North Park University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

university in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. It was founded in 1891 by the

Evangelical Covenant Church The Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) is an evangelical denomination with Pietism, Pietist Lutheran roots. The Christian denomination, denomination has 129,015 members in 878 congregations and an average worship attendance of 219,000 people in th ...

. It is located on Chicago's north side in the North Park community area and enrolls more than 2,600 undergraduate and graduate students.

History

The university originated in the founding of North Park Theological Seminary in 1891 by the

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. In 1894, the school moved to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and opened as "North Park College", to its present location at the corner of Foster and Kedzie. Although far from the Loop, the location was close to then existing Swedish-American villages and the newly established

Swedish Covenant Hospital Swedish Hospital (formerly Swedish Covenant Hospital) is a 312-bed nonprofit teaching hospital located on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. The hospital offers over 50 medical specialties, including neurosurgery for the spine and brain, inte ...

Old Main Old Main is a term often applied to the original building present on college or university campuses in the United States. The building serves today as home to administrative offices, such as the president or provost, but in its early inception may ...

, the oldest building on campus, was erected and dedicated on June 16, 1894. It is at this time that the name North Park was first used to describe the school. “North Park University History and Heritage”
/ref> Struggles and success marked the early years of North Park; enrollment and funding fluctuated significantly. An interesting source of both money and headache came from P. H. Anderson, who was serving as a Covenant

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...

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at the time. When he made a small fortune during the

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

, he donated a significant portion of the windfall to North Park. However, the money was considered tainted by some of North Park’s leadership, who thought the money was of dubious origin. A leader at that time was

David Nyvall David Nyvall (January 19, 1863 – February 6, 1946) was a Swedish immigrant to the United States and church leader who helped shape the Evangelical Covenant Church and establish North Park University in Chicago. Biography Upbringing and educa ...

. Nyvall served as president and teacher in the

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

for many years. The current seminary building, Nyvall Hall, is named after him. Since the early days, the school has developed and changed in many ways. In 1958, North Park Junior College expanded from a two-year college into a four-year program, becoming North Park College. In 1997, the decision was made to change the name of the school again, and North Park University was born. Though North Park still holds on to its

Swedish American Swedish Americans () are Americans of Swedish descent. The history of Swedish Americans dates back to the early colonial times, with notable migration waves occurring in the 19th and early 20th centuries and approximately 1.2 million arrivi ...

past and close ties with the

, it is now an intercultural institution focused on diversity. North Park describes itself as a

liberal arts university A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general in ...

that is Christian, city-centered, and intercultural. North Park University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Higher Learning Commission. It is also a designated Hispanic-serving institution. The seminary is additionally accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. North Park's last president, David L. Parkyn, retired at the end of the 2016–2017 academic year. Carl E. Balsam was named as the interim president in June 2017, and served until August 2018. Mary Surridge was nominated as the school's tenth president, and began her term in August 2018.

Academics

The university is organized into the following academic units: * College of Arts and Sciences * School of Business and Nonprofit Management * School of Education * School of Nursing and Health Sciences * School of Professional Studies *

North Park Theological Seminary North Park Theological Seminary is a seminary located in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. It is the sole graduate theological school of the Evangelical Covenant Church. History In 1891, the school was founded by the Evangelical ...

It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number out of 365 graduates in 2022, were: *Business Administration and Management (93) *Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (64) *Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (34) *Psychology (30)

Athletics

120px, North Pack athletics logo The North Park athletic teams are called the Vikings. The university is a member of the

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the

College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. CCIW schools have accounted for 50 national championships in ...

(CCIW) since the 1962–63 academic year. The Vikings previously competed in the

Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Its 12 members are loc ...

(CCAC) of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) from 1959–60 to 1961–62. North Park competes in 19 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball. In January 2023, North Park introduced its first esports team, a co-ed intercollegiate sport that competes in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC).

Men's basketball

North Park has had a successful men's basketball program. It has won five men's

NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship The NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament (officially styled as "Championship" instead of "Tournament") is a tournament to determine the NCAA Division III national champion. It has been held annually from 1975 to 2019 & since 2022, but no ...

s since 1978, including three consecutive ones led by

Michael Harper Michael or Mike Harper may refer to: * C. Michael Harper (1927–2016), American businessman * Michael Harper (priest) (1931–2010), English charismatic Anglican, later an Orthodox priest * Michael S. Harper (1938–2016), African-American poet * ...

