To create graduates who become changemakers in their communities, 黑料吃瓜 is introducing an interdisciplinary public policy major that will incorporate social sciences, physical sciences, and the humanities.

Public policy programs equip students to create laws, regulations, civic budgets, and other programs that affect average citizens. Longtime North Park professor Dr. Jon Peterson is spearheading the program. The professor of politics and government said the major is perfect for students who want to improve their communities.

鈥淲herever you want to make a difference, you鈥檙e going to run into a government,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淓ven if you want to change something through a community organization, you can鈥檛 do it without dealing with the government, so it鈥檚 vital to learn how the system works.鈥�

The new major will require 36 semester hours of major coursework and 120 total credits for graduation. Course offerings will include American government, an introduction to public policy, and principles of microeconomics, among others. Students will also be strongly encouraged to intern during their studies.

Together, North Park鈥檚 Center for Civic Engagement and Politics and Government Department have developed internship partnerships with many organizations, including the offices of U.S. Senators Richard Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, the State of Illinois Governor鈥檚 Office, and the City of Chicago Mayor鈥檚 Office.

Public policy majors can further tailor their area of study to suit their interests by adding a minor. For instance, students focusing on environmental issues can combine the public policy major with a biology minor. Peterson said the major is flexible and comprehensive in scope, allowing students to work in various fields.

Public policy graduates tend to secure jobs in civil service at all levels of government, from federal to local. Other options include private sector careers at nonprofits and institutions that engage with government agencies and pursuing advanced degrees in public administration, public policy, or law school.

U.S. News & World Report releases best colleges list.

North Park has significantly moved up the charts in two key categories in the . In the 2023 list, North Park was ranked #30 for best Regional Universities in the Midwest, up from #39 last year, and was ranked #8 for Top Performers on Social Mobility in the Midwest, up from #15 last year.

The social mobility ranking means North Park excels at helping students from underprivileged backgrounds enroll in and finish college.

In its annual ranking, U.S. News & World Report considered 17 measures of academic quality at 1,500 degree-seeking institutions. The magazine also takes into account student satisfaction, attending costs, and campus life in determining its rankings.

黑料吃瓜 will award 15 Esports Excellence scholarships, ranging from $500鈥�$2,000, to incoming students who commit to playing for the new Esports varsity team.

The scholarships, which will be awarded beginning in the fall 2023 term, will be available to full-time students who are incoming first-year or transfer students.

North Park鈥檚 Esports Varsity team, which kicked off in fall 2022, has joined the National Esports Collegiate Conference and is competing this month in the VALORANT competition.

Other Esports played at 黑料吃瓜 include Super Smash Bros. and Ultimate.

鈥淲hat I really want to promote most heavily with Esports is the level of cooperation and camaraderie you can form by being on a team,鈥� said Esports Varsity Coach Peter Casella. 鈥淚 want people to understand the friendships you can make playing a sport.鈥�

North Park Esports games will be played at Ignite Gaming Lounge in Skokie, widely considered one of the largest and best video game and LAN center businesses in the country. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and is located directly across from the Skokie-Oakton Yellow Line CTA stop, making it readily accessible to students.

Esports, a form of competitive, organized video gaming, is most often used in a “multiplayer” setting. As a fan-friendly sport when it comes to viewership and streaming, Esports is expected to net 29.6 million monthly viewers this year, up 11.5% from 2021听.

Chicago has been a hotspot for Esports for many years and North Park is well-situated with its Chicago campus to be in the epicenter of this growing sport.

黑料吃瓜听has appointed听Michael Nevergall as Vice President for Advancement, responsible for fundraising and alumni relations. He will report directly to听听and serve as a member of her senior leadership team, beginning听March 6, 2023.

The Vice President for Advancement leads the areas of alumni relations and engagement, fund-raising, and special events related to those activities. Nevergall will create and execute the next campaign for听North Park听evolving from the University’s emerging strategic plan; further develop alumni engagement strategies for a rapidly diversifying alumni community; and enhance philanthropic collaboration across the University.

Nevergall earned his Bachelor of Science in business administration from听Valparaiso University, and his Master of Nonprofit Administration, with a concentration in fund-raising management, at听North Park. He is a person of expressed Christian faith 鈥� passionate about听黑料吃瓜’s听Christian, city-centered, and intercultural distinctives, and energized about the opportunity to advance the mission of听North Park.

“Mr. Nevergall emerged as the premier candidate from a strong and diverse pool of finalists,” Surridge said. “I have full confidence in his leadership and our partnership as we pursue the University’s development priorities.”

