Viking Preview Days offer you a firsthand taste of the 草莓影视 experience by allowing you to connect with our community and learn about our vibrant student life. Viking Preview Days are an ideal opportunity for students to take the next step in their college journey and discover what makes 草莓影视 special.

Highlights:
-Attend “Coffee with Coaches” and learn more about Viking Athletics (optional)
-Explore our campus oasis on a tour led by 草莓影视 students
-Get all your questions answered about your admissions application and financial aid

草莓影视 will install sensors that detect weather and pollution patterns as part of a $166,000 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The sensors will be installed atop the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life on campus.

NASA awarded the five-year grant to 草莓影视 in part because of its federal status as a Hispanic Serving Institution, a school that is committed to equitable outcomes for Hispanic students. The two weather sensors will be installed by NASA this spring, and money from the grant will fund travel expenses and salaries for instructors and student workers. The equipment will be owned and maintained by NASA.

The grant was secured through the joint efforts of Assistant Professor of Chemistry John Randazzo and Director of Sponsored Projects Renee Cox. Only about 10 institutions across the country received the grant, and 草莓影视 is the lone Chicago site.

The environmental data gathered by the sensors will allow NASA researchers to monitor levels of atmospheric compounds such as carbon monoxide, along with particulate matters expelled by cars and factories. The data will also be compared to that acquired by satellites circling the earth to ensure accuracy. 草莓影视 students and professors will have access to that data, which will be transmitted directly into 草莓影视鈥檚 classrooms.

鈥淭his is a powerful tool because it makes learning real,鈥� Randazzo said. 鈥淭he students can read the data and know that鈥檚 coming from just above their heads.鈥�

Randazzo said the NASA grant was likely to raise 草莓影视鈥檚 profile as a research university.

鈥淏uilding a face-to-face relationship with NASA raises our credibility and increases future prospects,鈥� Randazzo said, adding that a NASA engineer will be speaking on campus in March.

Dr. Randazzo said he and Cox found the grant opportunity on a NASA LISTSERV about a year ago, and although they ignore 鈥�99% of them鈥� because they are not applicable, this particular grant struck them both because of 草莓影视鈥檚 location and Randazzo鈥檚 background in atmospheric science.

The two worked together to apply for the grant, which they learned they鈥檇 won late last year. .

How can you disconnect & reconnect this holiday season?

鈥淭he WIFI is out,鈥� 鈥淚 think the internet just went down,鈥� 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any service,鈥� 鈥淐an you hear me now?鈥� These are common fears amongst many people in our world today as we strive to stay connected.

As a professor who teaches marketing and digital marketing in the School of Professional Studies at 草莓影视, I realize that we are dependent on our devices and many of us are connected 24/7. However, what if instead of panicking when the internet goes down, we looked at it as an opportunity? Like when the power goes out and you are forced to sit around a candle or lantern and play a board game, read a book, cuddle up with blankets and actually talk with each other. If you are like me when this happens, I often don鈥檛 want the power to come back on. Well, we have that opportunity coming soon, we call them holidays.

In no other time in our history have we been this digitally connected, through social media, texting, and smartphones, we live in an age of constant global connectivity, yet research is showing we are increasingly feeling more alone, and sensing a reduction of human connection. Marian Rose, wrote an article on the Science of Human Connection and Wellness in a Digitally Connected World and states 鈥淧sychologists see a pattern in this success-driven culture of busyness and the associated 鈥榗onnection disconnection鈥�听of an increasingly digitally remote world, and it鈥檚 triggering what they say is rapidly becoming a dire听epidemic of loneliness . . . it seems that quality personal time for ourselves and for nurturing our relationships has become increasingly more elusive鈥� (M. Rose, 2017).

The question is, though we are digitally and globally connected by investing in this communication, are we actually hurting our personal and human connections?

As a professor, my job is to help my students learn how to create digital content that forces people to pay attention to their digital ads, click on links, and spend as much time connecting to products and services as possible. However, I also teach Digital and Business Ethics and my job is to help students recognize the balance and the importance of communicating face to face and making those human connections. Therefore, I would challenge you this holiday season to focus on each other. To put the phone down, turn the computer off, and let the digital world spin without you for one day. It may allow you to connect with a family or a friend in a unique way and if nothing else, really listen to them and allow you to show them kindness with your ears.

If that doesn鈥檛 work, you can always turn off the WIFI router and see what happens. Who knows, you may connect with your friends and family in ways you never thought was possible . . . 鈥�Keep calm the internet is off.鈥�

草莓影视 is a city-centered, intercultural, and Christian university located in Chicago. Dr. Trevor James is the associate dean, business faculty and director in the School of Professional Studies. Dr. James teaches a number of classes, such as Marketing, Digital and Social Media Marketing, and Digital/Business Ethics.

The School of Professional Studies offers bachelor鈥檚 degree completion programs in business administration, counseling psychology, criminal justice, digital marketing, location intelligence, nonprofit management, and organizational management and leadership. For more information about the School of Professional Studies go to .

草莓影视 honored its faculty at the annual University Convocation September 17, installing new and tenured faculty and administrators, and recognizing those who have published books and articles in the last year.

In her address to the nine professors who attained promotions or tenure at the ceremony in Anderson Chapel, President Mary Surridge commended them on their hard work and devotion to 草莓影视.

Provost Michael O. Emerson recognized the 10 faculty members who have recently published books, which ranged in topic from mathematics to Hip Hop music and its application to theology.

