ϳԹ

Category: News

Dr. G. Timothy Johnson on “Healthcare – Free Market or Government Control?”

Former ABC Chief Medical Correspondent and North Park graduate, Dr. G. Timothy Johnson, will be discussing “Healthcare—Free Market or Government Control at 3 pm on Thursday, April 25 in the Johnson Center Boardroom (JC 325).

Announcement


Former ABC Chief Medical Correspondent and North Park graduate, Dr. G. Timothy Johnson, will be discussing “Healthcare—Free Market or Government Control at 3 pm on Thursday, April 25 in the Johnson Center Boardroom (JC 325).

Dr. Tim is a public health expert who has spent decades working as the Chief Medical Correspondent for ABC News. Dr. Tim has also been a long-time supporter of ϳԹ. In 2014, the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, a state-of-the-art science center opened its doors on ϳԹ’s campus. Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear from an expert on the state of healthcare in the US.

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A Word of Caution: Student Loan Forgiveness Scams

ϳԹ urges students, graduates, and their families to always take caution of too-good-to-be-true offers and never share personal information with un-verified sources.

Students, graduates, and families, please take caution of student loan forgiveness scams.

A wide-spread student loan forgiveness scam has been circulating with false claims of providing immediate relief from student loan debt, referencing universities such as North Park. The advertisements offer a false time-sensitive claim for full loan forgiveness. Although paying off student loan debt is a major concern for many college graduates, the U.S. Department of Education has not introduced a student loan forgiveness program that would wipe away a person’s debt.

ϳԹ urges students, graduates, and their families to always take caution of too-good-to-be-true offers and never share personal information with un-verified sources.

If you have concerns or are unsure of a possible scam, please visit the.

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ϳԹ Receives Grant from National Science Foundation

ϳԹ has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand pathways for more undergraduate students to meet the nation’s need for well-educated scientists, engineers, and technicians.

ϳԹ has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to expand pathways for more undergraduate students to meet the nation’s need for well-educated scientists, engineers, and technicians.

North Park faculty members Dr. Stephen Ray (principal investigator), and co-principal investigators Dr. Eric Brown, Dr. Elizabeth Gray, andDr. Sunshine Silver won the grant for their project entitled, Leveraging a STEM-focused Urban Industry Immersion Program to Expand Pathways for Undergraduates into STEM Fields.

“This historic award will be absolutely transformational in the lives of our STEM students,” said ϳԹ President Mary K. Surridge. “And it represents a tremendous amount of excellent work by our distinguished faculty. This should continue to raise the profile of our outstanding science programs and the overall educational experience at ϳԹ.”

Over five years, this project will fund 20 scholarships for two groups of 10 students who are pursuing baccalaureate degrees in physics/engineering or biology. The project will support science and engineering students as they participate in a new urban-industry experiential immersion program. This program includes undergraduate research, internships, class projects, job skills development, and opportunities for students to learn about careers in industry. Student cohorts will be guided by faculty to foster strong connections with the industry and to help students develop job skills and knowledge about science and engineering-oriented careers.

The interdisciplinary research team is composed of faculty from the Departments of Physics & Engineering, Biology, Psychology, and Chemistry. To win this substantial grant award, the team leveraged the momentum gained from ϳԹ’s recently constructed Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life, and the University’s newly implemented Chicago-based curriculum, Catalyst 606__.

ABOUTNORTH PARK UNIVERSITY

ϳԹis a city-centered, intercultural, and Christian university located in Chicago.

/

Christopher Childers
Assistant Vice President of University Marketing and Communications
ϳԹ
773-244-5750
cchilders@northpark.edu

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Exploring Tensions Between Christianity and Literature at Harvard

Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, dean of ϳԹ’s College of Arts and Sciences and professor of humanities, is co-organizing the international meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature at Harvard Divinity School.

Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, dean of ϳԹ’s College of Arts and Sciences and professor of humanities, is co-organizing the international meeting of the Conference on Christianity and Literature at Harvard Divinity School. The conference, which will take place from March 29-30, brings together more than 70 scholars from the US, Canada, the UK, Kuwait, and India.

