian students will be impressed as well!鈥�
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 鈥榮ignificantly expanded worldview鈥�
Joseph, who majored in both Spanish and , will begin her 10-month ETA placement in Mexico this August. Like Wallace, Joseph鈥檚 experience studying abroad helped her determine her plans following graduation.
鈥淚 participated in the study abroad program during my junior year, spending a semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina,鈥� says Joseph. 鈥淚t filled me with enthusiasm for Latin America, for its culture, warmth, and color. It reminded me of the beauty of intercultural friendships.鈥� She finds that North Park 鈥渟ignificantly expanded my worldview. I am a more open person because of the classes I took as an undergrad.鈥�
While Joseph, of Grand Rapids, Mich., hasn鈥檛 yet received the details of the age group she will be teaching, she has a sense of what some of her work will involve. 鈥淓ach 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,鈥� she says. 鈥淟ong story short, I will be doing a lot of songwriting and cartooning in Mexico.鈥�
Parkyn attests to Joseph鈥檚 creativity. 鈥淏ethany is an inventive student who will excel in the Mexican classroom,鈥� she says. 鈥淗er 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.鈥�
Eventually, Joseph expects to work in a nonprofit environment, whether in Latin America or in the United States. 鈥淚 am interested in community engagement and in working with people,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 anticipate being part of an organization that provides services to lower-income families.鈥�
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.
Carmen Velazquez-Alvarez and Blake Thomas honored for embodying University mission of significance and service
聽CHICAGO (April 28, 2016) 鈥� On Monday, the 萝莉社 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鈥檚 mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.
Velazquez-Alvarez, a major and 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鈥檚 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.
鈥淐armen鈥檚 story is the story of the impossible becoming possible,鈥� says , professor of . 鈥淪he 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.鈥�
Velazquez-Alvarez served as the president of North Park鈥檚 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鈥檚 diversity and inclusion department.
鈥淐armen is a dynamo, an organizer, and at the forefront of Latino and immigrant justice issues,鈥� says , professor of . In addition to her service work, Velazquez-Alvarez was honored this year as one of the top academic students in the state, receiving the and an educational grant from the Lincoln Academy of Illinois. She earned a 3.98 grade point average at North Park.
鈥淭here are kids who came from Central America or Mexico, and they don鈥檛 get to go to school,鈥� Velazquez-Alvarez says. 鈥淪o I鈥檓 not going to school just for me. This isn鈥檛 even for me. It鈥檚, 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?鈥�
鈥楢n outstanding student and a stellar human being鈥�
During his time at North Park, Thomas majored in both and , completed an internship that led to a job offer, and participated in multiple , all while maintaining a 3.69 grade point average.
鈥淏eing a part of the Chamber Singers and the University Choir has been the most rewarding experience for me at North Park,鈥� says Thomas. 鈥淔rom singing Handel鈥檚 Messiah with 400 people to going on choir tours around the country, I鈥檝e loved my time being under the direction of 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 has seen Thomas鈥檚 success firsthand. 鈥淚 know Blake well鈥攈e served as my admissions assistant for three years and has been active in the School of Music,鈥� she says. 鈥淗e is an outstanding student and a stellar human being.鈥�
, director of the Center for Youth Ministry Studies, agrees. 鈥淚鈥檓 not surprised that he won the award,鈥� he says. 鈥淏lake has been an outstanding student with exemplary leadership skills. I鈥檓 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.鈥�
Following his internship, Thomas has been hired as a youth pastor at North Park Covenant Church, and will begin his position this summer. 鈥溌芾蛏� provides a very well-rounded perspective on theology and provides the space for students to discern what is biblical and gospel-centered,鈥� he says. 鈥淣orth Park shaped the way I view God and approach theology.鈥�
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 .
The University鈥檚 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 .
April 30 event at St. James Cathedral celebrates Scandinavian life in early Chicago
CHICAGO (April 22, 2016) 鈥� Artifacts and records from Chicago鈥檚 first Swedish congregation, St. Ansgarius Episcopal Church, are now freely available 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,鈥� said 萝莉社 Director of Archives Anna-Kajsa Anderson. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited that not only are they no longer restricted, but that they can be by anyone with an internet connection.鈥�
Thanks to grants and the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, the paper conservation company Graphic Conservation spent several months conserving and digitizing fragile records from the years 1849鈥�1896, which are held by the archives in 萝莉社鈥檚 as part of the .
