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.
Amy Rohler MDiv ’04 received the Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award in December 2024.
Amy Rohler MDiv ’04 received the 2024 Pam Lydic Coalition Builder Award after overseeing the merger of two regional New York chapters of the United Way. Rohler has served seven years as the executive director of the United Way of Southern Chautauqua County and previously was executive director of Helping Hands. The Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce board of directors recognized her in December 2024 for this work.
The award is named for Pam Lydic, the first president and CEO of the Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce. It recognizes an individual who has united groups around a common goal to move the region forward. Read more at The Post-Journal.
Congratulations to all the students who made the fall 2024 dean’s list.
Congratulations to all the students who made the fall 2024 dean’s list. Degree-seeking students with at least 12 semester credit hours at North Park University and a GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible for this honor.
Oakland University has awarded bestselling author Austin Channing Brown BA ’04 a Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa.
Oakland University awarded bestselling author Austin Channing Brown BA ’06 a Doctor of Humane Letters Honoris Causa at its fall commencement ceremony on December 13, 2024.
In her book I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness—along with its adapted version for youth—Channing Brown calls readers to recognize and address systemic racism. She is currently writing her third book, Full of Myself: Notes on Black Womanhood, which will be released this year.
Nnenna Okore’s work was displayed at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum’s Climates and Carpets exhibition.
North Park University Professor of Art Nnenna Okore was one of several international artists whose work was displayed at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum’s Climates and Carpets exhibition. All works drew inspiration from traditional Azerbaijani carpet weaving and its patterns while highlighting the importance of climate change action.
“This was a unique opportunity to exhibit my work at a museum that usually shows carpet art, showing that collaborations are possible across different fields of art and craft,” Okore said of her work entitled “Chance.”
Although she couldn’t attend the opening ceremony because of a weather-related canceled flight, the event curator conveyed to the audience the meaning of her piece: “It reflects the planets’ grandeur and impetus,” Okore said. “It invites the audience to consider forces of nature and how to be attuned to nature’s agency.”
The exhibition was open from November 15–30, and the museum dedicated the exhibit to the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Azerbaijan from November 11–22. Read more about Climates and Carpetshere.
Melissa Pavlik will use a $5,000 Illinois Humanities grant to support incarcerated writing students who are North Park Theological Seminary students or graduates.
Melissa Pavlik, director of North Park University’s Writing Center, will use a $5,000 Illinois Humanities grant to support incarcerated writing students who are graduates or students of the North Park Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with Restorative Arts program.
“This funding is vital for our project because it allows us to amplify our writing group members’ voices in a manner accessible to outside family, community members, and the general public,” Pavlik said.
Since 2023, Pavlik has led the weekly writing group called WRIT112 at Stateville Correctional Center (whose population has temporarily relocated to Illinois River Correctional Center). Many of the group members are also North Park writing tutors.
Pavlik plans to spend the grant on producing the group’s anthology of writing and visual art, Writing from Both Sides of the Moon, which North Park’s Office of Civic Engagement will display at a Catalyst event in April 2025 alongside Feather Bricks, a magazine Pavlik produces.
In September 2024, Illinois Humanities awarded $147,000 to 13 groups and six individuals, including Pavlik, to fund visionary and innovative projects that use the humanities as a tool to examine mass incarceration and collectively shape a more just future. Read more here.
On November 21, North Park University hosted the sixth annual Chicago Public Schools College Compact Symposium: Navigating Financial Aid Processes.
On November 21, North Park University hosted the sixth annual Chicago Public Schools (CPS) College Compact Symposium: Navigating Financial Aid Processes. About 200 staff members from high schools and colleges that promote postsecondary success for CPS students attended.
The CPS College Compact selected North Park as the hosting institution due to its emergence as a strong partner in the organization’s work and its commitment to CPS students’ success.
CPS Director of Persistence, Alumni Support, and Success Jenny Coulter Zuluaga said, “North Park practiced radical hospitality; from President Surridge’s gracious opening welcome, to staff shoveling sidewalks, to technology support, to thoughtful workshop session facilitation, we felt the whole campus’ support for this critical professional development day.”
North Park has also committed to working on shared strategies with the CPS College Compact to increase CPS students’ persistence and completion of postsecondary education. The organizations are working on a Promising Practice Innovation Fund proposal to improve work-study by strategically developing student workers’ transferable skills through mentorship, professional development, and intentional goal setting.
