On December 18, 2006 an historic agreement on Graduate Theological Studies (GTS) was signed between Conrad Grebel University College, St. Jerome’s University and the University of Waterloo.
This new milestone in our GTS program is the happy result of the good reputation established by the program, a compelling vision for the future, and much goodwill among those who worked together to reach this agreement,
observed Jim Pankratz, Academic Dean at Conrad Grebel. Since his arrival in January 2006, one of his biggest tasks has been leading this discussion about Graduate Theological Studies at the college.
At its fall Strategic Planning sessions, the Board of Conrad Grebel University College along with other stakeholders highlighted the need to expand the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program. This program has grown significantly in recent years and now has over 50 students enrolled. Many of them are preparing for leadership in the church, some are pastors who are continuing their education, and others are preparing for further graduate studies. Of the fifty-three graduates from this program to date, about one quarter have gone on to complete doctoral studies in bible and theology, nearly half are in the pastorate, and the rest are in a variety of professions.
President Henry Paetkau noted:
Part of the genius of Grebel is its ability to be a bridge between a public campus with its government funding, and the needs of the church. While this income will provide us with a partial source of stable funding for our graduate program, we will still depend on revenue from the Ralph and Eileen Lebold Endowment for Leadership Training and Annual Fund donations in order to be able to offer biblical studies and pastoral training, including the important mentoring program led by Marianne Mellinger, Coordinator of Leadership Formation.
The funding provided through this new agreement with the University of Waterloo is based on enrolment and could net $150,000 in annual revenue for the Master of Theological Studies program.
Since 1987 Conrad Grebel University College has been granting a masters degree in Theological Studies, and part of the reason for adding “university” to Grebel’s name was to reflect this graduate program. This agreement with Waterloo will mean that the degree will be conferred conjointly by both Grebel and the University of Waterloo. It will also offer graduate students additional support from Waterloo’s graduate student program for things like health insurance and allow students to qualify for Ontario Graduate Scholarships.
The master in Catholic Thought at St. Jerome’s University, which is only in its second year and is designed for leaders in Catholic schools, hospitals and other institutions, will have a similar relationship to University of Waterloo.
Under the agreement, Conrad Grebel retains control over admissions, curriculum, and faculty hiring. This development will also assist in the process of attaining accreditation from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) that monitors standards of excellence in theological education.
This new relationship with the University will also involve program approval and regular program review by the Ontario Council of Graduate Studies. This will strengthen the relationship with the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) and the Toronto School of Theology (TST), making it easier for students to transfer credit between these schools.
This agreement will serve to enhance what is a unique program in church leadership development in Canada and the United States.
Our commitment to our students and to serving the church and its leadership needs will be enhanced through this new partnership with the university,
observed Tom Yoder Neufeld, who teaches Biblical Studies in the program.