In celebration, the , , Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, and 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,聽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 . 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. . There is no charge to view the exhibit or worship at the Eucharist.
萝莉社 was founded in 1891 by the (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.
New partnership makes it easier for more students to connect with North Park
聽CHICAGO (April 18, 2016) 鈥� Students applying to 萝莉社 for Spring 2017 or later will now have the ability to do so through the , an online system used by nearly 700 colleges and universities in the United States and around the world to manage the college admission process.
According to Genaro Balcazar, vice president of enrollment management and marketing, 鈥淔or 萝莉社, becoming a member of the Common Application is about making the college application process a little more manageable for students. North Park and the Common Application share a joint goal of promoting college access by reducing barriers in the college application process.鈥�
The Common Application is a nonprofit member organization that seeks to advance 鈥渁ccess, equity, and integrity in the college admission process.鈥� Over 900,000 students use the Common Application online system annually to submit more than four million applications.
鈥淥ur partnership will help alleviate some of the complexity of having to complete multiple admission applications, and puts us alongside many of our peers in the industry,鈥� added Balcazar.
鈥淓ach of our new members comes to the Common Application with a unique mission and distinctive qualities that attract a broad range of bright and talented students,” said Common Application senior director Scott Anderson. “We are excited to welcome innovative institutions that all share our commitment to advancing college access.”
Interested students can聽. Common Applications for the 2017鈥�2018 academic year will to 2018鈥�2019 and beyond. The answers for any of the questions that appear in the six sections of the 鈥淐ommon App鈥� tab (Profile, Family, Education, Testing, Activities, and Writing) will be preserved. High school counselors can use , a flexible advising tool, to introduce students and families to the college preparation and application processes whenever is best for individual needs.
Students can still choose to submit their application . For more information about how to apply to 萝莉社, please contact admissions@northpark.edu.
President Parkyn addresses MAP Grant funding and North Park鈥檚 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 萝莉社) 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 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 in the Spectrum, North Park鈥檚 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 萝莉社
Many of us here at 萝莉社 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鈥�2016) budget year as well as for the next (2016鈥�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 萝莉社 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, 萝莉社 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 鈥渉ospitality is especially insisted upon.鈥� 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 by Crain鈥檚 Chicago Business). We鈥檝e 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 萝莉社.
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.
A dispatch from North Park鈥檚 annual writing retreat
By Andie Roeder Moody
Note: As web content manager and writer for University Marketing and Communications, I spend the majority of my days holed away in my office on Spaulding Avenue, writing about what鈥檚 happening across campus. A few weeks ago, I had the rare privilege to join some of our students and faculty for a writing and hiking retreat. I was there to observe, write about the trip, and teach. Below is my account of the weekend.
Read the students鈥� writing from the weekend .
CHICAGO (March 29, 2016) 鈥� It鈥檚 the Friday before midterms, and we鈥檙e loading up vans in the lot behind Burgh Hall. The students are discussing all the homework they鈥檒l be trying to disremember for the next few days. They don鈥檛 get credit for attending this, and it鈥檚 not mandatory. Students of all majors are welcome, but there鈥檚 a strong showing of English and philosophy majors. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e about to take on the final push before spring break,鈥� , associate professor of philosophy, tells me. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a breaking point in the semester where most of them could really use a rest. The trip is good for that.鈥�
On the six-hour drive to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, students sing, reminisce, and discuss philosophy. A few know each other already; most of them are breaking the ice. When we arrive at Covenant Point Bible Camp, just past the Wisconsin border, it鈥檚 been snowing all evening. The grounds are coated in a thick layer of powdery snow, and our van struggles to make it up the hill to the cabins. I didn鈥檛 anticipate having no cell phone service. The faculty make no apologies for that鈥攐r for the length of the drive. Though there are closer places we could hold the retreat, Covenant Point is special to them. It鈥檚 remote and wooded; it feels connected to a tradition of nature writers, whom they harken this weekend: Thoreau, Emerson, Dillard. To get to our sessions, we walk several minutes from where we鈥檙e staying to the isolated Nature Center, which is surrounded by trails and forest. Once there, we put our chairs into a circle around the fireplace, where one devoted student builds and tends the fire all weekend. For a few days, we get a slower pace of life than Chicago鈥攐r even other camps鈥攐ffer. Before long, no one misses their cell phones much. A student tells me she鈥檚 really enjoying not knowing what her friends are up to on Facebook.
