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泭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泭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泭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.泭

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

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.泭

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.泭

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.泭

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.泭泭

“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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Anderson has worked in various roles at the company���which offers specialized expertise in voluntary benefits���since 1990, gradually rising through the ranks from contract analyst to his latest role as executive vice president.

���John is an experienced and tested leader with a passion for Trustmark, its partners, and customers,��� Trustmark CEO John Slawin said in a statement. ���Over the course of his career, John has led two of Trustmark���s three businesses and delivered record results.���

Anderson, who majored in math at 窪蹋勛圖, said he���s honored to take on his new position. ���I���ve always believed that what differentiates Trustmark is our mission: helping people increase well-being and financial security, and how we live that mission by building trusted relationships and delivering caring service,��� Anderson said in a statement.

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Memon discovered ANY through North Park���s Career Development Office, where Director Cristina Ricano, a former ANY fellow, referred Memon to the program. Memon soon begins her second internship while attending North Park, and she credits ANY with guiding her.

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University Ministries (UMin) organized the event under the joint leadership of Ben Swihart, coordinator of global partnerships and community outreach, and third-year student Davianna Schuh. They began planning months ago, organizing lists of local volunteer sites, recruiting volunteers, and communicating with local aldermen and community groups.

���The groups we landed on took inspiration from the climate survey,��� Schuh said, referring to the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Survey conducted in spring 2023. ���Across all demographic backgrounds, students wished they had more opportunities to give back to their communities.���

Many North Parkers are commuter students from nearby neighborhoods, so Swihart and Schuh chose organizations primarily on the North and West Sides. Volunteers could choose from sites such as Concordia Place, Nourishing Hope, and Sarah���s Circle, a women���s shelter with multiple locations on the North Side.

���Everyone has something they can feel excited about helping with,��� Swihart said. Several students addressed their concern for the disadvantaged by aiding refugees and the homeless while the environmentally minded cleaned the Chicago River.

Swihart said he hopes this year���s event is the first of many and that 窪蹋勛圖 continues to build long-term relationships with its partner organizations.

���The idea is for them to get to know us, to say, ���Oh, this North Parker came and built this shelving unit for us last year, or painted this room,��� and they trust us and what we do,��� he said, adding he hopes the service also leads to internships and other opportunities for students.

Service is a core pillar of NPU���s mission, which is to foster a culture of empathy and civic responsibility that encourages the campus community to engage with local organizations, thus enhancing our students��� educational experiences and making a tangible impact on the neighborhoods we serve.

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The two-year, $142,000 grant, managed by the state library���s OER initiative, will be used to create an introductory anatomy lab manual, a statistics workbook, a text about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and a fundamentals of financial marketing book. All the resources will be created by North Park faculty���Dr. Al Kamienski, Dr. Marie-Elene Roberge, Dr. Peter St. Jean, Dr. Kurt Sheu, and Dr. Chrystal Ho Pao.

���This has been a long-term focus for us at Brandel,��� said Evan Kuehn, assistant professor of information literacy and the head of teaching and learning services. “Open educational resources support the curriculum without the need for students to purchase expensive textbooks or other resources.”

Professors will spend this year creating and editing their resources with the support of Brandel Library staff, with two of the books going into circulation in the fall of 2025, and the other two in fall 2026. Kuehn said he thinks North Park, as a Hispanic Serving Institution, is especially well-positioned to author the DEI text.

The grant is part of $3 million set aside by the state to help lower the cost of educating Illinois college students. Matthew Ostercamp, director of Brandel Library, says the process of getting the grant was competitive, with only about half of all applicants receiving a grant.

���The cost of textbooks has long been a barrier,��� Ostercamp said. ���Doing projects like this removes that barrier and develops resources that are both rigorous and easily available.���

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The 2024 festivities kick off Thursday, October 10, and include a tour of North Park’s architecture, an alumni art exhibition, a music showcase, an alumni award ceremony, and a handful of sporting events. The weekend’s highlight is the Homecoming Festival on Saturday, one of the events intended to integrate Vikings of all ages and backgrounds. The festival will feature yard games, face-painting, mini-golf and food from local favorites Tre Kronor and Los Asadores Mexican Grill.

Tickets are $40 when purchased online between now and September 30, with tickets purchased onsite costing $50. Children under 18 are admitted free with a ticket holding adult. All Homecoming passes include a free sweatshirt designed by Emerson Cobbley BA ’24.

To register and for a complete schedule of events, click .

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