我们一起做到了!
感谢上帝，荣耀上帝, we offer congratulations to our North Park graduates, 学生, 教师, 工作人员, 校友, 和朋友. We have completed this very challenging 2020–2021 academic year safely and successfully—and with much to celebrate as we head into summer.
周六校园的辉煌景象, 5月8日, 庆祝2021届毕业生, with FOUR consecutive in-person commencement ceremonies on the field of the Holmgren Athletic Complex. 在今天结束之前, 447 degrees 是 conferred upon 445 graduates—293 undergraduate and 154 graduate degrees!
The remarkable achievements of this resilient class will be forever noted as part of the rich history and strength of our university. Our graduates displayed the persistence and perseverance to succeed. We have much to be grateful for, and much to respect and admire in this outstanding class.
If you could not attend this past Saturday, I encourage you to join the celebration at 10 am on Saturday, 5月15日, 2021, for the full Virtual Commencement Ceremony at qpbinj.sotaydulich.net/live.
As one of the few universities in the 芝加哥 area to pursue an in-person commencement, it was a fitting wrap to this academic year and provides acceleration and momentum to propel us forward.
2020 - 21反射
With hope in God’s protection and provision, and the courageous endorsement of our Board of Trustees, we reopened our campus in the fall of 2020, 将新冠肺炎病例降至最低, and worked together to ensure educational progress. In December we celebrated a very moving virtual Festival of Lessons and Carols: “A Light in the Darkness.” We returned in January for a spring semester that was even safer and provided an even more vibrant campus life, 包括一个火坑, 热巧克力, 打雪仗, 维京田径, 和音乐会.
Our gratitude and respect go to our Pandemic Response Team for their thoughtful, comprehensive planning and careful execution of our Covid-19 plan. 这个群体, 由几十名教员组成, 工作人员, 以及高级内阁成员, worked tirelessly all year to create the best possible learning and living environment for both remote and in-person learners. They monitored every guideline and case number and adjusted policies successfully. Our 学生 faithfully observed the safety protocols, focused on their studies and campus activities, 并帮助彼此继续前进. It was North Park community collaboration at its best.
这是多么美好的一年啊!
- 4月, loyal North Park 校友 和朋友 mounted a triumphant Blue and Gold Day, 筹集225美元,学生奖学金184.
- 上周，501名学生 是 2021年秋季将在北公园学习 by College National Decision Day—up from 384 学生 this time last year.
- We jumped 22 spots in the 2021 Midwest regional rankings of U.S. 新闻; ranked 14th of 87 Midwest schools in social mobility; and we 是 one of only 17 Midwest schools cited for “Best Undergraduate Teaching” by our peers.
- We are creating our future together through North Park 下一个 with a collaborative, campus-wide strategic review of all our 项目 and resources.
- 和, thanks to great work and community participation, we had a very positive campus experience with our HLC on-site visit for reaffirmation of our accreditation—and we await a final report at the end of June.
和 it all culminated in our Commencement celebration on 5月8日! Now we head into summer with strong momentum and high hopes for a close-to-normal semester for 学生 in the fall.
感谢大家的辛勤工作! To paraphrase the message painted atop one North Park graduate’s mortar board Saturday:
我们尽了最大的努力，剩下的都是上帝做的!
玛丽K. Surridge
总统
