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.
Journal of Hip Hop Studies 鈥楲egitimizes Hip Hop and Brings it into a More Serious Conversation鈥�
Dr. Daniel White Hodge
A conversation with Editor-in-Chief Daniel White Hodge
CHICAGO (February 27, 2014) 鈥� The Journal of Hip Hop Studies began as an idea to provide an innovative and unifying force in the field of hip hop studies. , assistant professor of youth ministry and director of the at 天美传媒, organized a national editorial team in 2012 鈥渃ommitted to publishing critically engaged, culturally relevant, and astute analyses of Hip Hop.鈥� After developing a partnership with , a grassroots organization devoted to eliminating the school-to-prison pipeline, Dr. White Hodge and the journal鈥檚 editorial team began accepting submissions and launched the first issue in January 2014. The journal is currently preparing its second issue for release this year, and the team is also working on a special issue on the rise of African hip hop.
The . Dr. White Hodge recently sat down for an extended discussion about the project.
天美传媒: Why is the Journal of Hip Hop Studies important?
Daniel White Hodge: Hip hop studies is much like what the field of film studies was in the late 70s and early 80s. People asked the question, 鈥榃hy are we going to study film?鈥� Now that鈥檚 almost a moot question. Why not study film and understand it? Aspects of popular culture have really grown over the last 25 years and, with the advent of social media and the Internet, hip hop has really flourished 鈥攖he good, the bad, and the ugly. It hasn鈥檛 been all positive, but it hasn鈥檛 been all negative.
The field of hip hop studies has created a sense of curiosity among scholars. What does it mean to have culture and people groups that didn鈥檛 form in an establishment or a system? Hip hop formed in the boroughs, in the ghettos, in the 鈥榟oods, and under expressways. And scholars, activists, and journalists are trying to figure out what that means. People predicted back in the 80s this is just a fad and it would blow over. It鈥檚 been around for a long time now.
We have a special issue coming out, hopefully in summer, on African hip hop. We鈥檝e got about eight essays from Ghanaians, Kenyans, Nairobians, and South Africans talking about hip hop in their context. For the first time we have a non-U.S. entity becoming bigger than a U.S. entity [in hip hop]. We saw some of this with K-pop and 鈥淕angnam Style.鈥� K-pop is big in Korea and you have emergence in Tokyo, Japan. You have Jewish hip hop, you have Russian hip hop, and all kinds of modes of this [music].
And we鈥檙e all trying to figure out what it means. This journal legitimizes hip hop and brings it into a more serious conversation about the art, the aesthetic, the culture, the people, and of course the theological input.
NP: The first issue launched in January, but the project鈥檚 origins go back further. How did the Journal of Hip Hop Studies come to be?
DWH: I had this idea for a journal back in 2003 when I was in grad school. The field of hip hop studies, which at the time was just a side talk in conference corners, wasn鈥檛 really a formulated field. Really the first book that came out was by Tricia Rose back in 1994, called Black Noise. That particular book set the field ablaze. It took a few years to get things together because, to do anything academic, you have to have the right things in place.
By 2012 you have professional organizations and fields like communications studies, the Journal of Popular Culture, Black studies, African studies, and the list goes on. They are dedicating portions of their organizations to hip hop culture. Seeing this I thought鈥攚e need to pool our resources together and form a collective group that says we are going to study this. It鈥檚 no different from the American Academy of Religion and no different from the Journal of Youth Ministry.
NP: Back when hip hop studies was forming, hip hop culture was a voice on the margins. Now it is more part of the definition of mainstream culture. How has hip hop changed?
DWH: You have this exponential growth of salaries, and these salaries come with a lot of strings attached. But now some of those artists who are making beaucoup bucks aren鈥檛 talking about the same kind of social issues that some of the underground artists are talking about. That discrepancy is what we鈥檙e trying to study. What causes someone coming from the 鈥榟ood, like a Chingy or a 2 Chainz, to go from seeing all of these issues growing up to only talking about partying, women, and drugs? And what keeps the underground artist the underground artist?
Or think about something like the Harlem Shake. The Harlem Shake is a 35 to 40 year old dance that most people only know from silly YouTube videos. Most people don鈥檛 know the history and context where it was established. In places like Brooklyn and Harlem that were undergoing major innovations, this dance was a form of protest and a form of releasing that would otherwise be put onto the streets.
The golden era [of hip hop] has generally been marked as the years between 鈥�87 and about 鈥�96. Can we have a resurgence of that? That is what is being worked out and talked about in a number of circles.