“The Problem with God: Christianity and Literature in Tension” explores religious struggles from John Donne to Louise Erdrich and from John Milton to Marilynne Robinson. As the states, “explorations of the problem of God have not been confined to theology and philosophy alone but have also been investigated in literary works. Numerous writers in the Western tradition, especially since the dawn of the Enlightenment period, have produced works of art that reveal religious tensions. Unlike philosophers and theologians, however, literary authors have often written about concrete problems literary characters experience with God. What’s more, literary works self-consciously wrestle with language in a way that can uniquely illuminate limits and generate possibilities for theological language. Countless writers from Goethe to Auden and from Dickinson to C. S. Lewis have investigated problems with the Christian God, doctrine, and practices. To this day, religious struggles have proven to be quite productive in literature.”

More About Dr. Thuswaldner

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School of Education Approved for Gateways to Opportunity Credential

As an entitled institution, students at ϳԹ have the opportunity to qualify for state-recognized credentials as they take courses or complete a degree through the School of Education.

ϳԹ has been approved as an entitled institution for the Gateways to Opportunity ECE (Early Childhood Education) Credential—Level 5 through 2023. As an entitled institution, students at ϳԹ have the opportunity to qualify for state-recognized credentials as they take courses or complete a degree through the School of Education.

ϳԹ is among a select group of institutions in Illinois to be entitled for the Gateways to Opportunity Credentials. All Gateways to Opportunity Credentials have competencies that reflect multiple professional standards, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards. The faculty at ϳԹ has worked diligently to align their courses with the Gateways to Opportunity competencies.

Dr. Ida Maduram, professor and coordinator of Elementary and Early Childhood Programs, says she is delighted for the opportunity. “The Gateways ECE Credential Level 5 is an additional professional opportunity that we are able to provide for our students in the Early Childhood Studies. As our program is growing, we are delighted that our students will be able to able to empower and invest in the future of young children in traditional and non-traditional learning environments.”

ϳԹ’s Early Childhood program is a robust teacher education program offering a BA in Early Childhood for students seeking Illinois licensure and a BA in Early Childhood Studies for students interested in a non-licensure degree. In a time when Early Childhood Education is defining itself as a field that promotes professional development, ϳԹ has become entitled to help further this goal by graduating students ready to provide quality care and education to young children in Illinois.


Gateways to Opportunity, Illinois Professional Development System, is designed to provide guidance, support and recognition to practitioners who serve children and families in Illinois. Gateways to Opportunity is administered by the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (INCCRRA) on behalf of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS). Visit the Gateways to Opportunity website at to learn more.

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Dean Thuswaldner Elected as Fellow of Royal Historical Society

Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Humanities, was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of humanities, was elected as a fellow of the Royal Historical Society, which is based at University College London. Founded in 1872, fellowships are awarded to individuals who made “‘an original contribution to historical scholarship,’ normally through the authorship of a monograph, a body of scholarly work similar in scale and impact to a monograph, or the organisation of exhibitions, conferences, the editing of journals and other works of diffusion and dissemination grounded in historical scholarship. Election is conducted by peer review and all applications must be supported by an existing Fellow.” Thuswaldner has extensively written on Austrian literary and cultural history.

About Dr. Thuswaldner

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Science-minded High Schoolers Offered College-level Courses at ϳԹ’s Summer Science Academy

Back by popular demand,ϳԹwill open its state-of-the-art science facilities to high schoolers who enroll in our Summer Science Academy,June 17–July 11.

Back by popular demand,ϳԹwill open its state-of-the-art science facilities to high schoolers who enroll in our Summer Science Academy,June 17–July 11. Now in its fourth year, the Summer Science Academy will offer credit-bearing, university-quality instruction in a supportive, enriching environment.

Some Specifics about:

  • June 17–July 11 one- and two-week long courses meet either in the morning or afternoon
  • Course fee$180per week per course
  • 2-week courses earnNorth Parkcredit
  • 10% early-bird discount registrationMarch 31st
  • Priority registration and scholarship applicationApril 30
  • Final registrationMay 15

“All the experiments were very interesting. I had a lot of fun, along with learning a lot,” said one 2018 student participant.

“These courses are a great opportunity for students to experience science as closely as it could be at a college level but with the added guidance appropriate for high schoolers,” said Dr.Yoojin Choi, the program’s director.

New to Summer Science 2019 is Forensic Chemistry, a perfect opportunity to experienceNorth Park’sChemistry Instrumentation Laboratory. Students learn the chemistry behind techniques utilized in examining physical evidence from crime scenes. Like all Summer Science courses, Forensic Chemistry will use hands-on, experiential learning.