“We are truly grateful for the partnership and look forward to strengthening our collaboration in the coming years,” said Coulter Zuluaga.
North Park University has been recognized by Colleges of Distinction as one of only five institutions in Illinois as Best Colleges for International Students 2024.
North Park University is honored to be one of only five Illinois institutions recognized as Colleges of Distinction’s Best Colleges for International Students 2024, a new accolade from the higher education guidance organization.
The evaluation categories included:
Recruitment and retention of international students
Guidance on living and studying in the United States
Academic acclimation and support
Fostering a sense of belonging on campus
Career development and immigration support
This honor highlights North Park’s longstanding commitment to fostering a globally engaged community through innovative programs and support for international students. It underscores the university’s efforts to provide a diverse, inclusive educational experience that prepares students for leadership in an intercultural world.
Central to this mission is the Office of International Affairs, which facilitates cross-cultural exchange and global learning opportunities that enrich North Park’s campus and beyond.
North Park University is proud to be named one of the 50 Fulbright Hispanic Serving Institution Leaders for 2024.
North Park University is proud to be named one of the 50 Fulbright HSI Leaders for 2024. Each year since 2021, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognizes select Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for their robust engagement with the Fulbright Program, the United States government’s flagship international academic exchange program. It is North Park’s first time receiving the honor.
Since she started in 2020, North Park’s Director of the Office of International Affairs Tessa Zanoni has advised 18 applicants for the program, three of whom received Fulbrights to Taiwan, Finland, and Jordan. Four additional students have been named semi-finalists.
“As a Fulbright alumna myself, serving as the program advisor has been a full-circle experience,” Zanoni said. “It’s been gratifying to grow the program and help students receive nationally competitive and life-changing awards.”
Fulbright HSI Leaders demonstrate noteworthy support for Fulbright exchange participants and encourage administrators, faculty, and students at HSIs to engage with Fulbright on campus. The Fulbright HSI Leaders Initiative also highlights the strength of HSIs as destinations for international students and scholars.
Two North Park professors have also received recent Fulbright awards. In 2022, Dr. Dennis Bricault received a Fulbright Scholar Award to the International University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan. In 2023–24, Dr. Lida Nedilsky received a Fulbright Scholar Award to the University of Warsaw in Poland.
Senior Bureau Official Scott Weinhold of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs commended the 2024 Fulbright HSI Leaders for supporting the Fulbright Program: “Fulbrighters from HSIs contribute to the program’s goal of reflecting the full diversity, perspectives, and talents of the American people,” Weinhold said.
North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in21st-century America.
North Park University ranks high in two online categories on Intelligent.com.
North Park University celebrated new milestones in Intelligent.com’s online program rankings.
North Park Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Christian Ministry climbed to the 15th position for Best Online Master’s in Ministry Degree Programs of 2025, up five spots from last year. This growth underscores the seminary’s commitment to shaping impactful leaders in ministry.
This year also marks the debut ranking of the School of Education’s Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (MAEL), which North Park transitioned to being fully online this fall. Securing 36th place among the Best Online Master’s in Educational Administration Degree Programs of 2025, the MAEL opens doors for educators seeking transformative leadership roles.
North Park University announces Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean’s appointment as its new College of Arts and Sciences dean.
North Park University announces Dr. Peter K. B. St. Jean’s appointment as its new College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) dean. With more than 20 years of higher education experience, St. Jean brings a bold vision for the college, emphasizing the real-world application of liberal arts education.
As the associate dean of humanities and social sciences (HaSS) and interim CAS co-dean, he was vital in improving faculty morale and fostering community. During this time, St. Jean led several successful initiatives, including the Tour de HaSS, CAS Welcome Assembly, CAS in Practice, CAS Send-Off, and Black Peace in the City and was an early leader in the Practical Liberal Arts initiative.
He has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Chicago, a Master of Arts in Criminology, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. He will soon earn a Master of Organizational Leadership from North Park with a certificate in nonprofit management; an executive certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a certificate in conflict management.
St. Jean’s deep connection to North Park’s mission, scholarship, and service—and his commitment to interculturalism and community engagement—make him an ideal leader for CAS.
Author Kennedy MurphyPosted on Categories Stories
