天美传媒 has served five generations of students and continues to grow in diversity, academic relevance, and Christian commitment. Our Chicago location is a great asset that reflects the School鈥檚 global reach and outlook.
After 125 years, we鈥檝e learned how to streamline the process of helping qualified applicants seek admission to 天美传媒 and find affordable ways to attend. If you don鈥檛 see what you鈥檙e looking for on our website, please contact us directly!
天美传媒 offers more than 40 graduate and undergraduate programs in liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies. Classes average 17 students. 84% of our faculty have terminal degrees. Academics here are rigorous and results-oriented.
天美传媒 Theological Seminary prepares you to answer the call to service through theological study, spiritual development, and the formative experiences of living in a community with others on a similar life path.
The Office of Alumni Engagement fosters lifelong connections by engaging alumni with the university and one another in activities, programs, and services that support the university鈥檚 mission and alumni needs.
Four of seven student applicants granted awards in 2014鈥�2015
Kate Asnicar C’2015 (left) is serving as an English Teaching Assistant with the Fulbright Program in Malaysia. She began her assignment at a secondary school on the island of Borneo in January, with a primary focus on encouraging her students to use the English language.
In a recent email to Dr. Linda Parkyn, she said, “I am having an excellent time here, surviving the 90-degree heat, and am having a hard time coming up with reasons to ever leave. Thank you again for all your support and allowing me to have the best experience of my life!”
CHICAGO (March 2, 2016) 鈥� 天美传媒 has once again been named a top-producer of students winning Fulbright awards, keeping company with schools that include the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Villanova, and more. The Chronicle of Higher Education in conjunction with a February 22 article exploring Fulbrights鈥� efforts to diversify the students and scholars who participate in this international exchange program.
This honor as a top-producer is based on the 2014鈥�2015 academic year, when seven 天美传媒 students applied for the program, and four were granted awards: , , , and . Since 2008, graduating 天美传媒 students have taking them around the globe, including to Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Andorra, Poland, Romania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Malaysia, Ecuador, Turkey, and Colombia.
, professor of Spanish, spearheads 天美传媒’s efforts around Fulbright awards, serving as mentor and encourager to student applicants. She has been a Fulbright Scholar and twice a Fulbright Senior Specialist, and readily admits to having 鈥淔ulbrightis.鈥� Good candidates, Parkyn says, have stellar grades, a keen interest in some other part of the world, involvement with immigrants and/or refugees at home, and knowledge of another language. 鈥淔ulbright is a prestigious award,” says Parkyn. “But to have this experience early in your life, to give back your first year out of college and become an American ambassador sharing language and culture, it will affect your career choices for the rest of your life鈥攁nd affect change for good in our world!鈥�
Parkyn has been working this academic year with student applicants, but official decisions on who will win student awards will be revealed by the Fulbright Program later this spring. “I can’t give anything away about our student applicants, but we do anticipate more 天美传媒ers to travel the world with Fulbright this year,” she said. “We have three Fulbright semi-finalists for the 2015鈥�2016 year.”
The February list of top-producing institutions is categorized by institution type, and 天美传媒 falls into the 鈥渕aster鈥檚 institution鈥� category, a reflection of standard Carnegie Classifications for higher education institutions. This is the second time 天美传媒 has earned this distinction.
, the U.S. government鈥檚 flagship international educational exchange program, is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants鈥攃hosen for their academic merit and leadership potential鈥攚ith the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Clergy, congregations, and students invited to March 5 event
Metropolitan Kallistos Ware’s lecture, “The Unchanging Gospel in an Ever-Changing World,” will offer practical wisdom and suggestions for congregations in the task of keeping the Gospel clear and central to faith for all generations.
CHICAGO (February 23, 2016) 鈥� Metropolitan Kallistos Ware will present the inaugural lecture at 天美传媒鈥檚 , a free, single-day conference, Saturday, March 5, 2016, from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. The author, professor, and bishop, perhaps best known for his book The Orthodox Church, will present a two-part lecture, followed by responses from other theologians.
