A Note from Dr. Hauna Ondrey, Dean of Faculty
Welcome NPTS students to the start of a new academic year—with a special welcome to those joining our learning community this semester!
It’s my joy to continue in the role of Dean of Faculty, and I look forward with hope to what God has in store for us this year as we seek to fulfill his call, in dependence on him. A few academic updates to highlight:
- We welcome Professor Michelle Dodson officially as Milton B. Engebretson Chair in Evangelism and Justice. In this role, she will direct our Master of Arts in Restorative Justice Ministries degree offered at Stateville and Logan Correctional Centers. Campus and distance students, I encourage you to learn with and from your fellow seminarians at Stateville and Logan by joining a spring class in person (Stateville, Logan) or by Zoom (Logan). Contact Professor Dodson to learn more. Toward continued integration of NPTS cohorts, this year Logan students will join community worship some Thursdays; Stateville students will join our Public Theology Lectures; and June intensives will take place concurrently on campus and at these extension sites, enabling (we hope!) more outside students to take courses inside. Our learning community is rich and broad; take every opportunity to engage its full breadth!
- All newly admitted students, both distance and residential, will be on campus September 12–15 for classes and extended orientation. These days will be especially full with the gatherings that characterize our weekly rhythm: shared worship, meals, and fellowship. Returning students, please join us as much as you’re able, to reconnect with one another and to welcome new students.
- We continue to work toward updated tech in classroom 117, on the first floor of Nyvall Hall, toward optimizing classes blending in-person and virtual attendance. In the meantime, hyflex classes will meet in N-004. We are committed to ongoing improvement in our capacity to integrate our student communities, increase accessibility, and maintain embodied learning. We know this has been and will continue to be a learning curve—and we will be seeking your input as we go. If you’re in a blended class—on either side of the screen—be on the lookout for a feedback survey September 8.
I and the rest of the faculty look forward to connecting with each you in the coming weeks. We are here to support you and God’s work in you through your seminary journey. David Nyvall, our first president and the namesake of our building, envisioned North Park as a community where “great intellects are warmed by great hearts, and great hearts are enlightened by great intellects.” I’m thankful to be part of a faculty that values and embodies this integration and pray each of you will fully receive the formation of mind, heart, and will that God invites you to in the year ahead.
For God’s glory and neighbor’s good—
Hauna Ondrey
Dean of Faculty &
Associate Professor of Church History