MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 22, 2018) – Delegates to the 133rd Annual Meeting called Mary Surridge to be the tenth president and first female president of North Park University on Friday.
Surridge has served as the university’s vice president for advancement since 2008. She shepherded Campaign North Park, the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the school’s history. It raised $63 million in commitments, including $41 million for the Johnson Center for Science and Community Life.
“It has been the delight of my professional life to serve the mission of North Park in roles of progressive leadership over the past 20 years alongside our dedicated and talented faculty and staff,” Surridge said.
She told the gathering that she was committed to strengthening the ties between the university and denomination. “As we face our future together, I am very grateful for the legacy and faithfulness of the past. It gives us a compass to guide our future—not necessarily a full road map but certainly a compass to guide.”
Surridge added, “We will claim and own our identity as the university of the Evangelical Covenant Church,” she said. “We will champion that mission and identity as we advance.”
That advancement includes becoming more intentional in recruiting students with Covenant affiliation, she said.
“We will strive to be the institution of choice for the bright, engaging, intellectual student who is seeking a Christian university of high academic quality in our world-class city of Chicago.”
