North Park University was founded in Minneapolis in 1891 to provide basic education for Swedish immigrants and theological training for students entering the ministry. The school moved to the North Park community on the outskirts of Chicago in 1894. Since that time, the cornfields and cabbage patches in the area have given way to stores, bungalows, and apartment buildings, and the campus now covers 30 acres in a bustling urban neighborhood. The school has become an ethnically and racially diverse Christian university and seminary offering degrees in a wide range of disciplines and enrolling 3,300 students from across the country and around the world. It is one of the few evangelical Christian universities in the United States located in a major city. Title: New Books Highlight North Park University History Author: Staff Writer Publisher: North Park University Date: 5/15/2009 North Park University and Seminary alumnus John E. Peterson knows a little something about school spirit. A former University trustee and self-described "amateur historian," he has spent years amassing a collection of North Park memorabilia--from photographs, to yearbooks, to magazines. In fact, his affinity for his alma mater and love of its history inspired Peterson to help produce a book capturing North Park's rich 118-year legacy in pictures. "There hasn't been a good history of North Park since 1941," says Peterson, who worked with Anne Jenner, the director of the University's F. M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections to create one. The finished product, North Park University, was released by Arcadia Publishing on May 11 as one of the latest installments in its Campus History series. The collection features dozens of schools, including large universities like Princeton and Georgetown as well as state universities and liberal arts colleges. Another recent book, Chicago: Yesterday and Today (Publications International, Ltd., 2009), celebrates North Park University's place in city. It also highlights many of Chicago's historic neighborhoods and buildings, from the early days of the Fort Dearborn settlement to the opening of Millennium Park. Since the University's relocation to its current northside neighborhood more than a century ago, North Park has seen Chicago as a classroom, and all Chicagoans as teachers. Chicago is currently only available in limited distribution, but orders for North Park University can be placed through the North Park bookstore, or by calling (773) 244-4570. John E. Peterson is a graduate of North Park University and Theological Seminary and a former member of the university's board of directors. Peterson is also the author of The Kansas City Athletics, Omaha Railroad Passenger Stations, and The College World Series. He worked with Anne Jenner, director of the F.M. Johnson Archives and Special Collections, to capture the history of the school through photographs from the collections. Number of Pages: 128 Published By: Arcadia Publishing Inc Imprint: Arcadia Publishing Series: Campus History Published On: 4th May 2009 Location: Illinois Illustration Style: Black and White ISBN Number: 9780738560618 Book Format: Paperback