Students can choose from the following courses:

  • Human Anatomy Boot Camp: Department of Biology
  • Fins, Fur, and Feathers: Department of Biology (2 weeks)
  • Genomes from the Chicago River: Department of Biology (2 weeks)
  • Forensic Chemistry: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Body Dynamics and Comfort: Division of Health Sciences

North Parkstarted the program so high schoolers could have access to high-quality, engaging science courses, according to Choi. The idea, she said, is to foster in young people a curiosity about science, which eventually leads to their involvement in science-related careers.

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NPR Reports on NPTS School of Restorative Arts

NPR Illinois delivers a powerful report on the program, including an interview with Ro’derick Zavala, a student who is incarcerated at Stateville.

North Park Theological Seminary’s new School of Restorative Arts continues to garner media buzz since its at Stateville Correctional Center. The program is recognized for its unique offering of a Master of Arts in Christian ministry for students who are both free and incarcerated to study together in a cohort setting. Most recently, NPR Illinois delivers a powerful report on the program, including an interview with Ro’derick Zavala, a student who is incarcerated at Stateville. Read the full story or listen to the audio piece recorded with Zavala’s own voice.

Posted on Categories News, Stories

ϳԹ to Offer Scholarships for New Pep Band

The new pep band will offer renewable $1,000 annual scholarships to up to 16 students who try out for and join the band in the fall of 2019.

ϳԹ has announced it will form a new pep band, and will offer renewable $1,000 annual scholarships to up to 16 students who try out for and join the band in the fall of 2019.

The pep band will play at about 15 home football and basketball games throughout 2019-20, and will include “musical, enthusiastic” students who earn their spots through tryouts similar to those held for cheerleading and dance scholarships. University officials hope to eventually increase the pep band to as many as 32 members.

The band will be made up of a rhythm section with an electric guitar, electric bass, and drums, along with a melodic section featuring brass and woodwind instruments such as tuba, trombone, saxophone, clarinet, and flute.

University officials say they expect many band members to be non-music majors who are nonetheless interested in performing with a band.

The scholarship fund will also include a $3,000 stipend for student band leaders. The move is meant to both boost fan support, and student enrollment, according to Jack Surridge, North Park’s Director of Athletics.

Students interested in auditioning should schedule an on-campus audition or submit a recorded audition by April 15.Check out North Park’s Website for more details on talent-based scholarships.

ABOUT NORTH PARK UNIVERSITY

ϳԹis a city-centered, intercultural, and Christian university located in Chicago.

/

Christopher Childers
Assistant Vice President of University Marketing and Communications
ϳԹ
773-244-5750
cchilders@northpark.edu

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ϳԹ Boosts Scholarships for Transfer Students

ϳԹ will increase scholarship awards to the highest achieving transfer students by 44%, a move that should help traditional transfer students reach degree completion.

Officials at ϳԹ announced that they will increase scholarship awards to the highest achieving transfer students by 44%, a move that should help traditional transfer students reach degree completion.

  • The increased scholarships will apply to traditional transfer students starting in the fall 2019 semester.
  • The scholarships should help traditional transfer students reach degree completion.
  • Nationally, students who transfer from two- to four-year schools are graduating with bachelor’s degrees in historically high numbers.

The scholarships are available to transfer students who have achieved outstanding grade point averages at their previous institutions.

Under North Park’s new award structure: The Platinum scholarship, available to those with a GPA of 3.5 or greater, increases to $13,000 from $9,000, a 44% increase; the Gold scholarship, for students with GPAs between 3.0-3.49, will increase to $9,500 from $7,500, a 26% increase; and the Silver award increases to $7,000 from $5,000, a 40% jump.

“We believe that these increases in scholarship funds will attract even more high achieving academic students to our world-class institution,” said Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing Anthony Scola. “Even more students will be able to experience the life-changing benefits of a North Park education.”

Founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church, ϳԹ is located on Chicago’s North Side and enrolls 3,200 students. Programs such as Catalyst 606__, a city-centered curriculum, and Crux, North Park’s Christian living/learning cohort, allow students to find themselves academically and spiritually.

Nationally, the outcomes for students who transfer from two- to four-year colleges have improved in recent years. Of the 268,000 students who transferred from a community college to a four-year institution in 2017, about 42% of those went on to earn a bachelor’s degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

ABOUTNORTH PARK UNIVERSITY

ϳԹis a city-centered, intercultural, and Christian university located in Chicago.

/

Christopher Childers
Assistant Vice President of University Marketing and Communications
ϳԹ
773-244-5750
cchilders@northpark.edu

Posted on Categories Announcement, News, StoriesTags , , , , ,