NP: You mentioned the role of theology in hip hop, and it incorporates two of the five pillars of the journal鈥檚 mission. Why does it play such a big role in hip hop?
DWH: What is the significance of someone like Snoop Lion鈥檚 conversion, or what was Tupac espousing? When you start thinking about any culture, when you鈥檙e talking from an anthropological perspective, you have to include spirituality and religion. It can鈥檛 be left out. There are a multitude of artists wrestling through and trying to work through theological constructs.
If you think about it from a Christian perspective, how is God interacting with this culture? And what is God saying to this culture? You have Tupac and the Outlaws talking about a Black Jesus, and then you have Jizza and Liquid Swords questioning the very foundations of Christianity. In the context of oppression and racism, most of the rappers, particularly if they are Black, have been raised in a fundamental, rigid, Christian home. Now that they are older, and they are a little bit more mature, with all of the things that they鈥檝e seen, what does religion mean in a hip hop environment?
NP: The journal is sponsored by the Save the Kids and the Center for Youth Ministry Studies at 天美传媒. How have they helped?
DWH: Save the Kids is an organization founded by Dr. Anthony Nocella, who was the keynote speaker for last fall鈥檚 conference on the school-to-prison pipeline our center put on in collaboration with 天美传媒鈥檚 School of Education. Essentially he just has a heart and a passion for kids. The foundation itself is not a faith-based foundation, but offers resources and training for all of the issues surrounding youth and injustice.
As far as the Center for Youth Ministry Studies, hip hop is in every single youth ministry in the United States, so we have to be studying it. I don鈥檛 know too many other arenas where you can say that. You could say rock and roll or metal, but they didn鈥檛 really reach into the Black or Brown areas. Jazz, maybe. But hip hop is everywhere. The Center needs to be having those conversations.
NP: What鈥檚 in store for the future of the Journal of Hip Hop Studies?
DWH: Hip hop is very inclusive, so from the beginning we didn鈥檛 want to be exclusive. If we go the traditional route with print and other things, that comes with a cost. The genesis of our idea was to keep this free and inclusive and accessible. If we go the traditional route, it costs a lot more.
We want to be a place for activists, practitioners, and artists, but at the moment it is solely academic. If there is any place that can work across those different groups, it is going to be hip hop. You can bring almost any discipline into hip hop and have a genuine conversation about what it means.
And there is a legion of emerging scholars that are young, talented, on the cutting edge, and really forward-thinking about issues in hip hop studies. At the journal, we want to be able to capture that.
“Sing a New Song” Tour Explores ‘New’ and ‘Old’ from a Musical Perspective
天美传媒's University Choir and Chamber Singers perform throughout the year under the direction of Dr. Julia Davids.
University Choir and Chamber Singers will tour in Minnesota, March 7–12
CHICAGO (February 25, 2014) — 天美传媒’s will tour Minnesota over Spring Break, performing at six churches, the Covenant Village retirement community, and Minnehaha Academy. The tour’s theme, “Sing a New Song,” features both classical and contemporary sacred and secular music, including works by René Clausen, Baldassare Galuppi, and Claude Debussy, as well as arrangements by Moses Hogan and Randall Thompson.
More than 50 天美传媒 students will participate in the tour, representing the University’s undergraduate and graduate music programs, conducted by , director of choral activities and Stephen J. Hendrickson Assistant Professor of Music, and accompanied by Myron Silberstein. For student musicians, tours provide important performance experience, an opportunity to build close relationships with fellow vocalists and faculty members, and a refreshing perspective on music.
“As a vocalist, touring is something that should be essential,” said Ellie Weihsmann, a first-year and alto in the University Choir. She also participates in a that leads services on campus. “When you can travel to see other places and perform for other people, it provides a different atmosphere and outlook on why you sing and what you love about singing for others.”
“This choir tour will offer undergrads and grad students alike more than a refreshing dose of ‘Minnesota nice,’” said Josh Pritchett, a student who will graduate this May. He sings with both the University Choir and Chamber Singers, and has participated in 天美传媒’s . “I find that these tours offer valuable bonding time for students. Many of us are music students, but there are non-music majors, as well, which makes fellowship with other choristers hard to achieve during the school year.”
For both Weihsmann and Pritchett, the Minnesota destination for the tour brings the particular joy of returning home.
Originally from Duluth, Weihsmann’s family now lives near the Harris Covenant Church stop on the tour. “It is an honor to bring a piece of my college experience to my hometown,” she said. “Minnesota will always be “home” for me, and being able to share a piece of my current life in Chicago with my home is such a treat!”
