Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)

In November 1995, North Park University opened its new Center for Middle Eastern Studies (CMES). Offering an academic program with diverse approaches to experiential learning and an ecumenical Christian perspective, North Park is the only evangelically oriented Christian college or university to offer such a program.

CMES Mission Statement - The Center seeks to:

Foster awareness, understanding, and reconciliation among all peoples of the Abrahamic tradition.

Vision Statement - The Center seeks to:

Foster awareness of the current realities in the Middle East through sponsoring forums, seminars, and speakers;
Foster understanding within the North Park community and greater Chicago area through the development of academic study, publishing, and conferences dealing with the history, faith, culture, and social and political experiences of peoples in the Middle East;
Foster reconciliation among all God’s children through experiential learning, recruiting and nurturing students from the Middle East, and creating opportunities for dialogue.

Why North Park?

North Park University is unique in its attention to international and cross-cultural studies within a small Christian University context. The CMES is the fifth Institute for International and Cultural Studies to be established at North Park. The other centers are: Scandinavian, Korean, Latino, and Africana Studies. All offer coordinated resources, visiting lecturers, cultural performances, and a culturally diverse academic program of study. Also, the five centers work jointly to enrich the cultural awareness of the student body and the larger community. Student support services are offered through a student and interfaith exchanges, and firsthand learning experiences with association affiliated with each center.