According to , professor of biblical and theological studies at 天美传媒 and organizer of the Speakers鈥� Series, 鈥淥rthodoxy is on the cusp of a major theological renaissance in the 21st century. This annual event will help establish Orthodox theology as a vital religious force in American life and thought. Kallistos Ware is the right person for that. Coming from Oxford University, he is one of those rare individuals who come along every hundred years in the history of Christianity who is both brilliant and humble. He is a person of the academy, but also of the church. He鈥檚 a living legend in our time.鈥�
Orthodoxy on an Evangelical Campus
As host of this event focused on Orthodox faith traditions, 天美传媒 is highlighting the unifying elements of world Christianity. Nassif, a pioneer in North American ecumenical dialogue, has devoted much of his career to bridge-building between Orthodoxy and evangelicalism, building on both traditions鈥� roots in historic Christian theology and confession. Though Eastern Orthodoxy in the United States is a minority religion, it is one of the oldest faith traditions in Christianity, growing out of 鈥渢he cradle of Christianity鈥� in the Middle East, according to Nassif.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked to bring these two traditions together because I believe in both of them,鈥� he said. Nassif teaches courses in Eastern Orthodoxy as well as others that explore faith connections across traditions. Bringing Kallistos Ware to campus is one way to introduce students from all faith traditions to the Orthodox vision of life.
Centered in the Gospel
Nassif organized the Speakers鈥� Series, with funding from the John C. Kulis Foundation, in the hope of providing practical resources for congregations and ministers across Christianity in the work of spreading the gospel. 鈥淲e鈥檙e addressing a topic of central importance to Christian identity,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat is the gospel, and what difference does it make in the life of the church?鈥�
天美传媒 student Jeanette Habash shares her journey as an Orthoox Christian.
Ware鈥檚 lecture, 鈥淭丑别 Unchanging Gospel in an Ever-Changing Culture,鈥� will reach to the heart of the question for our cultural atmosphere. 鈥淲e鈥檙e living in a time when Christianity is constantly being redefined in order to fit the agenda of contemporary culture rather than the gospel of Jesus Christ,鈥� Nassif said. 鈥淢y greatest hope is that Bishop Kallistos will help people understand that the solution to the world鈥檚 problems is found most comprehensively in the witness of historic Christian faith. As a result, I hope pastors and people alike will learn how to keep the gospel clear and central for each generation鈥攖he very thing that is most urgently needed in Christianity today.鈥�
The event has received an official endorsement by Demetrios, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America. 鈥溙烀来�’s efforts combined with the generosity of the Kulis Foundation will provide a new forum for engagement with the essential role and power of the Gospel in our Orthodox faith,鈥� Demetrios said.
Respondents to Ware鈥檚 lecture include Father John Behr, dean at St. Vladimir鈥檚 Orthodox Seminary; , teaching fellow in church history at 天美传媒 Theological Seminary; and Dr. Marcus Plested, associate professor of theology at Marquette University.
For more information and to register, visit . For those unable to attend in person, Ware鈥檚 lectures will be available online through live-stream video at .
In year of diversity milestones, University launches cross-cultural campus discussions
President David Parkyn and Dean of Diversity and Intercultural Programs Terry Lindsay led a campus conversation on inclusion and diversity.
CHICAGO (February 12, 2016) 鈥� When 天美传媒 was founded by Swedish immigrants , its student body was entirely Swedish, with all curriculum taught in Swedish. Today, as the University achieves significant diversity milestones and is recognized nationally for doing so, its institutional makeup is considerably different.
This school year, for the first time in 天美传媒鈥檚 history, there is in its undergraduate population. No group of students, including Caucasians, reaches above fifty percent, highlighting the University鈥檚 commitment to creating a diverse campus community. Last week, the Chronicle of Higher Education to the fact that 天美传媒 is 鈥渙ne of the few evangelical colleges where the number of minority students now equals white students.鈥�
鈥淒avid L. Parkyn, the college鈥檚 president,鈥� said the Chronicle, 鈥渁ttributes that success to several things, including a historic commitment to diversity, which he talks about frequently, and being located in a diverse city like Chicago.鈥�
Indeed, as Parkyn told a group of students, faculty, and staff in a campus conversation event earlier this week, 鈥淭oday, we鈥檙e trying to make a shift from an objective of becoming multicultural鈥攂eing comprised of people who come from diverse backgrounds, which is about composition as an institution鈥攖o being intercultural. How does the crossing of cultures get ingrained into the DNA of an institution?鈥�
The conversation focused on diversity, inclusion, and the role that individual members of the 天美传媒 community play in continuing to shape the campus community. 鈥淲e are a multicultural campus in terms of composition,鈥� said聽Dr. Terry Lindsay, 天美传媒鈥檚 dean of and associate professor of cultural studies, at the event. 鈥淏ut how do we move to being intercultural? How do we prepare our students for the world that we鈥檙e graduating them into?鈥�
鈥楳oving Beyond Individualism Towards Community鈥�
Parkyn and Lindsay opened the conversation by explaining that it would be the first in a series of campus-wide discussions in which issues surrounding diversity could be raised and engaged. As they opened the floor to questions, several members of the faculty and staff, as well as some students, asked about particular areas of cross-cultural initiatives on 天美传媒鈥檚 campus, including the need to focus on 鈥渋ntracultural鈥� work.