“Minnesota has a special place in my heart,” Pritchett said. Growing up, he moved a number of times between Minnesota and Wisconsin before finally settling in Minnesota. “It is always a joy to return back home.”
The tour’s theme, “Sing a New Song,” comes from a piece the choirs will sing, “Sing Unto the Lord a New Song” by Srul Irving Glick (1934–2002). This contemporary Canadian composer was also a Jewish canter; his work sets Psalms to music in both Hebrew and English, moving seamlessly between contemporary and classical styles. The piece “juxtaposes new and old” in a unique, moving way, according to Davids.
The entire tour repertoire takes up this theme of exploring the journey between ‘new’ and ‘old,’ Davids said. She hopes this strikes close to home for choir members, and helps them reflect on their journey as students and into adulthood. “In so many ways, students evolve throughout their time at university,” she said. “They begin intending to do one thing and may end up doing something completely different.”
“These are not ‘ordinary’ pieces that an ‘ordinary’ choir will be singing,” said Weihsmann. “These pieces are heartfelt and brilliant, and being sung by students who have a lot of passion for what they do.”
While more well known in Canada, Glick’s compositions are less familiar to American audiences. “I think it’s part of the job of a university touring group like ours to bring something new and balance it with what audiences are more familiar with,” Davids said.
According to Pritchett, this tour offers a wide variety of music to audiences, “from 20th century Hebrew to gospel infused choral pieces. What I’m looking forward to singing are three “Ave Maria” pieces, one of which was composed by our own piano professor, Thomas W. Jefferson.”
The tour will begin with a Friday evening concert at Winnetka Covenant Church in Wilmette, Ill., before the group heads to Minnesota. There, they will perform evening concerts at four churches, as well as participate in Sunday morning worship services at Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton. The group will conclude the tour with an afternoon concert at Covenant Village in Golden Valley. All performances are free and open to the public:
Saturday, March 8, 7:00 pm, at Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park
Sunday, March 9, 8:30, 9:50, and 11:00 am, at Salem Covenant Church, New Brighton
Sunday, March 9, 6:00 pm, at Lakeview Covenant Church, Duluth
Monday, March 10, 7:00 pm, at Harris Covenant Church, Harris
Tuesday, March 11, 7:00 pm, at Bethlehem Covenant Church, Minneapolis
Wednesday, March 12, 12:30 pm, at Covenant Village, Golden Valley
On Tuesday, March 11, the ensembles will visit in Minneapolis to conduct a choral workshop for young singers. The choirs will collaborate with the high schoolers to sing “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” during a chapel service.
Engineering Degrees Part of 天美传媒’s Commitment to Science
Two new programs launching Fall 2014
CHICAGO (February 21, 2014) — In recent years, 天美传媒 has focused its efforts on meeting the growing demand for science and health education, training students to be leaders of industries that will help shape the future. This has meant a number of things, from to increased opportunities.
The next stage of this scientific focus will launch this coming fall with the expansion of undergraduate engineering programs at 天美传媒. Students interested in pursuing careers in innovation and technology can receive the engineering education they want with the flexibility of .
“Recently I had a student in my office and I asked them what they want to be doing five years from now,” said , assistant professor of physics. “I asked them, 'What is your dream job?' With these three engineering programs to go with our two options, no matter the student's dream, we have a way to get them there. That’s what a smaller school like 天美传媒 can do.”
The first new program is an innovative with 天美传媒 and the .
Students will have the opportunity to participate in the full academic and community life of both universities and, in just five years, earn both a BS in engineering from UIC and a BS in physics from 天美传媒. They will be equipped for immediate careers or for advanced research at the graduate level.
“There is a critical need for people who both understand the technology they develop and can appreciate the cultural, political, and economic impact of that technology on our lives and the lives of future generations,” McDonald said. Having the opportunity to learn critical thinking skills in a traditional liberal arts program at 天美传媒, in addition to engineering training in a premier research school at UIC, prepares students to be effective leaders in designing the cities and industries of the future.
Students will major in either civil or mechanical engineering while at UIC, which is continually ranked as one of the top engineering programs in the country.
For students interested in completing an entire engineering degree at 天美传媒, the Department of Physics and Engineering will offer a starting this fall. Either on its own, or as a complement to another undergraduate major, students will explore how science and technology continually engage and shape different disciplines and professions.
天美传媒 will also continue to offer its flexible , which provides a foundation in liberal arts and critical thinking. With this degree option, undergraduates spend their first three years at 天美传媒 before transferring to another engineering institution. At the completion of their engineering degree, they receive both their bachelor's in engineering and a BA in physics from 天美传媒.