Saturday and Sunday, our full days at the camp, are structured around meals and learning sessions, with time in between to write and two readings to share your work. Professor of Philosophy opens the retreat with a lesson on tracking animals. We walk around a snowy field and follow the tracks of rabbits and deer. Greg鈥攚hom the students refer to by first name鈥攕ends them off to track animals. He asks them to come back with a story: what the narrative of the animals鈥� movements might be. One group of students tracks the path of a rabbit they imagine to be a Rambo-style secret forest police officer. Another group finds tracks so big that the only imaginable solution is a Yeti. I suggest snowshoes; they are unconvinced鈥攁nd share a poem they wrote about the Yeti.
The lessons build off each other. A quote from Greg’s tracking session becomes a writing prompt for the day: 鈥淭he tracks tell you the story of what happened.鈥� Students read us their stories about tracks of all sorts鈥攕cars, train lines, tattoos, a friend鈥檚 suicide, a carpenter father鈥檚 hands. , professor of English, leads an experiential session on walking. (Listen to the students read their responses to her prompt .) After we eat dinner together, Karl teaches on his two passions鈥攑hilosophy and photography. We close the day by having students read a piece of published writing they enjoyed. On Sunday, I lead a session about how writing has allowed me to learn to pay attention to the world around me. , professor of English, follows me that afternoon with a talk about, essentially, finitude, which she called 鈥渢he dilemma of the day.鈥� Kristy and the authors she referenced offer one answer鈥攑lay.
This was perhaps the lesson that we were all learning most acutely that weekend. Though the sessions and the writing time were powerful and thought-provoking, what felt most remarkable was the shared experience. Afternoons spent鈥攆aculty and student alike鈥攖ubing carelessly down hills and pegging each other with snowballs. An evening when we took on the 鈥減olar bear plunge,鈥� which consisted of sitting in a sauna to get warm before jumping in the frozen lake. The students, in their invincibility, were so delighted with the feeling of the plunge that they did it two or three more times each. Kristy鈥檚 seven-year-old son, Caleb, reminding us all of how the world looked from a few feet lower, chiming in with a childlike perspective during heady conversations, and keeping us laughing. On our last day, a pack of us cross-country skiing and snowshoeing across the mile-wide lake to explore its islands, where we discovered yurts and giant swings. 鈥淚 think when you play together, it鈥檚 the best way to get to know each other,鈥� Markus Tenf盲lt, a , told me. 鈥淧eople relax when they have fun鈥攊t breaks down the barriers.鈥�
Several international students were on the trip, in part to improve their English. Some were self-conscious about sharing writing in their second language, but Kristy commended their work鈥檚 clarity, beauty, and strength. I agreed. 鈥淚nternational students don鈥檛 have a home to go home to during the breaks, like the Americans have,鈥� Axel Rejler, a Swedish exchange student, told me. 鈥淪o this is our chance to get off campus, calm down, and think.鈥� Looking around the snowy terrain, he said, 鈥淩eally, it looks like home. This could be Sweden.鈥�
But the weekend was more than recreation. There were chunks of time devoted to writing on your own, and the students took it seriously, preparing earnestly to share new pieces of writing on Sunday night. What they exhibited throughout the weekend in playfulness, they matched with vulnerability. One shared a poem about the shame he once harbored over his mother鈥檚 vocation as a home cleaner. Another, a ballad about surviving depression. Another, Bob Dylan-inspired lyrics about Swedish politics. The prompts given in all of our lessons were represented鈥攑oetry from a creative writing assignment Kristy gave, essays about walking. I cried as a student read her reflections about the power of paying attention. I鈥檓 not sure what I was expecting from the students鈥� writing, but what they shared throughout the weekend far exceeded it. I鈥檝e collected some of it , because I think what they wrote is beautiful and worth reading.
Students protested as we packed up our vans to head back to Chicago Monday morning. I wanted to protest too. Kristy calls this trip a 鈥渉igh-impact learning experience.鈥� Classroom time, writing, and exams are present at all universities, but this is the kind of thing that sets North Park apart. In exit interviews with seniors, she often hears the writing retreat brought up as a highlight and formative experience.
