Liberal Arts Colleges & Universities: A Hidden Resource for Chicago and Illinois

Donna M. Carroll is beginning her 23rd year as President of Dominican University, a comprehensive Catholic university of 3,500 students, located 10 miles west of Chicago. She is the first lay president of the institution, which was founded in 1901 by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. In 1997, she led the academic community through a successful name change from Rosary College to Dominican University. Today, Dominican is ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top 20 master’s level universities in the Midwest and, by BestColleges.com, as one of the top Catholic universities in the country.

Prior to her appointment at Dominican, Dr. Carroll served as Secretary of the University at Fordham University, and Vice President, Dean of the College and Dean of Students at Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C.

Named one of 20 Chicago “Women to Watch in 2010” by Crain’s Chicago Business, Dr. Carroll also is identified regularly as one of the “100 Women of Influence” by Today’s Chicago Woman and was listed among the top ten women in education by the Chicago Sun-Times. In March 2013, she was honored as a “Woman of Purpose” by Womenetics. In addition, Dr. Carroll is the recipient of the CEO Leadership Award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

An outspoken advocate for immigration reform and the rights of undocumented students, Dr. Carroll, on behalf of Dominican University, was honored with the 2012 Community Change Maker Award from P.A.S.O., a community-based social justice organization dedicated to serving Latino youth and their parents in Chicago’s western suburbs. In 2013, she received the “Strangers No Longer” Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago. She recently was honored with the “Moral Courage” Award from Faith in Public Life.

Dr. Carroll chairs the board of the Office of Immigration Affairs of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is a member of the Executive Committee on the School Board of the Archdiocese, and is in her third term as a Director of Rush Oak Park Hospital. She also currently serves on the boards of Fordham University, Interfaith Youth Core, and Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. She is a member of The Chicago Network and the Economic Club of Chicago.

Dr. Carroll received her bachelor’s degree in English from Wellesley College and master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education administration and counseling from the University of Cincinnati. She is a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management and Leadership Washington. Dr. Carroll also writes and lectures widely on topics related to higher education, leadership, and vocation.

David L. Parkyn has served as President of North Park University in Chicago since 2006. Previously he was Provost and Senior Vice President at Elizabethtown College, following two decades of service on the faculty and in administrative appointments at Messiah College.

By vocation an educator, Parkyn has dedicated his professional career to teaching undergraduates and leading institutions of higher learning. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Messiah College, a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Boston College. He also completed post-graduate study at both Boston College and Harvard University.

Raised in Guatemala as the son of church workers, one of Parkyn's scholarly interests is religion in Latin America. He also writes and lectures on topics related to higher education. He has authored numerous articles, book reviews, papers, and presentations on these topics. He has been active in the Society for College and University Presidents, is a member of the Board of Directors for NAICU, is a member of the Executive Committee of the Associated Colleges of Illinois, and is a member of the Board of Directors for Illinois Campus Compact.

Parkyn is married to Dr. Linda Parkyn, an accomplished teacher and scholar who currently serves as Professor of Spanish and Director of the Honors Program at North Park University. Previously, Parkyn was on the faculty at Messiah College, served as a Fulbright Scholar at the Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes, Mexico, from 2001-2002, and continues as a Fulbright Senior Specialist. Married for nearly 40 years, the Parkyns have two children, Betsy Parkyn Cruickshank and Nathaniel David Parkyn.