“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 Carpets .

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“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 .

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On November 21, ���ϳԹ� 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.

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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.��

��

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���ϳԹ� 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.

���ϳԹ� is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st-century America.

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North Park Theological Seminary’s Master of Arts in Christian Ministry climbed to the 15th position for , 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 , the MAEL opens doors for educators seeking transformative leadership roles.

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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.

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A $3,100 grant from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board will fund the project led by Digital Processing Archivist Sarah Hawkinson.

Cedarleaf, who died in 2000, was a prominent Covenant pastor active from the 1940s to the 1980s known for supporting the civil rights movement and issues of acceptance and diversity. The idea for the project came about when Hawkinson and Director of Archives Andy Meyer were sorting through materials.

“We had these audio recordings in our backlog, and we’d always been interested in taking the next step in preserving them,” Hawkinson said. When the grant became available, “we decided this would be the perfect marriage of that aspiration with bringing more attention to this historical person.”

Hawkinson said a Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. sermon is in the files. However, whether it’s an original recording or a copy cannot be confirmed until the metadata is analyzed.

When Hawkinson and Meyer finish the work by the end of this year, the sermon will be available on North Park’s archives website.

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Under the SRA program, free and incarcerated students work to earn degrees for ministries in contexts susceptible to violence. Coursework centers on trauma, race relations, nonviolent communication, and transformative justice, along with Bible, theology, and history classes.

Students who complete the four-year program receive a Master of Arts in Christian Ministry with a Restorative Arts concentration. Since its founding in 2015, SRA has granted degrees to men at Stateville Correctional Center, later expanding the program to include women at Logan Correctional Center.

“I’m grateful that most of our students who were inside Stateville are able to continue their education and their ministries at River Correctional Center,” said Seminary Dean and Vice President for Church Relations Dennis R. Edwards. “I’m proud of how our current students and alumni are adjusting to a different setting so far away from their families and support systems.”

Edwards said the warden and staff at Illinois River have warmly received the SRA participants and that the third cohort of students will graduate in spring 2025.

“We ask that you please join us in prayer for our students and alumni during this significant transition,” Edwards said. “We are grateful for your ongoing support as we work to maximize student well-being and continuity of learning.”

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Owners Michelle Gonzalez BA ’21, MA ’22 and Audrey Borden BA ’22 have owned and��operated the fall-themed cafe out of a refurbished home in Norwood Park for a year and a half. Shortly after opening its doors, the cafe gained viral popularity from fans who love autumnal drinks, decor, and local goods.��

“It’s October forever here,” said Gonzalez.��

Gonzalez graduated from North Park with a bachelor’s in early childhood education and returned for her master’s in education. Borden earned a bachelor’s in sociology. While their majors didn’t lend themselves to business, the pair said they’ve always been business-minded and held leadership roles in various North Park clubs, including the Latin American Student Organization and Queers & Allies.

The most popular menu item is the “We Fell in Love in October” fall flight, a tray of six drinks of varying flavors to be shared with “someone you love,” according to Gonzalez.��

The fall flight is particularly special to the couple, whose first date was an October pumpkin painting in Brandel Library and who married in October 2023.��

Gonzalez said they weren’t shocked by the cafe’s success, as the area previously lacked locally owned coffee shops and community spaces. The couple wants October Cafe to be a place where people can come to work, go on a date, or fill up on fall vibes. For the entire month of October, it will feature weekly themes with a rotating menu of fall and Halloween drinks.��

In addition to coffee, the cafe serves vegan baked goods, sandwiches, and art crafted by local jewelers and other small businesses. Every day, small businesses are welcome to set up at the cafe entrance and sell their items to customers.����

“I’m just thrilled we could create something so needed,” said Gonzalez. “It’s so important to move money around your community. Why would you want to be the only one on top?”

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