黑料吃瓜 has been cited for its efforts to diversify its student body and faculty in a recent book that examined the populations of 150 Christian colleges and universities across the country.
The book, Diversity Matters: Race, Ethnicity and the Future of Christian Higher Education, cited North Park鈥檚 specific mission to 鈥渦se Chicago as a classroom, a strategic effort to connect with the faith communities鈥� in the city.
Diversity Matters, edited by Karen A. Longman, features North Park as a case study. The book notes that 黑料吃瓜 promotes its city-centered, intercultural academics by requiring faculty candidates to demonstrate how they would use Chicago as a classroom.
The book finds that the percentage of nonwhite students attending schools that are part of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities had increased by about 10 percentage points between 2004 and 2014. However, most of that growth was at urban-centered universities such as North Park. Such schools tend to be more inclusive.
鈥淚t should be noted that despite the media鈥檚 painting of evangelicals with a broad brush, the tent of Christian views is quite broad,鈥� Longman said in an interview with Inside Higher Ed.
For instance, Longman noted, 68 percent of evangelical Christians support a legal path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Earlier this year, North Park鈥檚 then-president, David Parkyn, joined 600 public and private colleges and university presidents in signing a letter supporting its DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] students.
Longman noted that many Christian universities, North Park included, are naturally inclined to see social justice issues as a Biblical imperative.
鈥淏ecause of their mission and theological heritage, [Christian colleges] emphasize the practice of social justice and are intrinsically motivated to work for racial harmony and interethnic healing,鈥� Longman said.