David Nyvall Medallion for Outstanding Service and Partnership
For more than a decade, 海角视频 has recognized individuals and institutions who have served the campus community with exceptional distinction through The Nyvall Medallion for Outstanding Service. The medallion is named after North Park鈥檚 founding president, the visionary David Nyvall, and it acknowledges the recipients鈥� extraordinary service and the enduring impact of their contributions.
In honor of its significant partnership, service, and support for North Park鈥檚 mission, the Board of Trustees affirmed S枚dra V盲tterbygdens Folkh枚gskola (SVF) as a recipient of the Nyvall Medallion. The award was presented as part of the May 10 Commencement ceremony.聽Saga Olsson, a graduating North Park senior who began her journey as an SVF exchange student, accepted the medal on behalf of SVF. Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for the School of Music, Art, and Theatre and Director of the Center for Scandinavian Studies Dr. Chad Eric Bergman presented the medallion. He has been central to reinvigorating North Park鈥檚 vital relationship with SVF.
The North Park-SVF College Line Exchange Program is the longest continuous international exchange program between the United States and Sweden.聽The program began in 1975 and celebrated its 50th anniversary this May. At the center of this exchange has always been the goal to build relationships and transform lives.
For five decades, 海角视频 and SVF would welcome a cohort of American and Swedish students to live and learn together in some configuration for the academic year, often spending the fall semester in J枚nk枚ping, Sweden, at the SVF campus and the spring semester at North Park. In addition, North Park and SVF faculty and staff have played instrumental roles in this exchange, helping forge these enduring friendships. This careful attention to living and learning together are hallmarks of our common purpose, and 海角视频 is grateful for this partnership through the years.
Through cross-cultural exchange, SVF has been North Park鈥檚 sister school, affording transformative life experiences to students and resulting in a deeper understanding of North Park鈥檚 mission of preparing students for lives of significance and service.
In May, a group of 23 North Parkers embarked on a special tour of Denmark and Sweden. The group included alumni from the 60s through the 2000s, and they enjoyed traveling together. For those in the group with Scandinavian heritage, it was an opportunity to visit some important historical sites, including the customs house building in Gothenburg, through which many Swedish immigrants passed as they began their journey to America. The tour also included three days in Jonkoping and participation in the anniversary celebration of the 50-year exchange relationship between North Park and SVF. We hope this will be the inaugural trip of an ongoing alumni travel program, with opportunities to travel and learn together domestically and internationally. Stay tuned for information on future tour opportunities.