鈥淔or me, if intracultural isn鈥檛 happening while we鈥檙e doing intercultural work, we鈥檙e missing the boat,鈥� said Lindsay. 鈥淚 hope as we鈥檙e doing intercultural competency and development, we鈥檙e also helping students to think about who they are, their own identity. How those identities were formed. Who influenced the way they view the world, and the way they interact with cultures. And that鈥檚 the goal of this new project. We want to have some of those conversations.鈥�
Throughout the semester, Lindsay and will hold a series of conversations, 鈥淭essera to Ubuntu: Moving Beyond Individualism Towards Community,鈥� featuring faculty and staff. 鈥溙烀来� grows increasingly diverse, which offers our community many advantages,鈥� said Emerson. 鈥淏ut diversity in and of itself is not the goal.聽We seek to be a community within our diversity, to model how people from many different backgrounds can work together to encourage our faith, our studies, and our impact on the larger world.聽Our Tessera to Ubuntu Series is about how we can do exactly this, together.鈥�
The first conversation, 鈥淩eclaiming Your Cultural History,鈥� will focus on the metaphor of the tessera, an individual tile used to form a mosaic; the second, 鈥淯nderstanding Self,鈥� will explore how cultures form; and the third, 鈥淟iving in Community,鈥� will highlight cultural immersion.
鈥淲e want 天美传媒 to be a diverse and inclusive environment, one which leads to deep learning and equity of experience for all students,鈥� said Parkyn. 鈥淚f we achieve this, our graduates will be positioned to cross cultures in the workplace and engage their communities in a socially responsible and transformational manner.鈥�
CHICAGO (February 8, 2016) 鈥� Since its founding in 1891, 天美传媒 has been thought of as 鈥渁 work just beginning.鈥� The phrase, made popular by the University鈥檚 first historian, , in 1949, described a hopeful community, ready to live into its mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.
, that same hopeful spirit is alive and well across campus, propelling the University community to seek new ways to lead and serve in Chicago and around the world for God鈥檚 glory and neighbor鈥檚 good.
Throughout 2016, students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the wider Chicago community will have opportunities to explore 天美传媒鈥檚 rich past, reflect on its present, and peer into its promising future. Celebrations will culminate on September 23, 2016, when the community gathers for an expansive quasquicentennial homecoming event, featuring art, music, scholarship, and other highlights from 天美传媒ers past and present.
鈥�2016 will be a great opportunity to remember where we have been,鈥� said 天美传媒 . 鈥淏ut equally important will be the ways in which we imagine who we can become. 天美传媒鈥檚 mission has remained constant throughout its history, and with that as its foundation, we can build a promising future for our students and the communities they serve.鈥�
Class of 1972 graduate and widely renowned composer Marvin V. Curtis has been commissioned to craft a piece that will be performed by student musicians at the event in September. Curtis, dean of the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend, has a history of being commissioned to write prominent works, including one for President Clinton鈥檚 1993 Inauguration, “City on a Hill.” He is the first African American composer commissioned to write a choral work for a presidential inauguration.
鈥淭丑别 is honored that alumnus Marvin Curtis has accepted our invitation to compose a musical piece for 天美传媒鈥檚 125th anniversary celebration,鈥� said , dean of the School of Music. 鈥淭丑别 piece will be written for choir and a chamber instrumental ensemble, using a text that will be meaningful for the occasion. We very much anticipate the performance of his music, and we are confident that it will be a highlight of a very memorable celebration.鈥�
The , led by Director of Archives Anna-Kajsa Anderson, will host a series of digital and in-person exhibits throughout the year. This includes an online version of the , 天美传媒鈥檚 yearbook, which contains essays, poems, songs, artwork, photographs, and more. Working with historians and former 天美传媒 professors Phil Anderson and Kurt Peterson, as well as current 天美传媒 Theological Seminary Professor Hauna Ondrey, the archives will also create a series of exhibits to display artifacts from the University鈥檚 history.