These three programs are an important component of preparing students for lives of significance and service in the 21st century. As an engineer, or as a professional with an engineering background, 天美传媒 alumni will be reay to lead advances in technology and sustainability that reinforce 天美传媒’s commitment to God and to the world.
Students in the new programs will also be a part of the first class to utilize the . Science and health education will have a new home in the state-of-the-art building that puts technological opportunity at student’s fingertips.
“We are proud to provide a range of options in engineering for students that have an interest and an ability,” said , provost of 天美传媒. “This has long been an area of demand and with our new science facilities we can now serve these students with great resources and wonderful faculty.”
To find out more about the engineering programs, .
Use @npunews to . Learn more .
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Explore all the available at 天美传媒.
See the of the Johnson Center, scheduled to open in Fall 2014.
Future Students, University Supporters Tour Interior of Johnson Center
Dave Olson, co-president of construction firm W.B. Olson, Inc., led prospective students and their families through the interior of the building in progress, what he and the University envision as a "center of student activity" once it opens for the Fall 2014 semester.
Building set to open this summer
CHICAGO (February 13, 2014) — Future 天美传媒 students and dedicated University supporters got a sneak peek inside the on Friday, February 7. Twenty-four select students and their families, on campus to attend a Trustee Award Event, toured the building’s interior in the afternoon. More than 60 members were given a tour in the evening as part of President’s Club Appreciation Events.
Despite Chicago’s cold winter, the construction schedule has been kept on track. “Our goal was to have the building enclosed by December,” said Dave Olson, co-president of construction firm . “We knew if we could get there and get the heat, we’d be just fine.”
Crews working to complete the Johnson Center’s interior structure have progressed from installing and insulating miles of conduit and plumbing piping to placing drywall and painting classroom and office spaces. With lab equipment arriving later this month, mechanical connections beginning, and floor completion scheduled for March, the building is on pace for a July move-in and to open for classes in August.
Incoming students got a feel for how the Johnson Center will be a University hub, with floor-to-ceiling windows in classrooms, labs, and gathering areas offering impressive views of the campus and city. “We envision that this will be a center of student activity,” Olson said as he led the tour through the building’s two-story atrium lobby.
Vice President for Student Engagement walked students through her vision of how the Johnson Center, which will house new Center for Student Engagement Offices, will facilitate campus collaboration among many areas of student service, including , , , and . “We’re excited to partner with science faculty to be able to serve you inside and outside of class,” she said.
Koslow Martin explained that all students will be able to use the Johnson Center as a resource in many different areas of community life, made easier by its physical location in the center of campus. She encouraged them to visit the Center for Student Engagement when they stop by the Johnson Center’s café. “Grab a bagel, then come see us.”
Professor of Chemistry led students through classrooms and labs, describing the cutting-edge equipment that students will be able to use. “You’ll be able to attend lectures together in the classroom, then do your lab work in smaller groups at laboratories in the same building,” he said. Labs for the , , , and programs were designed in consultation with faculty, Rienstra-Kiracofe said. The department will also move into the Johnson Center.
Students and their families stood in the future lecture hall in the Johnson Center as they learned about the many ways advanced technology will be incorporated into their learning experiences in the building.
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In addition to interactive display screens, HDTVs, and smart display podiums, Rienstra-Kiracofe said, the Johnson Center’s labs and classrooms will include lecture capture technology that will allow class lectures to be recorded, then posted online for students’ further review. A new advanced anatomy cadaver lab will include a hospital-grade dissection light and camera.
Touring groups were also given a glimpse of the building’s energy-efficient design and construction process. The Johnson Center has submitted for LEED Gold-level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, said Olson, and he expects to exceed those goal standards. The design and construction teams meet monthly on the status of LEED submittals and progress.
The LEED goal is for 10 percent of materials being used in construction of a building to be manufactured from recycled material, with 40 percent of materials mined or manufactured within 500 miles. To date, nearly 23 percent of construction materials for the Johnson Center are made from recycled materials, and nearly 48 percent of materials are mined or manufactured regionally. Eighty-two percent of the construction waste generated by the building has been diverted from landfills; the project goal is 75 percent.
Next, Olson said, he is eager to resume outside activity on the Johnson Center, which should begin again in two months. “The public spaces have to wow users of the building. The lobby area and the café—the places where people are going to hang out are going to be great,” he said. “But one area people are going to be thrilled by is the outside area,” he continued, looking to spring. “It’s pretty elaborate landscaping out there, and it’s hard to envision with all of the snow.”