At the outset of the trip, a student told me he was thinking about transferring; he hasn鈥檛 been able to make good friends in his first year at North Park. Over the next four days, I see a change in him as he learns and writes with his peers鈥攈e鈥檚 more open, happy, understood. I don鈥檛 know where he is in his decision now, but he did tell me the retreat was the most meaningful experience he鈥檚 had at North Park so far.
When asked to describe the weekend in one word, students said 鈥渞estful,鈥� 鈥減eace,鈥� 鈥渆motional,鈥� and 鈥渞ejuvenate.鈥� My word would be 鈥渃onnected.鈥� This, to me, is the heart of the weekend: connection. A college education is more than the sum of one鈥檚 syllabi or credit hours. It鈥檚 the connections of those things with other, memorable, cherished components鈥攃onversations, experiences, relationships, intellectual revelations. It鈥檚 the connections between disciplines: What does it look like to be a writer when you鈥檙e majoring in government? What does an adult life of balance and connection look like? What we began on the retreat with the students is a start towards what we hope they鈥檒l do throughout their time at North Park and beyond: live connected, think deeply, play, pay attention.
Dr. Jon Peterson offers background of how Illinois arrived at the current budget impasse, as well as thoughts on what must happen at the state level to restore MAP grant funds.
Editor’s Note: 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 萝莉社) vulnerable to funding shortages. Significant coverage has been given by news outlets to the impact of the budget impasse on higher education. Here, Professor Jon Peterson offers some background of how the state arrived at this point, as well as thoughts on what must happen at the state level to restore these funds.
The current issue of the Spectrum, North Park’s student magazine, addresses this issue in a , director of financial aid.
By Dr. Jon Peterson, assistant professor of politics and government
We currently have no MAP grant funds because Governor Bruce Rauner and the Illinois General Assembly (that is, the state house and the state senate) have failed to pass a state budget. We do not have a state budget because our Republican governor and our Democratic legislative majorities have very different opinions about how to fix the serious problems in our state鈥檚 finances.
Last spring when and Democratic legislative leaders (like House Speaker and Senate President ) began negotiating the budget, the state estimated it would collect about $32 billion in taxes in 2016. The problem is, just to keep state services at last year鈥檚 levels, the state needed $38 billion. So, to fix a $6 billion gap in state finances, our state leaders had three choices: 1. cut services by reducing spending; 2. collect more money by raising taxes; or 3. some combination of both.
Governor Rauner chose the first option. He proposed a budget with no tax increases and steep spending cuts. Democrats in the General Assembly rejected the governor鈥檚 proposal and chose the third option. They passed a series of budget bills that increased taxes and cut spending. But according to the governor, those bills did not cut spending enough, since they would have spent $4 billion more than the state would have collected in taxes. As a result, Rauner vetoed every budget bill except the one that paid for public elementary and secondary schools.
Since the governor and state legislators failed to pass a budget, every state agency and program (other than public schools) technically ran out of money on July 1, 2015. But a series of court orders has forced the state to continue paying state workers and funding state programs at about 90 percent of their 2015 levels. The budget gap remains, however, and Illinois is now spending money faster than it is collecting it. By the end of June, we will overspend by more than $4 billion.
This budget standoff forms the backdrop of the debate. The bill funding MAP grants was one of the budget bills that Governor Rauner vetoed last spring, so the program is currently unfunded. At the end of January, the General Assembly approved , which included full funding ($373 million) for MAP grants. Governor Rauner on February 19, arguing that the state does not have the money to pay for the program. He also wants the General Assembly to give him new authority to make spending cuts during financial crises. Republicans in the legislature have introduced a bill that would give the governor this authority and fully fund MAP grants. But they do not have enough votes to pass the bill, and Democratic legislators are unwilling to give up budget power to the governor.
The Illinois Constitution gives the General Assembly the ability to override a governor鈥檚 veto, but they need 3/5 of their members to agree to do it. As long as Republican legislators side with the governor, the Democrats did not have enough votes to override the governor鈥檚 veto. On March 1, a motion to override the governor’s veto was filed in the Senate, and it arrived to the House on March 2. However, the 3/5 majority vote to override was not successful, and the veto of SB2043 stands.