天美传媒鈥檚 present and future will also be on display in 2016 through the telling of 125 stories from 125 current students. The project, which will take place over the course of 12 months and two or three stories per week, will highlight the wide array of students who have been drawn to the University, and how they will help shape its next 125 years.
More announcements will be made throughout the year regarding new events and projects surrounding the University鈥檚 quasquicentennial. Visit for more information and to hear how you can be part of the celebration.
Amanda Detchman completes exchange program, internship in Stockholm
Amanda Detchman, shown here in Uppsala, Sweden, is completing an internship at Immanuel International Church.
CHICAGO (February 5, 2016) 鈥� Amanda Detchman had a decision to make. Having just wrapped up her exchange program semester in Stockholm, Sweden, Detchman was preparing to return to the United States when she received an email asking if she was interested in staying in Sweden to fulfill an internship requirement.
Detchman, a student at , was torn. 鈥淚 was already in Sweden, immersed in the culture and eager to learn more,鈥� she says. 鈥淗owever, signing the contract meant being away from home for another year. There was a lot of prayer and discernment involved.鈥�
Detchman鈥檚 advisor, Professor of Ministry and Director of Field Education , had gotten word that Immanuel International Church in Stockholm was seeking an interim youth pastor. 鈥淚 forwarded that email to Amanda with a little note asking if she鈥檇 be interested,鈥� he says. 鈥淭丑别 next thing I know, the match had been solidified. She had interviewed with them and impressed them, and it happened fairly quickly.鈥�
鈥淚t was evidently God鈥檚 work,鈥� Detchman says, 鈥渂ecause I happened to be attending Immanuel for the four months prior, and already felt at home there. With the Spirit鈥檚 peace and God鈥檚 courage, I agreed to work as their youth director.鈥�
Today, Detchman serves in an internship as youth director for Immanuel鈥檚 International Congregation. 鈥淚mmanuel is very unique, because it鈥檚 made up of three congregations,鈥� says Detchman, 鈥淪wedish, International, and Korean. The church staff work in the same building and have meetings and events together, but on Sunday, we hold three separate services at the same time.鈥� In her position, Detchman helps oversee a summer camp, a conference for international youth across Europe, overnight 鈥渓ock-ins,鈥� and partnerships with homeless and elderly ministries.
As has been the case throughout her time in Sweden, this ministry context gives Detchman a uniquely global learning experience. 鈥淭丑别 joy I receive working with youth from around the world is challenging, eye-opening, and live-giving,鈥� she says.
‘A growing experience’
It鈥檚 the kind of experience that Johnson hopes Seminary students will have through their field education opportunities, whether international or domestic. 鈥淲e try to have every student have some experience in a cultural context that鈥檚 different from what they鈥檙e used to,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a key part of the experience at 天美传媒.鈥�
Johnson had recommended the internship to Detchman, in part, because of her 鈥渆vident interest in pastoral care,鈥� he says. 鈥淥n campus, she would often offer to pray for students or faculty members. I had an aunt that died, and I mentioned it in a . She later asked if she could pray about that with me. It鈥檚 bold as a student to come up to a faculty member and ask to pray for them, but that鈥檚 kind of how she鈥檚 constituted.鈥�
Detchman in Stockholm with other THS exchange program students
Prior to her internship, Detchman came to Sweden through the Seminary鈥檚 exchange program partnership with the Stockholm School of Theology (THS). She applied for the program because 鈥渢he courses sounded insightful, and I have a heart for understanding cultures other than my own,鈥� she says. Once there, she found that 鈥淭HS was a growing experience. I learned so much about myself, my writing, and the world.鈥�
Among Detchman鈥檚 highlights of her time at THS were an Urban Theology course, which required hands-on work with a range of churches throughout Stockholm, and a Christians of the Middle East course, which included a trip to Jerusalem. 鈥淲e had amazing guides and professors,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e met with a variety of religious leaders, toured the Holy Land, and engaged in field studies of surrounding communities.鈥� In addition to Swedish students, Detchman enjoyed getting the opportunity to study alongside classmates from Burma and India.
