This year, everyone is encouraged to “light the way” for future North Parkers by wearing blue and gold; posting about Blue & Gold Day on social media and tagging @npualumni; and of any size, whether it’s $5 or $100.

Contributions will go toward three funds:

1. 1. The North Park Fund supports every student every day. It funds financial aid and scholarships, enriches student services, advances campus infrastructure, and strengthens academic support, all of which allow our students to grow into lives of significance and service.
   2. The Student Care Fund provides practical support to students facing financial difficulties so they can continue to focus on their education. It covers costs like transportation, food, rent, textbooks, and medical bills.
   3. The Viking Club enhances all athletic programs by improving infrastructure and supporting student-athletes in their health, wellness, and academic endeavors. It provides our Vikings the best student-athlete experience possible and advances our athletic programs.

Last year, the North Park community raised $318,000 for Blue & Gold Day. Follow the 2026 campaign’s progress and make your gift on April 8 on the page.

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“These awards are a chance to celebrate our incredible students,” said Music Department Chair and Stephen J. Hendrickson Professor of Music Dr. Julia Davids. The awards are special, she said, because they are given by a panel of guest judges who come to campus to meet students, learn about their backgrounds and stories, and experience their performances.

This year’s first-place SMAT undergraduate award went to Christopher Comanescu, who performed Paolo Tosti’s “Non t’amo Più,” while second place went to Aiana Omurova for her performance of the first movement of Joseph Hayden’s Sonata in F Major.

For the graduate division, first place went to Tierra Whetstone, who performed “Habanera” from Georges Bizet’s Carmen, with second place going to Grace Zieman’s performance of “Glitter and be Gay” from Leonard Bernstein’s Candide.

The service awards were given to Grace Zieman and Yash Pawar, both of whom display leadership through mentorship and the cultivation of connection, Davids said.

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In her work at North Park, Davids directs the university choir and chamber singers and teaches choral conducting and music education. She is also the music director of the North Shore Choral Society, a 130-voice amateur community choir, and serves as director of music ministries at Trinity United Methodist Church, Wilmette.

The highly esteemed Juno Awards are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys and will take place on March 28. about the group and its nomination.

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Woodley, who played as a student before becoming a graduate assistant and eventually head coach, led the Vikings to multiple program records this season, including a program-best second-place conference finish, the program’s first CCIW Tournament appearance and win, a CCIW Tournament championship appearance, four all-conference selections, and six CCIW wins.

The team also posted a six-game winning streak in October 2025, finishing the season with a 9–7 record, making it their most successful season yet. about the historic season.

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On February 27, North Park battled but ultimately fell to Illinois Wesleyan, 80–70. CCIW First Team member Mike Vuckovic was unable to play, but Kolden Vanlandingham, Lazario Cornish, and William Bates stepped up, keeping the score tight throughout the game.

Despite the defeat, North Park’s playoff push highlighted the team’s resilience. The Vikings, appearing in their fourth straight CCIW Tournament, concluded the season with a 16–11 record, besting last year’s 14–12.

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The podcast producers said they tapped Bergman after a long search for someone deeply embedded both in American culture and the culture of a place with high happiness ratings. For Bergman, that place is Sweden.

On the podcast, Bergman discussed Sweden’s unique approach to education, the outdoors, and healthcare. He noted that in Sweden, doctors will prescribe “a walk in the woods” to treat depression as opposed to medication.

Listen to the podcast on or your preferred listening platform.

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The gives to go-ahead to local colleges, including ÄűĂʵĽş˝, to begin official competition this spring. The NPU Vikings’ home opener is a March 11 game against Marian University at Holmgren Athletic Complex. The 16-player roster features players from as far as Sweden and Norway and as close as Amundsen High School.

And with the Winter 2026 Olympics nearing the rearview, the focus now is on the summer edition, to be held in Los Angeles in 2028, where flag football will have its . The sport also has the support of the National Football League.

“Flag football is the next generation of this sport,” said Head Coach Ramon Palma BS ’22, MBA ’24, whose squad will start practices this spring. “It’s going to be a joy to coach this eager new group in a sport that I love, having played it myself.”

“It’s exciting that women will now have the opportunity to compete in this allAmerican sport on an international level,” he said. I’m proud to be part of it by coaching these outstanding college players.”

The consists of roughly 15 games against similarly sized NCAA Division III teams from across the Midwest.

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“We’re in some serious, crazy times,” Matthews said. “We have to come together to combat the evil to make peace for our families and our communities.”

Matthews, CEO of Pause for Peace, an organization founded on her expertise in mediation, activism, and behavioral practice, describes herself as a peacekeeper and violence interrupter. She spoke about being raised by a single grandmother who taught her to embrace her community by caring for one another.

“Stay focused, no matter what comes across that phone,” said Matthews, whose work is highlighted in The Interrupters, a documentary that aired at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and highlighted the work of those looking to end entrenched cycles of violence.

“Check in on people’s mental health, show compassion. Let’s have conversations we know will be going on for a few more years, so we can battle violence,” Matthews said.

The event, which featured lunch and fellowship, was hosted by Director of Intercultural Student Affairs Rashad Hanna, who opened with prayer and a special tribute to civil rights icon King.

The Interrupters on PBS.

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Weborg was known for the spiritual conversations and deep relationships he formed with his students and colleagues, many of whom entered the ministry because of him.

“There are teachers who educate, and then there are those who open vistas, showing you worlds you didn’t know existed,” . “That’s what John has been for many of us. He could tell us what lay before us, but he was more interested in seeing us explore.”

In 2011, in honor of Weborg’s nearly 30 years of teaching at NPTS, North Park named the after him.

Weborg was an active member of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Princeton and worked as a chaplain at Freedom House Illinois, a shelter for victims of domestic abuse. He is survived by several relatives, including his son, daughter, and six grandchildren.

Read Weborg’s full obituary .

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Ketcham, principal of the Higher Education and Residential sectors at Stantec, is known for creating beautiful spaces with particular attention to detail, light, and color. At NPU, he is perhaps best known for designing the Nancy and G. Timothy Johnson Center for Science and Community Life and the Nursing Simulation Lab.

During the podcast, Ketcham talks about balancing donor desires with campus needs, the role of place-making in campus development, and his growing respect for architectural tradition.

to the podcast on your favorite platform.

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