Dear Friends and Supporters of the School of Restorative Arts,
Last fall we invited you to join us in prayer as we discerned next steps in light of the relocation of our third men’s cohort to Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton, Illinois, following the closure of Stateville Correctional Center. This past spring, we celebrated Cohort 3’s graduation and witnessed the program’s enduring impact on the culture inside the correctional facility as well as in the lives of its graduates and alumni.
This fall, North Park Theological Seminary marks a significant milestone as we conclude this master’s degree program offered in partnership with the Illinois Department of Corrections, closing this chapter of the School of Restorative Arts.
Since 2018, NPTS has offered graduate theological education inside Illinois correctional facilities, beginning with men’s cohorts at Stateville Correctional Center (Joliet, Illinois) and expanding to a women’s cohort at Logan Correctional Center (Lincoln, Illinois). This past May we celebrated the graduation of the third men’s cohort—a cohort that demonstrated exceptional resilience, persevering through the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant leadership transitions, and a major institutional move from Joliet to Canton, Illinois. In total, we celebrate four cohorts and ninety-one individuals who have completed their master’s degrees through the SRA.
As we fulfilled our commitment to our students across the 2025-2026 academic year, we assessed the viability of continued programming at this distance with reduced facility access, two factors which significantly restrict our ability to offer consistent, in-person engagement. After careful discernment, the seminary has made the decision not to continue with our degree program at Illinois River.
We acknowledge—and share—the grief involved in this decision. While difficult, it reflects our commitment to offering programming that is both sustainable and trauma-informed.
As this significant chapter ends, we celebrate the impact of this program throughout the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC), including at Illinois River Correctional Center. Our exceptional alumni are putting their degrees to work: facilitating peace circles, leading peer workshops in conflict transformation, and offering support around trauma healing, parenting, and community building. They have created a peer mentoring program that has gained recognition from the leadership of Illinois River and the IDOC. Facility staff, including wardens and educational leadership, have expressed deep appreciation for the impact of this work and continue to expand peer leadership opportunities for NPTS alumni.
Join us in thanking God for his faithfulness through this impactful program and through the perseverance of our students—and in continued prayer for the work of our incarcerated alumni. Pray too for wisdom for NPTS as we explore the next chapter of fulfilling our mission to join the Triune God in forming whole people with the living Gospel to serve the church and world for God’s glory and neighbor’s good.
Sincerely,
Rev. Dr. Mary C. Miller
Interim Dean of Seminary and Vice President for Church Relations
North Park Theological Seminary
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