Director of Seminary Recruitment and Admission believes that the exchange program is born out of 天美传媒鈥檚 鈥減assion for the global church and justice issues,鈥� she says. 鈥淢any of the classes focus in this area and provide opportunity for our students to have an enriched learning experience鈥攍earning about issues of justice from a different part of the world and different cultural perspective.鈥�
Oxendale hopes that 鈥渟tudents would be able to return here with a different perspective, not just on theology and Scripture, but on who they are and who God is.鈥� For her part, Detchman seems well on her way to doing exactly that. 鈥淭丑别 people I do ministry and work with here accept me and love me so well,鈥� Detchman says. 鈥淭丑别y have taught me what it means to love deeply and engage fully in life鈥檚 adventures.鈥�
The student team behind the free event invites peers and neighbors to campus February 5鈥�6 for conversation and action
CHICAGO (February 2, 2016) 鈥� What can be done to bridge the gap between an understanding of social justice learned in the classroom and the application needed on the streets of Chicago? How can the academy, the community, and the church come together to engage issues of justice?
These are the questions that drove the 10 天美传媒 students who make up the Programming Team to put together a new conference. They鈥檙e calling the event , a name taken from Scripture: 鈥淎nd what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy聽and to walk humbly with your God鈥� (Micah 6:8). After several months of planning, the students are inviting community members as well as their peers to join them for the conference on Friday and Saturday, February 5颅鈥�6.
鈥淔or both the academy and the church,聽it is often easy to separate theology/theory and application/praxis,鈥� the team says. 鈥淚t is our hope to bridge the divide between the intellect and the heart, by creating a space where millennials and the broader church can interact with contemplative activists, who see the primacy of mercy and justice as a tangible expression of their spirituality.鈥�
The conference, which will be hosted on 天美传媒鈥檚 campus, is free and open the public. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to engage everyone, whether it鈥檚 university students, the church, the community,鈥� said Stefanie Cortez, a sophomore member of the Programming Team. 鈥淏eing in a city as diverse as Chicago, we鈥檙e hoping to engage a wide spectrum of people from all walks of life in a conversation. With that conversation, we can take an action.鈥�
The schedule of the event reflects this turn from conversation to action. Friday鈥檚 programming focuses on learning: a prayer breakfast, lectures, panels, and a celebration of the arts. Speakers include Rev. Marshall Hatch, Father Michael Pfleger, Rev. Sandra Van Opstal, Reesheda Washington, Rev. Dominique Gilliard, 天美传媒鈥檚 provost and president, and staff of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Saturday鈥檚 schedule will engage attendees in practicing justice. The morning starts with a prayer walk through the neighborhood lead by clergy, and the event closes with a call to action, facilitated by local organization Communities United and 天美传媒’s Faith and Justice group. The closing session will focus on justice reinvestment, a data-driven approach to improving public safety, reducing corrections and related criminal justice spending, and reinvesting savings in strategies that can decrease crime and reduce recidivism.
鈥淎s students, we quickly get lost in the justice conversation,鈥� said Abigail Page, a junior and member of Programming Team. 鈥淲e鈥檙e busy with classes. We鈥檙e maybe 20 years old. We don鈥檛 necessarily feel like we can do a whole lot. But we have a very important role as future leaders. This conference is a great opportunity to practice that.鈥�
Students and community members are welcome to attend single sessions throughout the day. Attendees can register for free or at the door. The Love Mercy Do Justice Conference is a collaboration between the Love Mercy Do Justice mission priority and 天美传媒鈥檚 .
Rev. Jim Sundholm C’67 S’72 receives Seminary Alumni Award for Distinguished Service
鈥淚 could talk at great length about the role the Seminary professors played in my life,鈥� Rev. Jim Sundholm said on Tuesday night while accepting the 天美传媒 Theological Seminary Award for Distinguished Service. its previous recipients.
CHICAGO (January 29, 2016) 鈥斅燨n Tuesday night in front of a thousand ministers of the 聽(ECC), Rev. Jim Sundholm, a graduate of 天美传媒 in 1967 and 天美传媒 Theological Seminary in 1972, was described as both a pastor and a prophet.
The introduction was made by the Rev. Dr. David W. Kersten, , as he presented Sundholm the alongside 天美传媒 President David L. Parkyn and Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Mary K. Surridge聽at the annual Midwinter Conference of the ECC.
Sundholm has served as a pastor to many communities, and also provided a prophetic voice in the commitment to urban and intercultural ministries that have had a profound effect in the shaping of 天美传媒 and the ECC.