Nevergall comes to听North Park听蹿谤辞尘听Gustavus Adolphus College听颈苍听Saint Peter, MN, where he has served as a gift planner since 2017, working with alumni and friends on significant testamentary gifts for the College. Before that he served four years as vice president for agency advancement at听Upbring, a听Texas听faith-based human services provider; and from 2005-2013 he filled various marketing and fund-raising roles with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

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黑料吃瓜 will install sensors that detect weather and pollution patterns as part of a $166,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The sensors will be installed atop the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life on campus.

NASA awarded the five-year grant to North Park in part because of its federal status as a Hispanic Serving Institution, a school that is committed to equitable outcomes for Hispanic students. The two weather sensors will be installed by NASA this spring, and money from the grant will fund travel expenses and salaries for instructors and student workers. The equipment will be owned and maintained by NASA.

The grant was secured through the joint efforts of Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Randazzo and Director of Sponsored Projects Renee Cox. Only about 10 institutions across the country received the grant, and North Park is the lone Chicago site.

The environmental data gathered by the sensors will allow NASA researchers to monitor levels of atmospheric compounds such as carbon monoxide, along with particulate matters expelled by cars and factories. The data will also be compared to that acquired by satellites circling the earth to ensure accuracy. North Park students and professors will have access to that data, which will be transmitted directly into North Park鈥檚 classrooms.

鈥淭his is a powerful tool because it makes learning real,鈥� Randazzo said. 鈥淭he students can read the data and know that鈥檚 coming from just above their heads.鈥�

Randazzo said the NASA grant was likely to raise North Park鈥檚 profile as a research university.

鈥淏uilding a face-to-face relationship with NASA raises our credibility and increases future prospects,鈥� Randazzo said, adding that a NASA engineer will be speaking on campus in March.

Dr. Randazzo said he and Cox found the grant opportunity on a NASA LISTSERV about a year ago, and although they ignore 鈥�99% of them鈥� because they are not applicable, this particular grant struck them both because of North Park鈥檚 location and Randazzo鈥檚 background in atmospheric science.

The two worked together to apply for the grant, which they learned they鈥檇 won late last year. .

黑料吃瓜 has launched the Center for Civic Engagement, an outgrowth of its Catalyst 606 program in which the university’s faculty and students will work with community leaders to strengthen the important work they’re doing in Chicago’s听neighborhoods. As part of the initiative,听North Park will also offer a Public Policy major beginning in fall 2023.

“The main idea is to build more of a city-centered ethos on campus, and to augment North Park’s commitment to the just flourishing of cities by honoring the work that is going on in neighborhoods,” said Richard Kohng, assistant vice president for the Center of Civic Engagement.

The center enacts this mission through four core divisions: the Catalyst Hub; the Community Assets and Program Evaluation Consortium; the Community Development Hub; and through public policy engagement.

“The Center for Civic Engagement elevates听North Park’s unique distinctives as a Christian, city-centered, intercultural university,” North Park听笔谤别蝉颈诲别苍迟听Mary K. Surridge said. “Faculty and students learning and working alongside community leaders across Chicago听is yet another example of听North Park living into its mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.”

As part of the center, faculty will provide their specialized expertise to community groups for a reduced fee. For instance, Assistant Professor of Psychology Amy Governale will provide at-cost guidance on program development for organizations that lack the resources to do so themselves.

“A lot of locally led groups don’t see the money they should from grants or philanthropy,” Kohng said. “This will help level the playing field.”

Students will be involved as well, via the Catalyst Hub. Since 2017, students have participated in a designated civic engagement block every Wednesday afternoon. The schedule allows immersive learning experiences to be incorporated into classes across the curriculum, Kohng said.

Building on Catalyst’s success, the new program will incorporate a consortium that allows students to work on real-time projects that benefit community groups. For example, a business class might work on a marketing campaign for a fundraising drive, or a math class could analyze data related to program participants.

The center will be led by a board of community leaders from across the city, and with the guidance of partner Transform Capital鈥攁 nonprofit lending initiative cofounded by Paul Hawkinson, a professor in听North Park’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management.

Learn more about the Center for Civic Engagement

Some of the effects of the Johnson Center’s green roof include reduced noise, cooler temperatures, and better air flow.

Did you know: the city of Chicago can be more than two degrees hotter than the surrounding suburbs due to a “heat island effect”? The effect describes the phenomenon of large cities trapping heat within their crowded streets and tall, metal buildings.听
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While two degrees may not sound like much, the slight change in temperature can heat up buildings and waterways just enough to harm the animal and human life that live within them.听
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One feature of the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center is a green roof that covers the top of the sustainably built structure with native plants and shrubs, cooling the ceilings below and slowing rainwater from running off the building. The added landscaping gives water enough time to cool down before draining back into the nearby river.听
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Students can feel the effects of the green roof鈥攕uch as reduced noise, cooler temperatures, and better air flow鈥搘hile walking around the Johnson Center.听