I Go On Singing: Paul Robeson's Life in His Words & Songs
An Evening with Anthony Brown, Baritone
Thursday, February 13, 7:30 pm
Anderson Chapel, 天美传媒 5159 North Spaulding Avenue
A lost American hero re-discovered through his music and archival video.
As an All-American athlete, recording artist, and star of the stage and screen, Paul Robeson was once the best-known African-American entertainer in the world. After his emergence in the 1930s, Robeson became an early champion of civil rights. He traveled the world promoting peace, but trouble lay ahead, and ultimately he sacrificed his career and everything he’d accomplished by challenging the dominant culture’s status quo.
The story of this all-but-forgotten American hero will come alive on February 13 at 天美传媒 in a rousing new 90-minute song-filled presentation, I Go On Singing: Paul Robeson’s Life in His Words & Songs, performed by the gifted American baritone and international promoter of peace, Anthony Brown. Accompanied by faculty member on piano, Mr. Brown will reveal Robeson as an American patriot and towering figure of the 20th century. Told in Robeson’s own words, using many first-hand accounts from his autobiography, Here I Stand, the show traces his humble beginnings as a preacher’s son in Princeton to his international celebrity and as tireless fighter for human rights. The late folk legend Pete Seeger makes three video guest appearances discussing his friendship with Robeson and the music they shared.
I Go On Singing, written by Andrew Flack, delivers equal parts historical documentary with a live concert experience. Musical numbers range from Spirituals to Broadway, and include original arrangements of Robeson favorites like Ol’ Man River, Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child, Shenandoah, Scandalize My Name, It Ain’t Necessarily So, All Through the Night, Joe Hill, Deep River, and many others.
This concert experience is free and open to the public, and is in conjunction with this year's , "What Is Peace?" as well as 天美传媒’s celebration of Black History Month.
About the Artist
Anthony Brown
Internationally acclaimed baritone Anthony Brown is a promoter of peace and goodwill around the world. Anthony uses music to promote peace and reconciliation in countries where peoples’ lives are torn by war and civil strife.
His peace work has taken him to political hot spots such as Bosnia, Northern Ireland, China, Japan, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Uganda, South Korea, Ethiopia, and Colombia. In each venue, Anthony’s stirring performances connected people across race, language, religion, and culture—and helped them focus on how all one in the family of humanity.
In addition to his international peace work, Anthony is one of today’s most dynamic performers who sings a wide range of crowd-pleasing vocal repertoire, from musical theater and African American spirituals, to opera, oratorio, and art song. He is artist in residence at Hesston College, Hesston, Kan., and represents the college at various events across the United States.
Additional Events
In addition to the Thursday evening presentation, Mr. Brown will participate in several other campus events during his visit:
Chapel Service
Wednesday, February 12, 10:30 am
Anderson Chapel
Honoring the Ancestors: Taking the African American Spirituals Around the World
Wednesday, February 12, 7:00 pm
Anderson Chapel
(Workshop with members of the 天美传媒 ; open to the public)
Performance and Social Change
Thursday, February 13, 1:30–3:00 pm
(Undergraduate class; open to the public)
For more information, please contact Karen Dickelman via email or by calling (773) 244-5265.
A collaboration among 天美传媒 Theological Seminary and partner international schools visited ancient Greek sites in January, including the Greek amphitheater in Epidaurus.
天美传媒 Theological Seminary in Greece
CHICAGO (February 4, 2014) — There are three ideal spots onstage at the Greek amphitheater in Epidaurus. It is one of the best-preserved theaters, built in the fourth century B.C., and its pitch-perfect acoustics have not been able to be replicated with modern technology.
A group of students and faculty traveled to the amphitheater last month and spread out in the audience around circular stone bench seats.
The tour guide asked if anyone wanted to sing, hoping to show off the acoustics of the theater. The class immediately volunteered three people, including Nilwona Nowlin, a 天美传媒 Seminary student who will earn her master of arts in Christian formation and master of nonprofit administration in May. Nilwona hesitated as she had a cold, but finally gave in, and stepped to one of the three perfect spots and sang a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
“Normally when you sing on a stage you have to think about projecting and all of the muscles that go into it,” Nilwona said, “but I didn’t have to force anything and people all the way in the back could hear clearly.”
One of the people in the back was Nilwona’s teacher, , associate professor of New Testament at 天美传媒 Theological Seminary. “We were stunned about how advanced they were back then in terms of technology and it made the ancient world that much more real. It made the world of Acts come alive.”
