City: Chicago, IL

Category: Education

Telephone: (773) 244-6200

Address: 3225 W. Foster Ave.

Description: This small school of about 3,200 was founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church and relates its education to the Christian faith. Minnesota was actually North Park’s first home, providing Swedish immigrants with useful skills and training to succeed in their new lives in America. With an offer of land that was then north of Chicago’s city limits, the school moved and began to grow. The very first building was completed in 1894, and this Georgian Revival structure known as Old Main still stands as a campus focal point. Through the years, North Park has expanded its campus to more than 30 acres, including a residence hall, athletic field, state-of-the-art recreation center, and new library. Students appreciate the low student-to-faculty ratio and the choice of more than 35 undergraduate majors, as well as pre-professional studies. An annual campus theme program presents the entire student body and faculty with an open-ended question, such as “What is justice?” About 19 percent of incoming students on a recent poll described themselves as part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, while another 60 percent associated themselves as Protestant or Catholic. North Park’s graduate-level Theological Seminary offers four master’s degrees, 10 dual master’s degrees, 10 certificates, and a doctoral degree. The North Park Vikings compete in NCAA Division III, with both men’s and women’s basketball teams earning several championship titles.