Looking forward, any successful MAP grant bill is going to need the support of both a majority in the Illinois General Assembly and Governor Rauner. And until that happens, 130,000 college students across Illinois will be left without their much-needed MAP grants.
is assistant professor of politics and government at 萝莉社. His expertise is in the areas of American government and politics, public opinion and voting behavior, and religion and politics.
Singers to bring classical and contemporary works to Covenant Congregations over Spring Break
North Park’s University Choir and Chamber Singers perform throughout the year under the direction of Dr. Julia Davids.
CHICAGO (March 4, 2016) 鈥� Today, 萝莉社 students, faculty, and staff are putting the final touches on months of choral preparation. Next weekend, they鈥檒l be in the Pacific Northwest, nearly 2000 miles away from campus, on a five-city tour over the course of four days.
North Park’s and Chamber Singers will tour the Pacific Northwest over spring break, March 12颅鈥�15. Forty-one students, from聽 and music programs, in addition to several non-music majors or minors, will make stops at six Evangelical Covenant Church congregations and a Covenant retirement community in Portland, Ore.; Mercer Island, Wash.; Seattle, Wash.; Mount Vernon, Wash.; and Bellevue, Wash.
The tour, titled will feature a diverse array of both classical and contemporary sacred and secular works from composers including Ivo Antognini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ren茅 Clausen, Keith Hampton, Don Macdonald, Edwin Fissinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, James MacMillan, Anders Edenroth, Frank Ticheli, and Larry L. Fleming.
鈥淚 purposely selected varied works that creatively explore the concept of light鈥攖hrough the music and lyrics and overall affect,鈥� explained Dr. Julia Davids, 萝莉社’s聽.
鈥淭he Chamber Singers will perform a ‘Real Group’ arrangement of Swedish and Finnish folk songs聽that nod to our school鈥檚 unique heritage,鈥� Davids added.
In the spirit of North Park鈥檚 vision to be a “campus without borders,” the tour complements student musicians鈥� formal training with experiential learning and real-world performances.
鈥淚 get to experience what it means to be a committed choral member and musician,” says senior major Emily Swearer. “Choir tours mean singing under pressure, when you may not be feeling your best, when you have a million other things you need to do, and singing beautifully and intentionally anyway. It means being in close quarters with the same people for several days and choosing to work together, despite frustrations or fatigue, to make beautiful music.”
The tour also provides an opportunity to see the world beyond Chicago and build relationships with choirmates and faculty. Students room with local families during the tour and enjoy bonding during the bus rides between destinations.
鈥淲ith my family and church family so far away, they never get to see me perform with the North Park choirs鈥擨 can’t wait to look out into the crowd and see their faces,鈥� Swearer says. 鈥淭his is my last year at North Park, and it’s also possibly my last choir tour ever. To have the end of such an influential chapter of my life close at home, is like coming full circle. I’m thankful.”
School of Music touring ensembles regularly visit parts of the country where there are concentrations of University alumni and ECC congregations.
鈥淚 always enjoy seeing students grow and meet the challenges we鈥檝e given them,鈥� said Davids. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a pleasure to serve as an ambassador for the University.鈥�
All performances are free and open to the public:
Saturday, March 12, 6:30 pm, at Evergreen Covenant Church, Mercer Island, Wash.
Sunday, March 13, 11:00 am, at First Covenant Church, Seattle, Wash.
Sunday, March 13, 7:00 pm, at Bethany Covenant Church, Mount Vernon, Wash.
Monday, March 14, 7:00 pm, at Milwaukie Covenant Church, Portland, Ore.
Tuesday, March 15, 7:00 pm, at Highland Covenant Church, Bellevue, Wash.
Four of seven student applicants granted awards in 2014鈥�2015
Kate Asnicar C’2015 (left) is serving as an English Teaching Assistant with the Fulbright Program in Malaysia. She began her assignment at a secondary school on the island of Borneo in January, with a primary focus on encouraging her students to use the English language.
In a recent email to Dr. Linda Parkyn, she said, “I am having an excellent time here, surviving the 90-degree heat, and am having a hard time coming up with reasons to ever leave. Thank you again for all your support and allowing me to have the best experience of my life!”
CHICAGO (March 2, 2016) 鈥� 萝莉社 has once again been named a top-producer of students winning Fulbright awards, keeping company with schools that include the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Villanova, and more. The Chronicle of Higher Education in conjunction with a February 22 article exploring Fulbrights鈥� efforts to diversify the students and scholars who participate in this international exchange program.