, who later played for the NBA's

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. In the 2022–23 season, North Park advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen under first-year and current head coach Sean Smith, going 24-6 (13-3 in CCIW Conference play). Coach Smith also won Conference Coach of the Year, as well as NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.

Men's track and field

North Park's Dave Valentine won the 1983 NCAA Men's Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship in the 10,000 meters setting a Division III National Championship record held from 1983 to 1994 and setting school records in the Indoor 2 mile, 3 mile and 5,000 meters in addition to the Outdoor 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters and Marathon.

Men's soccer

North Park men's soccer ended their 2017 season with a record of 20-2-2, finishing runner-up for the National Championship title. Their decorated season included a CCIW Championship, CCIW Tournament Championship, victories all the way to the NCAA Championship game, seven All-CCIW picks (including Newcomer and Player of the Year), four All-Region picks, a First Team All American selection, and a plethora of awards for Head Coach John Born: National Coach of the Year, Regional Coach of the Year, and CCIW Coach of the Year. The team is currently coached by North Park soccer alum Kris Grahn.

Baseball

North Park's baseball team is the six-time CCIW regular season champions, most recently winning in 2012. The Vikings have made the NCAA Division III tournament 18 times (five consecutive) and won the conference tournament thrice. The baseball team has made the NCAA tournament six times, most recently in 2012. Two Vikings have been drafted by MLB teams: Randy Ross (15th round of the 1983 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers) and Mike Giovenco (14th round by the Kansas City Royals). The Vikings also boast five Rawlings Gold Glove Award winners.

Women's volleyball

In 2022, Coach Michael Sopocy led the Vikings to the program's first-ever CCIW Tournament Championship. North Park defeated top-seeded tournament host Carthage College 3-1 to earn an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III tournament.

Club sports and intramurals

North Park fields club teams for men's and women's ultimate frisbee and men's volleyball. There is also a healthy

Intramural sports Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...

program on campus.

National championships

Men's basketball: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1987 Men's track & field: 1983 10,000 meters

Student Government Association

The North Park Student Government Association (SGA) sponsors many student-led

organizations An organization or organisation ( Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is an entity—such as a company, or corporation or an institution (formal organization), or an association—comprising one or more people and having a par ...

on campus. Some of these include Women in STEM, the Black Student Union, and the Christian Students Organization.

Johnson Center for Science and Community Life

The Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life was opened in September 2014. The expansion cost $57 million largely funded by Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson in a capital campaign named "Campaign North Park". The Johnson Center is a state-of-the-art addition to North Park University's science programs and is home to 1891 Bread Co. The Johnson Center has 101,000 square feet, three floors and a garden level and is located in the central area of campus. Equipped with 30 science laboratories, the building is a space for student and faculty research, "smart" technology in every classroom, and several conference rooms. The Johnson Center is also dedicated to campus community life with a two-story atrium and lobby for gathering and social interaction, offices for programs supporting co-curricular learning, spiritual growth, vocational development, urban engagement, and campus life. The building is also equipped with communal study spaces, a prayer room, and a courtyard.

Swedish-American traditions

North Park University's Brandel Library administers the Swedish-American Historical Society Archives in Chicago. The Center for Scandinavian Studies at North Park is the legal trustee. The

Saint Lucy's Day Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-fourth-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution. According to l ...

festival is held each December in Anderson Chapel. The service follows many

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

traditions and is one of the few Santa Lucia Festivals held in the

Chicago area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities ...

. The university has an

student exchange ''Student Exchange'' is a 1987 American television film, made-for-television comedy film directed by Mollie Miller and produced by Walt Disney Television. It originally aired November 29, 1987 as a presentation of ''Walt Disney anthology telev ...

program with

Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola Södra Vätterbygdens Folkhögskola (SVF) is a folk high school located in the town Jönköping, Sweden. In total it has around 300 students. The school offers a number of study programs in different fields: bible, journalism, graphic design and ...

and

Jönköping University Jönköping University (JU), formerly Högskolan i Jönköping, is a private Swedish university college located in Jönköping, Sweden. The college has approximately 832 employees and 10,992 students. Jönköping University is a young profession ...

Jönköping Jönköping (, ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in southern Sweden with 112,766 inhabitants (2022). Jönköping is situated on the southern shore of Sweden's second largest lake, Vättern, in the province of Småland. The city is the seat o ...