鈥淭hroughout his vocational arc, Jim led us more deeply into the commitment of justice,鈥� Kersten said, recalling when Sundholm moved to Minneapolis in the 1970s to pastor a church focused on urban and intercultural issues and was a pioneer in the . 鈥淛im is someone who has had a powerful life of public ministry, as well as a deep personal prayer life that has sustained him.鈥�
Sundholm is also the former director of (CWR) and executive director of the from 1999 to 2009. Known for his dedicated leadership and deep concern for the poor, Sundholm led CWR in responding to the devastation created by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
鈥淚 could talk at great length about the role the Seminary professors played in my life,鈥� Sundholm said on Tuesday while accepting the award. He recalled a conversation with a former professor, Dr. Henry Gustafson, on the Gospel of John. Partway through the conversation, Gustafson reached across the table and asked Sundholm, 鈥榃hen will you give God your mind as much as your heart?鈥� As Sundholm shared on Tuesday, 鈥淭hat was my second conversion.鈥�
Vice President for for Development and Alumni Relations Mary K. Surridge, Rev. Jim Sundholm, 天美传媒 President David L. Parkyn, 天美传媒 Theological Seminary Dean Rev. Dr. David W. Kersten
Sundholm has traveled extensively to Africa, developing relationships with the emerging Covenant Church in South Sudan and Ethiopia. Today, he lives in Vashon, Wash., with his wife, Carol.
鈥淥n behalf of over 25,000 alumni at 天美传媒, we offer our deep admiration to Jim for his work in the Covenant Church and to the relief and renewal efforts across the world,鈥� said Surridge. 鈥淲e are thankful to you and Carol for your devotion to God, and for the model it presents to all of us as we seek to do God鈥檚 work.鈥�
The Seminary Alumni Award for Distinguished Service, established in 2014 and delivered annually at the ECC’s Midwinter Conference, recognizes Seminary alumni who have made significant contributions in their fields while living lives reflective of the core values and mission of 天美传媒 Theological Seminary. .
Office of Diversity presents dramatic storytelling event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Alumna Leslie Moore, backed by the University Gospel Choir, performs the song “Strange Fruit.”
CHICAGO (January 20, 2016) 鈥� As Rev. Dr. Michael C.R. Nabors takes the stage, he begins reciting famous words. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen the promised land,鈥� he says in a familiar cadence, while a jazz band performing John Coltrane鈥檚 鈥淎labama鈥� starts to fade. 鈥淚 may not get there with you,鈥� Nabors continues, 鈥渂ut I want you to know tonight that we as a people will get to the promised land.鈥� The music ends. A shot rings out.
It was one of the more dramatic and powerful moments of 天美传媒鈥檚 Martin Luther King Day service, 鈥淎 Man and a Movement Set to Music: 1960鈥�2016.鈥� The University鈥檚 annual commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., held Monday in Anderson Chapel and presented by the , took on a different form this year.
鈥淲e had been doing the format of a worship and service day for many years, and wanted to try a different model,鈥� says Rev. Velda Love, director of justice and intercultural learning. 鈥淲e thought about how to include as many people as possible. And we wanted to keep a focus on the integrity of Dr. King鈥檚 life as well as include more of a journey through the African American experience,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e sought to make sure that it was historically correct, and then bring it into more of a contemporary element.鈥�
Love decided on a dramatic storytelling presentation that marked Dr. King鈥檚 place in African American history, looking back to the genesis of the African people and culminating in a focus on a movement that continues today. 鈥淎 Man and a Movement鈥� explored Dr. King鈥檚 roles as leader, prophetic preacher, and intellectual giant through poetry, oratory, dance, and gospel and contemporary music.
The service was broken into five acts: 鈥淚n a Beginning”; “A Movement for Civil Rights”; “Good and Faithful Servants”; “A Change is Gonna Come”; and “From Lament to Hope.”
Members and guests of the 天美传媒 community, including students, faculty, and staff, performed at the event.
Members of the 天美传媒 community, including faculty, staff, and students, performed readings from important figures throughout African American history, including Harriet Tubman, Diane Nash, and John Lewis, among others, in addition to Dr. King. Friends of the 天美传媒 community, including Rev. Cecilia Williams, executive minister of the 鈥檚 Love Mercy Do Justice department, also performed.