This honor as a top-producer is based on the 2014鈥�2015 academic year, when seven North Park students applied for the program, and four were granted awards: , , , and . Since 2008, graduating North Park students have taking them around the globe, including to Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Andorra, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Malaysia, Ecuador, Turkey, and Colombia.
, professor of Spanish, 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 鈥淔ulbrightis.鈥� Good candidates, 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. 鈥淔ulbright is a prestigious award,” says 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鈥攁nd affect change for good in our world!鈥�
Parkyn has been working this academic year with student applicants, but official decisions on who will win student awards will be revealed by the Fulbright Program later this spring. “I can’t give anything away about our student applicants, but we do anticipate more North Parkers to travel the world with Fulbright this year,” she said. “We have three Fulbright semi-finalists for the 2015鈥�2016 year.”
The February list of top-producing institutions is categorized by institution type, and North Park falls into the 鈥渕aster鈥檚 institution鈥� category, a reflection of standard Carnegie Classifications for higher education institutions. This is the second time North Park has earned this distinction.
, the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants鈥攃hosen for their academic merit and leadership potential鈥攚ith the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Author tomgabrysiakPosted on Categories Stories
CHICAGO (May 4, 2016) 鈥� 萝莉社 continued its record of Fulbright success this spring, when the awarded overseas teaching opportunities to two University students and one alumna.
聽CHICAGO (April 28, 2016) 鈥� On Monday, the 萝莉社 community gathered in Anderson Chapel for the annual Honors Convocation, a celebration recognizing students who demonstrated excellence in the classroom and community.
聽CHICAGO (April 18, 2016) 鈥� Students applying to 萝莉社 for Spring 2017 or later will now have the ability to do so through the , an online system used by nearly 700 colleges and universities in the United States and around the world to manage the college admission process.
CHICAGO (March 29, 2016) 鈥� It鈥檚 the Friday before midterms, and we鈥檙e loading up vans in the lot behind Burgh Hall. The students are discussing all the homework they鈥檒l be trying to disremember for the next few days. They don鈥檛 get credit for attending this, and it鈥檚 not mandatory. Students of all majors are welcome, but there鈥檚 a strong showing of English and philosophy majors. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e about to take on the final push before spring break,鈥� , associate professor of philosophy, tells me. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a breaking point in the semester where most of them could really use a rest. The trip is good for that.鈥�
Saturday and Sunday, our full days at the camp, are structured around meals and learning sessions, with time in between to write and two readings to share your work. Professor of Philosophy opens the retreat with a lesson on tracking animals. We walk around a snowy field and follow the tracks of rabbits and deer. Greg鈥攚hom the students refer to by first name鈥攕ends them off to track animals. He asks them to come back with a story: what the narrative of the animals鈥� movements might be. One group of students tracks the path of a rabbit they imagine to be a Rambo-style secret forest police officer. Another group finds tracks so big that the only imaginable solution is a Yeti. I suggest snowshoes; they are unconvinced鈥攁nd share a poem they wrote about the Yeti.
This was perhaps the lesson that we were all learning most acutely that weekend. Though the sessions and the writing time were powerful and thought-provoking, what felt most remarkable was the shared experience. Afternoons spent鈥攆aculty and student alike鈥攖ubing carelessly down hills and pegging each other with snowballs. An evening when we took on the 鈥減olar bear plunge,鈥� which consisted of sitting in a sauna to get warm before jumping in the frozen lake. The students, in their invincibility, were so delighted with the feeling of the plunge that they did it two or three more times each. Kristy鈥檚 seven-year-old son, Caleb, reminding us all of how the world looked from a few feet lower, chiming in with a childlike perspective during heady conversations, and keeping us laughing. On our last day, a pack of us cross-country skiing and snowshoeing across the mile-wide lake to explore its islands, where we discovered yurts and giant swings. 鈥淚 think when you play together, it鈥檚 the best way to get to know each other,鈥� Markus Tenf盲lt, a , told me. 鈥淧eople relax when they have fun鈥攊t breaks down the barriers.鈥�
We currently have no MAP grant funds because Governor Bruce Rauner and the Illinois General Assembly (that is, the state house and the state senate) have failed to pass a state budget. We do not have a state budget because our Republican governor and our Democratic legislative majorities have very different opinions about how to fix the serious problems in our state鈥檚 finances.
