Welcome to Grebel

After one last check, the countdown started: five, four, three, two, one—a rocket shot upwards as students erupted in cheers. This was the scene at the Launch Canada Competition on August 20, 2024, where the University of Waterloo Rocketry Team launched the first liquid engine rocket (liquid bi-propellant rocket) in Canada. The rocket, named the Borealis, reached 5,855 meters in altitude and won first place in the Advanced Category. Two students from Conrad Grebel University College were involved in the project: Ash Lang, a second-year Mechatronics Engineering student, and Lucas Shumaker, a third-year Environmental Engineering student. 

It is with sadness that Conrad Grebel University College announces the passing of John E. Toews on September 29, 2024. He served as Grebel’s president from 1996 to 2002 and Academic Dean from 1971 to 1973. Toews arrived at Grebel in January 1996, during a time of difficult financial and administrative challenges. Under his leadership, Grebel’s budget was balanced, the donor base grew significantly, and the student residence expanded.

Located on the campus of the University of Waterloo, Conrad Grebel University College fosters community, academic engagement, and personal growth. Grebel is a residence rooted in the Mennonite tradition and offers courses to UWaterloo students in Arts, Music, History, Mennonite Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS), Religious Studies, and Sociology.