News

Faculty and students in the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program at Conrad Grebel University College have found that conversations between those with different approaches to Christianity are a valuable learning experience. Class discussions about the Bible, Christian theology, ministry, and church history are all enriched due to diverse approaches to Christianity from both students and professors.

Every Sunday night for an hour, students from the Conrad Grebel community come together for a hymn sing to create and learn music together. Because of the pandemic, students gather outside with masks, but they bring the same excitement and love of music. With the upcoming release of the new Mennonite Hymnal, Voices Together, there is little doubt that Grebel students will engage with the new music as they have with the old.

Good mental health is achieved through many habits like a healthy diet, exercise, connecting with others, expressing emotions in constructive ways, and the list goes on. Many of these habits can involve creating or listening to music. Of the many benefits music has on mental health, the most noticeable is the release of stress and emotions. 

Gathering to create, share, and experience music together is an important part of the Conrad Grebel University College community. In an effort to stay connected and fulfill musical wishes, Grebel’s Noon Hour Concert series will go virtual for the fall 2020 term.

The run-up to the fall 2020 school year is like nothing Conrad Grebel University College has experienced before. After six months of varying degrees of isolation and social distancing, Grebel is welcoming a small cohort of students to the residence while offering courses remotely. Although summer is traditionally a slower time at the College, this year, faculty and staff spent that time optimizing courses to be taught online, poring over potential residence scenarios, and ensuring that the facilities and opening procedures will provide the most safe and healthy environment possible for the entire Grebel community.

The high value Laura Gray places on her students is obvious inside the classroom and out. Laura is associate professor of Music at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo, serving as chair of the Music Department for nine of her 22 years at Grebel.

For the first time in its history, the Conflict Management Certificate Program (CMCP) is being offered online. The program is based out of Conrad Grebel University College’s Peace and Conflict Studies department, and offers workshops in a variety of conflict management and mediation practices.

This article was written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When one hears of a hymn sing, university students spending their evening singing from a hymnal is rarely the first image that comes to mind. However, at Conrad Grebel University College, students have organized Sunday evening hymn sings for several years.

Students who take courses with Jennifer Ball appreciate her active example of what it means to live peaceably. Jennifer is Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. She holds a Doctorate in Rural Studies with a focus on Sustainable Rural Communities. Her research stretches across women’s community-based peacebuilding, Circle practice, and community development. Jennifer is known by her students as someone who, as Charity Nonkes explained, “not only teaches the course concepts, but also embodies them.”