, Sweden.

Notable alumni

Bill Anderson James William Anderson III (born November 1, 1937) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and television host. His soft-spoken singing voice earned him the nickname "Whispering Bill" from music critics and writers. As a songwriter, hi ...

, American football player and coach * Mari Andrew, writer and illustrator * Roy Applequist, Kansas agriculture manufacturing company founder *

Del Barber Delainey Doucha Barber (born October 14, 1983) is a Canadian independent folk, folk rock, Americana, and alternative country singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. Barber has been nominated for and won a number of awards including a ...

, singer-songwriter and musician *

Paul Carlson Paul E. Carlson (March 31, 1928 – November 24, 1964) was an American physician and medical missionary who served in Wasolo, a town in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He originated from Rolling Hills Covenant Church in Sou ...

, American missionary killed in Congo in 1964 *

Gordon Edes Gordon Edes (born Sept. 24, 1954) is an American sportswriter who as a beat reporter covered all four major professional U.S. leagues (MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL) in the course of a nearly 40-year career that began in 1976 with the ''Chicago Tribune''. ...

, sportswriter and team historian of the Boston Red Sox * Kathryn Edin, academic and author *

Raymond Ericson Raymond Ericson (June 26, 1915 – December 30, 1997) was an American music critic who wrote articles for ''The New York Times'' for 30 years. Life and career Born in Brooklyn, Ericson earned an associate degree in mathematics from North Park ...

, music critic *

Nancy Faust Nancy Faust (born March 11, 1947) is an Americans, American former stadium organ (music), organist for Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox. Biography Early life Faust grew up in the Chicago, Illinois, Chicago area, and began playing the or ...

, organist * Stephen T. Franklin, theologian *

Anita Gustafson Anita Olson Gustafson (born March 3, 1961) is an American historian and academic administrator who is the 20th and current president of Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. She took office on August 1, 2023, and was most recently the ...

, historian and president of

Presbyterian College Presbyterian College (PC) is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, South Carolina, United States. It was founded in 1880 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). History Presbyterian College was founded in 1880 by Willia ...

* G. Timothy Johnson, medical journalist * Mike Harper, basketball player *

Carl Hawkinson Carl E. Hawkinson (born October 7, 1947) is an American attorney and former Republican member of the Illinois General Assembly, serving in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1983 to 1987 and the Illinois Senate from 1987 to 2003. Early ...

, state legislator * Paul J. Marwin, politician * James R. Thompson, former governor of Illinois *

Arthur W. Wermuth Arthur William Wermuth Jr. (May 3, 1915 – June 13, 1981), dubbed the "One-Man Army of Bataan," was a United States Army officer during World War II and a prisoner of war from April 1942 until August 1945. Background Wermuth was born in South ...

, "One-Man Army of Bataan," United States Army Officer *

Paul Zaeske Paul Allan Zaeske (December 4, 1945 – April 18, 1992) was an American professional football wide receiver who played two seasons with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college ...

, American football player *

TimTheTatman Timothy John Betar (born April 8, 1990), better known as TimTheTatman, is an American live streamer and YouTube personality. Career Betar started streaming on Twitch (service), Twitch in 2012 and has amassed over seven million followers sinc ...

, formally known as Timothy Betar, YouTube streamer and internet personality *

Greg Dolezal Gregory Robert Dolezal (born October 1, 1978) is an American politician who is currently serving as the Georgia state senator for the 27th district in Cumming, Georgia. Life and career Dolezal grew up in Joliet, Illinois. He graduated from Nor ...

, politician and

Georgia State Senator The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The Georgia State Senate and the lower house of the General Assembly, the Georgia House of Representatives, comprise the bicameral legis ...

for the 27th district in

Cumming, Georgia Cumming is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, Georgia, United States, and the sole incorporated area in the county. It is a suburban city, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. In the 2020 census, the population is 7,318, up fro ...

References

External links

*
Athletics website

''North Park Press''
– student newspaper website (archived) {{coord, 41.9752, -87.7098, display=title Universities and colleges in Chicago Universities and colleges affiliated with the Evangelical Covenant Church Universities and colleges established in 1891 Swedish-American culture in Chicago 1891 establishments in Illinois Council for Christian Colleges and Universities Private universities and colleges in Illinois