Charles Peterson Charles Peterson Academic Dean, North Park University Charles is the Dean of the College at North Park University in Chicago. North Park was founded by Swedish immigrants in the 1890s, one of six Swedish heritage universities in the United States. North Park University has exchange programs with schools in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland. North Park also recruits degree-seeking students from Scandinavia offering generous scholarships. Guest lecturers, performers, and artists from Scandinavia enrich the liberal arts, professional, and theological academic programs of the university. Charles often represents North Park to various Scandinavian organizations including the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce, ´the Swedish Council of America, and the Swedish American Historical Society.