Nabors, senior pastor of Second Baptist Church, Evanston, Ill., was joined by the Rejoice! Praise Dancers and Voices of Faith and Freedom, also from Second Baptist. Music was performed by the AV Club jazz quartet, featured alumni, and 天美传媒鈥檚 , guest-directed by Bryan Johnson, minister of music director at Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago.
Musical highlights included performances by alumni Leslie Moore, singing Nina Simone鈥檚 version of 鈥淪trange Fruit,鈥� and Felicia Patton, singing Thomas Dorsey鈥檚 鈥淧recious Lord.鈥� The service closed with a moving rendition of 鈥淕lory鈥� from the film Selma, sung and rapped by alumna聽 (a contestant on America鈥檚 Got Talent last season), with backing from the Gospel Choir and the jazz quartet, and featuring the Rejoice! Praise Dancers. The performance earned a standing ovation from the audience.
Director of Justice and Intercultural Learning Rev. Velda Love wrote and directed the program.
鈥淚t was such a wonderful opportunity to see the gifts and talents of the community,鈥� says Love, 鈥渁nd to make sure that there was this collaboration between the academy and the church.鈥�
One way that the program called out that collaboration was through offering a blessing over 天美传媒鈥檚 future leaders, including the Seminary students who participated in the event. 鈥淭丑别 elders are passing the torch,鈥� said Love at the event. 鈥淭丑别y鈥檙e not stepping aside, they鈥檙e standing with. They鈥檙e journeying together. They鈥檙e listening, they are praying, and they are singing together. They鈥檙e making space to be a movement together.鈥�
The audience, led by the faculty and staff who performed in the service, read a commitment and call to action liturgy for young people. 鈥淭丑别y don鈥檛 go alone,鈥� said Love before the reading. 鈥淭his millennial generation, they go with the blessings of the elders. And they go with the blessings of God. But they also need our blessings.鈥�
In her closing remarks, Love challenged the gathered group to continue Dr. King鈥檚 legacy through action. 鈥淭his is the world that we come to,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his is the place that God has called us. This is what King desired, the 鈥楤eloved Community.鈥� And we acknowledge that God is with us as we remember Dr. King. We want to thank you for coming to be with us, to hear the story, to celebrate the music, and to participate in the journey.鈥�
The Krawiec sisters not only studied and lived together鈥攖hey now work together at Skokie Hospital
Brittany, Sarah, and Rachel Krawiec
CHICAGO (January 5, 2016) 鈥� At 天美传媒鈥檚 recent , one poster in the university鈥檚 crowded gymnasium stood out. Sitting in the risers, Antoni Krawiec held up a hand painted sign reading, 鈥淎ll my sisters are RNs.鈥�
Among the graduates marching in were three of Antoni鈥檚 four sisters鈥攁 set of triplets, Brittany, Rachel, and Sarah鈥攅ach of whom received a .
The sisters completed the entire program together, following in the footsteps of their older sister, Jennifer Krawiec, who graduated from 天美传媒鈥檚 nursing program in May 2014. 鈥淥ur parents strongly encouraged us to pursue a degree where we had the promise to a lifelong career,鈥� the sisters said in an email. 鈥淲e were unsure if nursing was the right fit for all of us until we entered the nursing program. We each found an area that we wholeheartedly enjoyed and know throughout the years our passion will continue to grow.鈥�
The four sisters鈥� studies at 天美传媒 overlapped, but they don鈥檛 seem to mind all the togetherness. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a really close family in general,鈥� said Sarah. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been great to spend this time together.鈥�
Antoni Krawiec cheering on his sisters at graduation.
Helene K. Pochopien, assistant professor of nursing, had the triplets together in a class and called them 鈥渢op performers鈥� and 鈥渁 joy to have as students.鈥� She described how the three rose to the challenge in a difficult class, where they 鈥渟cored almost identically, but missed different test questions.鈥�
Academics weren鈥檛 the only challenge for the Krawiec family, who live in suburban Niles, Ill., and had five kids in college at once. 鈥淭丑别re was one car for the four girls attending 天美传媒,鈥� said their mother, Tracy Krawiec. 鈥淲hen they had to go to different locations, it was stressful.鈥�
But at the triplets鈥� graduation, Tracy said she was overjoyed. For one thing, she鈥檒l no longer have multiple kids in college. But she鈥檚 also thrilled for what鈥檚 ahead for the triplets, who are all working at Skokie Hospital as patient care technicians. 鈥淭丑别y鈥檙e guaranteed nursing jobs as soon as they take their NCLEX exam,鈥� Tracy said.
