North Park University

North Park Junior College students and faculty gathered in front of Old Main c. 1894 The university originated in the founding of North Park Theological Seminary in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church in Minneapolis . [ 8 ] In 1894, the school moved to Chicago and opened as "North Park College", [ 9 ] to its present location at the corner of Foster and Kedzie. Although far from the Loop , the location was close to then existing Swedish-American villages and the newly established Swedish Covenant Hospital . Old Main , the oldest building on campus, was erected and dedicated on June 16, 1894. It is at this time that the name North Park was first used to describe the school. [ 10 ] Struggles and success marked the early years of North Park; enrollment and funding fluctuated significantly. An interesting source of both money and headache came from P. H. Anderson, who was serving as a Covenant missionary in Alaska at the time. When he made a small fortune during the gold rush , he donated a significant portion of the windfall to North Park. However, the money was considered tainted by some of North Park's leadership, who thought the money was of dubious origin. A leader at that time was David Nyvall . Nyvall served as president and teacher in the Seminary for many years. The current seminary building, Nyvall Hall, is named after him. Since the early days, the school has developed and changed in many ways. In 1958, North Park Junior College expanded from a two-year college into a four-year program, becoming North Park College. In 1997, the decision was made to change the name of the school again, and North Park University was born. [ 11 ] Though North Park still holds on to its Swedish American past and close ties with the Evangelical Covenant Church , it is now an intercultural institution focused on diversity. North Park describes itself as a liberal arts university that is Christian, city-centered, and intercultural.

North Park University is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Higher Learning Commission. It is also a designated Hispanic-serving institution. [ 12 ] The seminary is additionally accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada. [ 13 ] North Park's last president, David L. Parkyn, retired at the end of the 2016–2017 academic year. [ 14 ] Carl E. Balsam was named as the interim president in June 2017, and served until August 2018. [ 15 ] Mary Surridge was nominated as the school's tenth president, and began her term in August 2018. [ 16 ] [ 10 ]

The Quad at the center of North Park's campus. The building in the distance is Brandel Library The university is organized into the following academic units: College of Arts and Sciences School of Business and Nonprofit Management School of Education School of Nursing and Health Sciences School of Professional Studies North Park Theological Seminary It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on number out of 365 graduates in 2022, were: [ 17 ] Business Administration and Management (93) Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (64) Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness (34) Psychology (30)

North Pack athletics logo The North Park athletic teams are called the Vikings. The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) since the 1962–63 academic year. The Vikings previously competed in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1959–60 to 1961–62. North Park competes in 19 intercollegiate varsity sports: [ 18 ] Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football , golf, soccer, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field and volleyball. In January 2023, North Park introduced its first esports team, a co-ed intercollegiate sport that competes in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC). Men's basketball North Park has had a successful men's basketball program. It has won five men's NCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championships since 1978, including three consecutive ones led by Michael Harper , who later played for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers . In the 2022–23 season, North Park advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen under first-year and current head coach Sean Smith, going 24-6 (13–3 in CCIW Conference play). [ 19 ] Coach Smith also won Conference Coach of the Year, as well as NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year. [ 20 ]