From January 3 through 11, Nilwona and Dr. Lee journeyed to Greece along with 15 students and two additional faculty members from the Seminary for a Greece and Early Christianity course. It was collaboration with IFFEC, the International Federation of Free Evangelical Churches. Joining 天美传媒 were 16 international participants from IFFEEC schools in Sweden, Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, China, and Brazil.
“We got to converse with our sister churches, and hear what’s happening in their ministry,” Dr. Lee said. The group gathered at night for worship and prayer led by 天美传媒’s Dr. Carol Noren, Wesley Nelson Professor of Homiletics. “We heard the challenges the churches are having, and had a renewed sense of communion among the diverse group.”
Students prepared for the trip with a series of readings on Greco-Roman history, religion, and culture, as well as study of Acts and Paul's letters to the Corinthians. The Greek Bible Institute in Athens hosted the group, who stayed in dorms and spent the first day in seminars preparing for the week.
But most of the trip was reserved for traveling around to significant sites in early Christianity, including the Roman Forum in Athens, the Parthenon and Acropolis, Epidaurus, Naflplion, Delphi, and Corinth.
One of the first sites the group visited was Areopagus, known to many as Mars Hill, the site where Paul delivered a sermon to the Stoics and Epicureans recorded in Acts 17. , 天美传媒’s Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies, had a student read the sermon aloud. They heard the words of Paul, “The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands.” In the background stood the Parthenon, the impressive Greek temple and center of Athenian worship.
“It was a really great moment for all of us when we could see the Parthenon,” Dr. Lee said. “We could see the temple of Nike, and here we could see with our mind's eye Paul pointing directly to the temple and saying: 'God does not live in shrines made by human hands.'”
“Now when I approach the Bible, I have this culture and these sites in mind,” said Nilwona Nowlin, who with the class visited sites including the Roman Forum in Athens, the Parthenon and Acropolis, Corinth, and Erechtheion, a Greek temple (above).
Nilwona added, “Now when I approach the Bible, I have this culture and these sites in mind.” She talked about visiting locations of athletic competitions, and being reminded of Paul’s words of “running the race” and “finishing the course.” Paul used that language to speak directly to the people and their culture. “Seeing this helps not just as I’m studying the Bible, but also how I’m communicating it to other people,” Nilwona said. “I came home asking what are cultural examples I can use as I’m communicating.”
“I didn’t get these kinds of opportunities growing up,” Nilwona said. “Experiencing these kinds of things allows me to take these stories back to my community and encourage young people to want to do these kind of things and want to travel and experience other parts of the world.”
天美传媒 Theological Seminary’s commitment to developing women and men as faithful ministers of the Gospel is enhanced through travel learning. Yearly trips around the world to places like South America, Europe, and the Middle East allow students to experience a variety of cultures and engage scripture and theology from new perspectives.
“A lot of what people experience most of the time in Seminary is very cognitive,” said Dr. Lee, who has been . “They read, they go to class, and that is a tremendous way to learn. But sometimes there are insights born from being there that cannot be born from just being in the classroom.”
University Commemorates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings, associate professor at Duke University, spoke during Monday's worship service.
Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings asserted that living in King's legacy means to unmask and speak truth to power
CHICAGO (January 21, 2014) — Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings, associate professor of theology and black church studies at Duke Divinity School, told an audience in Anderson Chapel on Monday that the world is in desperate need of religious and Christian intellectuals.
“By definition a Christian intellectual is an activist intellectual,” Dr. Jennings said. “It is a person who has the courage to unmask and speak truth to power. Our goal is to change the world because we serve a God who has changed it.”
Dr. Jennings’ message was part of 天美传媒’s annual worship and service day celebrating the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Dr. Jennings admonished the smoothed and polished symbol of Dr. King etched into stone monuments, and told the audience to reclaim the legacy of a man rooted as a “black Baptist preacher of the Church and of the South” who “carved his voice out of suffering and out of pain.”
“If the civil rights movement taught us anything,” Dr. Jennings added, “it is that fear normalizes oppression. It normalizes the absurd. And right now in this country we are normalizing the absurd.” Citing issues of racial injustice, economic disparity, and health deprivation, Dr. Jennings said he can no longer ignore that this country from its founding has been addicted to greed and violence. The only question that remains is whether we are going to challenge that addiction.
