I write this column at the beginning of April, which is an intense and bittersweet month on our campus. It’s intense mainly because it’s the end of winter term. Students are hard at work finishing projects and papers, and studying for exams. Faculty are preparing for a flood of marking, and will push themselves to complete it all in a short time frame. In the halls of Grebel this month, many of our people have adopted a focused, laboured expression—something like long-distance runners in the middle of a marathon.
The bittersweet flavour of April on campus comes from the many transitions and milestones that will we will mark over the next few weeks. April is our time to say “goodbye,” “hello,” and “thank you.”
First-year residence students will pack up their rooms and begin co-op terms and summer jobs. Back in September, they came here as strangers, and we expect and hope that they have become life-long friends. We’re grateful that all of them were part of our community this year. Soon, a different group of residents will arrive for spring term. Some will be returning students, others will be new.
Our senior students are preparing to graduate and move on to careers, travel, and further studies. As the term came to an end, a number of our senior students were invited to reflect on their Grebel experience at Chapel and at a Community Supper. There was an inspiring commonality to their reflections. They mainly spoke about how thankful they were for others—for the many friends and mentors they found during their time here.
While each of them could have simply highlighted their individual accomplishments, they chose to speak gratefully about how their community helped them during hard moments. Caitie Walker, soon to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, spoke for many when she said: “While I have loved my time here, I’ve also had massive times of self doubt…. This is the place where life happens, and sometimes it’s really rough stuff. The only things that matter are that the people who love you support you when you need them, and that you try.” That’s good advice for all of life, not just for university. Thanks Caitie, and thanks to all of our graduating students for your inspiring example of mutual support and solidarity.
One major transition to highlight is that professor Ken Hull of our Music Department will retire at the end of this month. Shortly after saying goodbye to Ken, we will welcome a new scholar, Dr. Katherine Kennedy Steiner, who will continue Ken’s legacy in teaching music history, Christian hymnody, and sacred music.
Following Grebel custom, we interrupted Ken’s last class of the term with cake and a song (“For he’s a jolly good teacher”) which was shared with faculty, staff, and students. Ken began teaching at Grebel in 1977, which makes him the longest-serving Grebel faculty member on record.
I got to know Ken as a student (when I arrived at Grebel in 1991, he conducted the Chapel Choir), and served on the Board with him in the early 2000s (he represented faculty and I represented the alumni). Thanks Ken, for sharing your love of sacred music, your ecumenical sensibility, and your wit and wisdom.
At Grebel, we are constantly graced by people. Some come and go after a few months or years, others stay for an full career of service. Each person brings us something to be thankful for.