鈥淲ords are precious and valued, holy and sacred,鈥� Emerson said. 鈥淭o write is to contribute to the divine creation, to be a writer is to be called by God鈥檚 hand to be co-creator.鈥�

Ingrid Tenglin, assistant vice president of human resources, installed two new administrators: Lisa Ncube, associate provost for enrollment management; and Anthony Scola, vice president for enrollment management and marketing.
鈥淲e need the expertise and skills, the passion and commitment you bring to this place,鈥� Tenglin said. 鈥淲e are thankful you have chosen to serve with us.鈥�
The faculty members were honored at a reception after the service.

Recognized Faculty:

Eric Brown鈥擳enure
Yoojin Choi鈥擳enure and full professor
Julia Davids鈥擣ull professor
You-Seong Kim鈥擳enure
John Laukaitis鈥擳enure and associate professor
Dimitra Loukissa鈥擳enure and full professor
Sunshine Silver鈥擜ssociate professor
Kezia Shirkey鈥擳enure and associate professor
Theodore Zervas鈥擳enure and full professor

Faculty Authors:

Ilsup Ahn
Rachelle Ankney and Aaron Kaestner
Chad Eric Bergman
Paul H. De Neui
Michael Oluf Emerson
Alice Gorguis
Daniel White Hodge
Hauna Ondrey
Gregor Thuswaldner
Theodore G. Zervas

草莓影视鈥檚 School of Music, Art, and Theatre is pleased to welcome several talented musicians to its faculty.

David Govertsen and Sam Handley, both professional singers who have performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago; and Deb Stevenson, an oboist who performs with many local symphonies and quartets, join the faculty for the Fall 2018 semester. Also coming on board are hornist Anna Jacobson and Barbara Drapcho, a clarinetist, both of whom have performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

鈥淭he School of Music, Art, and Theatre is very pleased to welcome these new music instructors,鈥� said Craig Johnson, dean of the School of Music. 鈥淭hey all have strong backgrounds and training to bring to their duties at 草莓影视, and we are confident that the students with whom they work will receive the best possible training.鈥�

Chicago native Govertsen has been singing professionally for 15 years and is known for his portrayal of low-voiced heroes, villains, and buffoons. Mr. Govertsen, who attended Northwestern and Northern Illinois Universities, made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2011 as Herald in Othello. In addition to the Lyric, he has performed as a soloist with the Detroit, Madison, Rochester, and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestras, among others. Govertsen will teach undergraduate applied music.

As a student at Vanderbilt University, Tennessee-born Handley left the field of mathematics to pursue singing opera, concert, and recital. With degrees from University of Wisconsin and University of Houston, Handley has performed across the country and the world, appearing in productions in Beijing, New Hampshire, and San Francisco, and is known for his 鈥渞ich, burnished鈥� voice. He joins the faculty as a voice teacher.

Stevenson, who will be a lecturer, has been a freelance oboist in the Chicago area for 30 years. In addition to being a member of the Metropolitan and Lake Forest Symphonies, she is a founding member of the Metropolis Quartet and can be heard in numerous recordings, including The Soundstage Sessions听with Stevie Nicks. Stevenson studied oboe and English horn at several universities, including Boston and Northwestern, and maintains an active private teaching studio.

Drapcho, who has two degrees from Northwestern University, has performed in Chicago, New York, and Detroit. Jacobson, who holds degrees from Lawrence and DePaul Universities, is a member of several music groups and is also an award-winning fiddler. They will both teach applied instruction.

Did a novel or other work of literature change your life? If so, 草莓影视 English Professor Nancy Arnesen wants to hear from you.

Dr. Arnesen begins a yearlong sabbatical this summer, exploring the meaning of literature outside the classroom and in the broader world. As part of her research, she would like to hear from former students (along with their friends and family) about how a specific piece of literature changed their lives.

鈥淚鈥檇 be interested to hear from alums about a literary work they read in college, or since, that has been important to them in some way,鈥� says Dr. Arnesen, who has taught writing and literature for more than 30 years. 鈥淎s part of my research, I鈥檒l be asking 鈥榳hy bother with literature?鈥� and 鈥榟ow can literature serve the common good?鈥欌��

In addition to reading works by authors who examine literature and its relationship to the common good, Dr. Arnesen will be searching out internship opportunities for students as part of 草莓影视鈥檚 Catalyst 606__ program, in which Chicago serves as 草莓影视鈥檚 extended classroom. To do so, Dr. Arnesen will be spending time exploring Chicago-based clubs and other non-profits that encourage the use of literature as a way to improve people鈥檚 lives.

If you鈥檇 like to assist Dr. Arnesen with her project, reach out to her at narnesen@northpark.edu.

More About Dr. Arnesen

Newly released by NYU Press is听Market Cities, People Cities: The Shape of Our Urban Future,听co-authored by Michael Emerson, Provost of 草莓影视, and听Kevin T. Smiley.

About Provost Emerson

Dr. Gregor Thuswaldner, Dean of Arts and Sciences, was elected President of the Austrian Studies Association, a member institution of the American Council of Learned Societies. Thuswaldner will serve a two-year term as President. The US-based Austrian Studies Association was founded in 1961 to promote the study of Austrian, Austro-Hungarian, and Habsburg culture, literature, history, and politics. The Austrian Studies Association publishes a quarterly scholarly journal, the Journal of Austrian Studies (University of Nebraska Press) and organizes annual conferences. As President, Thuswaldner also serves as the association’s Chief Executive Officer Liaison to and ex-officio Board Member of the American Council of Learned Societies.

More About Dean Thuswaldner