A number of voices reflected on Dr. King’s message of justice during Monday’s service, from the 天美传媒 Seminary Gospel Choir to a group of young people from Second Baptist Church and Beth Emet The Free Synagogue in Evanston. That group recently journeyed on together, a six-day trip to major Civil Rights sites in the south, reflecting on issues of race and privilege. During Monday’s service the group related their journey to the call of Isaiah 58 to “loose the bonds of injustice.”
Other faculty, students, and area community members shared reflections on what Dr. King means for their vision of justice, including Randa Kuzies, a Muslim leader from . She shared excerpts from Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” emphasizing that time is neutral, and can be used either constructively or destructively.
Later Monday afternoon, , director of the and assistant professor of at 天美传媒, continued the discussion of what Dr. King’s legacy means today with an interfaith and intercultural discussion panel. Members of , Jewish, Christian, and Muslim leaders, along with area youth discussed issues of race, religion, and gender.
Workshops and webinars for nonprofit professionals now open for registration
CHICAGO (January 16, 2014) — Career paths for nonprofit professionals, fundraising to fuel social change, recharging volunteer programs, project management, program evaluation, and budgeting are just a few of the exciting topics to be covered in the upcoming spring workshops and webinars presented by the at 天美传媒.
Workshops and webinars take place between January 29 and April 23, and are a valuable resource for nonprofit professionals in the greater Chicago area. Industry experts, including representatives from Heartland Alliance, LinkedIn, and Silk Road Rising, will present on a variety of timely topics relevant to management and leadership of nonprofit organizations. Past participants have praised Axelson Center workshops for their outstanding, informative and relevant content, as well as their incredible value, calling them “a cost-effective method of staff training” and “a great reminder of what it takes to be successful in this [nonprofit] business.”
Half-day workshop registration fees are $80; full-day fees are $160. Members of YNPN Chicago, Donors Forum, United Way and several other affiliate groups are eligible for registration discounts. 天美传媒 students, alumni, and participants affiliated with organizations with budgets under $1 million are also eligible for discounts. Registration closes at noon Central Time the day prior to the event.
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The Axelson Center for Nonprofit Management at 天美传媒 is the source for informative and engaging nonprofit professional development in the Chicago region. Through regular workshops, webinars, and an , the Axelson Center delivers a superior educational experience for nonprofit managers, leaders, and frontline staff, covering a vast array of topics from program evaluation to strategic planning, and communications to financial management. The valuable information presented through these programs enhances the impact of both the nonprofit sector and its professional staff. Visit for more information, including a full schedule of upcoming events.
Chemistry Department Receives $17,000 Grant for Two Instruments with Biomedical and Food Applications
“We wanted to give our students the most modern experience possible in the lab and give them the hands-on experience they’ll need for graduate school and jobs in the industry,” said Dr. Anne Vázquez, assistant professor of chemistry, of the new equpiment that will soon arrive for students.
New equipment funded by the Max Goldenberg Foundation will allow students to use advanced analytical techniques in classes and research
CHICAGO (January 3, 2014) — The Max Goldenberg Foundation has awarded a $17,000 grant to the 天美传媒 Department for two state-of-the-art instruments that will allow students to use advanced analytical techniques in laboratory work and research, which will better prepare them for future careers in the field.
“We wanted to give our students the most modern experience possible in the lab and give them the hands-on experience they’ll need for graduate school and jobs in the industry,” said , assistant professor of chemistry. “Students will use the equipment multiple times throughout their college career and will integrate the instruments into their undergraduate research experience because we want to give our students the best opportunities available.”
With biomedical applications that include the ability to detect cancer, the Agiltron PeakSeeker Raman Spectrometer is an important instrument in the health sciences. It is used to identify substances, and will enable students to monitor the progress of chemical reactions and observe how these reactions become products. Starting sophomore year, chemistry majors will gain experience with the equipment in a variety of courses, including analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry, as well as through faculty and student-led research.
The —which is used to measure changes in energy, including calories in foods—will be incorporated into research and several courses as well, including general chemistry, physical chemistry, and others. This equipment is notable for its ability combine both bomb and solution calorimetry and will help faculty to better connect what students are learning in lectures to what they are doing in the lab, Professor Vázquez said.
The Max Goldenberg Foundation has funded other , including Lab Quest hand-held data acquisition PDAs, reflectance spectrometer, flash chromatography system, and a compact NMR spectrometer. “They’ve always been generous and made a difference in our students’ education,” Professor Vázquez said of the foundation, which supports educational, religious, and medical groups.
The department expects to receive and include the $9,000 raman spectrometer and the $8,000 combination calorimeter into classes and research during the spring semester. The equipment will then move to the new , which is scheduled to open in Fall 2014. Ultimately the addition of the instruments will help the chemistry department improve the student lab experience and prepare them for work after graduation.
