Rooted and Thriving in Fall 2026
“Each fall brings the excitement of new friendships, ideas, and opportunities for learning and growth,” said Troy Osborne, Acting President at Conrad Grebel University College. “At Grebel, faculty, staff, and students work together to create a social ecosystem where everyone can thrive and support one another. The roots of belonging and community that students plant at Grebel cultivate their passion for learning, sense of vocation, and personal agency.”
Grebel is intentional about beginning and ending well, while creating and maintaining meaningful traditions. Student leaders arrive early on campus, where they participate in leadership training and prepare for the school year. By the time new residents move in, leaders have already learned their names and planned elaborate activities designed for maximum interaction and mingling in a safe and positive environment.
Many Orientation Week activities at Grebel have endured for decades, like the walk-a-mile (or talk-a-mile), the Penny Event (formerly known as Bigger or Better), a square dance, coffee house, and staff/faculty vs students volleyball. Other traditions are more recent decades, like the free car wash, the toga run, slip and slide, and service activities.
Opening celebrations
In the whirlwind activity of Orientation Week, Grebel hosts an Opening Celebration, with a Chapel service, shared meal, words of welcome by student and university leaders, and the annual Act of Community. Faculty, staff, residents, and graduate students gather to start the term together.
The theme for the Opening Celebration this year was Rooted and Thriving. “Our Student Services team sees it as our role to empower students to develop that sense of rootedness and belonging where they live so that thriving is possible,” explained Jessie Reesor Rempel, Director of Student Services. “We have a very diverse student body at Grebel, so what it means to feel rooted and to thrive is going to look different for each student. One of the joys of being such a small residence is that students, staff, and faculty can get to know each other in all of our uniqueness and find out what rooted and thriving means to each individual.”
Jeremy Bergen, Grebel’s Dean, offered a reflection during the first Chapel service, asking students to consider what it means to be rooted and thriving. His advice, noting that a tree is always growing, with roots that are seeking, was to “Be open and curious. Change your mind. Push yourself, and not only academically. Ask big questions about who you are, and who you may yet become. Seek the water.”
“We hope that the roots that you establish here can nourish your intellectual and personal growth,” said Troy in his opening address. “Our mission at Grebel is to help you establish strong roots in a caring academic and residence community that sustain you through your time at Waterloo and beyond.”
“But we don’t want you to think of these roots as binding you in one place or trapping you in a safe cocoon,” he added. “We want you to venture into the unfamiliar with a spirit of curiosity. Say yes to new experiences, ask difficult questions, discover new places, and stretch your thinking. It is in the friction of new experiences that you grow and gain wisdom.”
Act of Community
Each year, the College performs an Act of Community to show connectedness to each other. This year, the community planted two serviceberry bushes, chosen because they are a beautiful and useful native species. “We shape our environment by what we plant,” explained Chaplain Carol Penner. “As you pass by the garden in the years ahead, you’ll see this serviceberry thriving and producing, and you’ll be able to reflect, how am I growing, how is our community growing together, what are we producing together?"
All College retreat
While students don’t take a bus to Silver Lake Mennonite Camp or Camp Trillium for the weekend anymore, the All-Grebel Retreat remains a day for students, staff, and faculty to get to know each other through meals, faculty introductions, games, music, sports, and a choose-your-own-adventure afternoon. This year, students joined faculty and administrators off campus for activities including soccer, an escape room, ice cream, coffee, the art gallery, painting, jamming, and a nature walk.
“With Orientation Week behind us and classes well underway, I can already see that first-year students are settling in well and starting to feel like Grebel really can be their home for the term,” summarized Jessie. “Meanwhile upper-year students are taking up leadership in formal and informal ways to help smooth this transition for our new students.”
“My hope is that amongst the academic, personal, and international stressors that we will find ourselves surrounded with this year, Grebelites will continue to give their curious, creative, and loving energy into this community,” said Student Council President Mona Bailey. “They'll find that when we prioritize taking care of our community, it takes care of us too.”
Residence statistics
The fall term brings another full residence for Grebel, with 140 students living in the residence, nine living off campus but eating all their meals at Grebel, and another 32 apartment dwellers. 52% of residents are starting their first term of school, while 40% previously lived at Grebel. A blend of upper-year and first-year students is central to Grebel’s residence model. Returning students pass along traditions and culture while developing leadership skills and supporting new students. The multi-year model extends to the associate program, with 50 students living off campus this term and using Grebel as their home base. They participate in community life at the College alongside residence students.
Students from every faculty live at Grebel, with about a quarter each studying Science and Arts, 16% in Engineering, and 11% in Health, followed by students in Math and Environment. While most students hail from Ontario, others come from across Canada, including eight from the USA and three from other countries.
Grebel was founded by and is rooted in the Mennonite Church. About 20% of residents are Mennonite, bringing the percentage of Christians in residence to 76%. Other religions make up 10% of the student body, while the rest have no faith tradition.
Academic Statistics
Grebel does not enroll undergraduate students independently. “Grebel's courses in Peace and Conflict Studies; Music; Religion, Culture, and Spirituality; and History are available to all 33,000 undergraduate students at the University of Waterloo,” noted Jeremy Bergen, Dean at Grebel. “While some students will major in these areas, we also provide an opportunity for students at a large public research university to benefit from Grebel's excellent instructors. A student in Computer Science or Health may participate in a Music ensemble or take a course on global music. A student in Engineering may use one of their few electives to explore conflict resolution, Reformation history, or ‘Big Ideas of the Bible.’"
Provisional numbers for the fall 2026 term show 1411 undergraduate enrolments for courses that Grebel teaches at Waterloo. This number is just slightly down from last year, reflecting an enrolment decrease in some of Grebel’s larger Music courses. Participation in Music ensembles remains strong, however, drawing students from across the University of Waterloo.
Graduate student numbers are down this year, with 69 students enrolled in Grebel’s two graduate programs. The Master of Peace and Conflict Studies program has 26 students enrolled, half of whom began their studies this month. All are domestic students this year, as Canada's increasingly stringent visa requirements have made international recruitment more challenging. The Master of Theological Studies program welcomed 10 new students this year, bringing the total number in the program to 43, including one international student. Six students have connections with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada, while the others come from a broad range of Christian traditions.
As always, the start of the new school year brings infectious energy and unlimited potential, along with the promise of new friendships and new discoveries.