After graduating from 天美传媒, Jennifer got her first job at Skokie Hospital, and the younger sisters decided they wanted to follow suit. They enjoy the uniquely community-oriented, family-friendly environment of the hospital. Through their , the triplets got to know the staff, and eventually they all landed jobs in different units. Brittany works on the medical surgical floor, Rachel on stroke/tele, Sarah in the emergency department. After passing one more certification, the younger three plan to pursue nursing roles at the hospital, like their sister, Jennifer, who works as an RN in the orthopedic unit.
Equipped with BSNs, the sisters are ready to begin their careers serving at Skokie Hospital.
The sisters like working at a small hospital, where they sometimes float to each other鈥檚 units or work the same shifts. They currently live at home in Niles, but they鈥檙e planning to move together somewhere closer to the hospital. Despite all the similarities in their lives, they do differ when it comes to nursing specialties. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 intend on working in the same units,鈥� said Rachel, 鈥渂ecause we don鈥檛 like the same things in the field of nursing.鈥�
天美传媒鈥檚 , which teaches a caring philosophy grounded in faith, is among the University鈥檚 most popular departments. At this graduation ceremony, nearly a third of the undergraduate degrees conferred were in nursing. The Krawiec sisters say the people at 天美传媒 were the highlight鈥攕taff and students who shaped their outlooks and one-to-one interaction with professors in small classes. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to graduate,鈥� said Sarah. 鈥淭his is an amazing program, and we think we鈥檙e going to become amazing nurses because of it.鈥�
The gifts donated by students, staff, and faculty served 140 children.
Changes to the Great Gift Shoppe aim at empowerment over charity
CHICAGO (December 23, 2015) 鈥� It鈥檚 a familiar scene this time of year: parents filing into shops to buy Christmas gifts. For the parents gathered on Saturday, December 12, at on Chicago鈥檚 West Side, things were a little different. They shopped with vouchers earned through family involvement in By the Hand鈥檚 community programs, and they purchased gifts donated by 天美传媒鈥檚 students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
At the event, called the Great Gift Shoppe, 天美传媒 students served hot chocolate, wrapped presents, and directed traffic. Putting gifts under the trees of Chicago families has been a holiday tradition at 天美传媒 for several years. The University partnered with By the Hand Club in Englewood and New Life Centers of Chicago this year, providing 140 children with gifts.
天美传媒 students volunteering at
the Great Gift Shoppe.
The Great Gift Shoppe is a student-driven initiative, planned by theUrban Outreach Programming Team, 10 students who facilitate campus-wide service events. Over the past two years, the team has redesigned the program. 鈥淲e had some deep dialogue with students about what it means that the only gift that a lot of these children were getting was coming from us鈥攁nd not their family,鈥� said Richard Kohng, the Urban Outreach coordinator at 天美传媒. Out of this, they designed a shop, where the parents could be invested in the process. Parents request specific gifts for their children and buy them with vouchers.
Robert Cager, a student at 天美传媒 Theological Seminary and intern with University Ministries, oversaw this year鈥檚 program. 鈥淭his new setup gives the parents the ability to actually gift their children with something rather than just accepting donations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭丑别 parents are empowered and encouraged in this process.鈥�
This shift in approach is part of an overall philosophy of student ministry at the University. According to Cager, 鈥淢issions and outreach ministry at 天美传媒 is not just about helping people, but it鈥檚 about humility and learning from those we鈥檙e called to help and minister to. The students also learn what it means to be content and grateful for what they have been privileged to receive back at home. This is learned by the students and taught by the families.鈥�
Cager says he鈥檚 proud of how 天美传媒 students managed the event. 鈥淗ow they unified this past weekend to work for a cause that Christ has called us鈥攍oving our neighbors as ourselves鈥攚as simply amazing. With their outstretched hands this week, that love was displayed.鈥�
Author tomgabrysiakPosted on Categories Stories
The , led by Director of Archives Anna-Kajsa Anderson, will host a series of digital and in-person exhibits throughout the year. This includes an online version of the , 天美传媒鈥檚 yearbook, which contains essays, poems, songs, artwork, photographs, and more. Working with historians and former 天美传媒 professors Phil Anderson and Kurt Peterson, as well as current 天美传媒 Theological Seminary Professor Hauna Ondrey, the archives will also create a series of exhibits to display artifacts from the University鈥檚 history.