“A benefit of being at a liberal arts college is that our students get hands-on experience and use the instrumentation themselves, so when they get to graduate school and start a job, they won’t be intimidated by the equipment,” Professor Vázquez said. “That’s something we really value.”
University Awards Degrees to 412 Students at Spring Commencement Ceremonies
Eboo Patel spoke to the graduates May 11 following presentation of the David Nyvall Medallion.
Nyvall Medallion presented to Eboo Patel, outstanding students honored
CHICAGO (May 13, 2013) — 天美传媒 awarded degrees May 11 to 412 graduates at three commencement ceremonies, culminating the 2012-2013 academic year. Events were held for students who earned , students who earned graduate degrees and degrees through the , and for graduates of. Combined with the held last December, degrees were presented to 657 天美传媒 graduates this academic year.
Preceding graduation was a baccalaureate service May 10 at , Chicago. In an address,, president of 天美传媒, drew a comparison between the graduates and the words of . "Once you came to 天美传媒, a sapling asking to be planted by the river, to be tended and nourished, to be pruned and watered," he said. "Tomorrow you will leave 天美传媒. Tomorrow you will be uprooted—for this is why you were planted. Tomorrow is the day of your transplanting."
At its undergraduate commencement May 11, the University presented its David Nyvall Medallion to , Chicago, founder and president of the , an organization that promotes interfaith cooperation by motivating young adults through service. Named for the first president of 天美传媒, the medallion is presented for distinguished service to the people of Chicago.
In response, Patel told stories of his own youth as the son of Indian immigrants, and how he learned to build bridges and form relationships with people, instead of building barriers. "We live in a world with people of all different backgrounds," he told the graduates. "As you are yourself in this world—giving expression to the formation you've received in your homes, in your churches, and at this university—are differences going to be opportunities for barriers or bridges?" In encouraging students to build bridges, Patel drew attention to Jesus’s words in the Sermon on the Mount (): "Blessed are the peacemakers."
He reminded the students that leaders build bridges and "carve out" common ground for successful relationships—and that a significant part of their 天美传媒 education—focused on lives of significance and service, is about leadership. Patel added that one of the most important gifts of a Christian liberal arts education "is the gift of perspective—a warm, loving perspective on a roiling world."
The University presented 262 bachelor's degrees. The Ahnfeldt Medallion, this year presented to two seniors with the highest grade point averages, went to Waseem Sous, Lincolnwood, Ill., bachelor of science in , and Miranda VanderMey, Mount Vernon, Wash., bachelor of arts in . 天美传媒's 2013 were introduced, Timothy Ahlberg, Perrysburg, Ohio, and Samuel Auger, Chicago.
Several students from the 天美传媒 College (now University) class of 1963 were recognized as they celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
Four graduates addressed the afternoon commencement ceremony for graduate programs and the School of Adult Learning (SAL), sharing the ways in which their University education shaped their lives and careers. Carlina Gonzalez-Allen, Joliet, Ill., an SAL graduate with a bachelor of arts in , told the graduates that having "a vision" helped her keep studying, and made the sacrifices worthwhile. "Vision takes ordinary people and leads them to lives of true significance," Gonzalez-Allen said. Other speakers were Sherida Hudak, Chicago, master of management, ; Toni Poteres, Niles, Ill., master of arts in education, ; and Berrie Anderson-Gwinn, Lake Zurich, Ill., master of science in nursing, .
At the Seminary commencement, which honored 37 graduates, Erik Borggren, Chicago, master of , was presented the Ahnfeldt Medallion for the highest grade point average. In addition, academic awards were presented to several students.
, the Seminary's Wesley W. Nelson Professor of Homeletics, presented the commencement address at the Seminary. She commented on Paul's sermon at Mars Hill in Athens (), pointing out that the first few lines of his sermon were especially memorable. She urged the graduates, who want to begin their church careers well, not to forget "to what end you have been called."
"Do not be deceived into thinking that success or faithfulness can be measured only by your relevance to the surrounding culture, your ability to speak the local dialect, or how quickly opportunities come to you … It is our God who will remain unknown unless we dare proclaim Christ crucified and risen, ascended and coming to judge the quick and the dead," Noren said.
, dean of 天美传媒 Theological Seminary, presided at the Seminary commencement. Graduates were also greeted by the University president.
Use @npunews to . For further information or resources, contact John Brooks, Director of Media Relations and News, or at (773) 244-5522. Learn more .
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