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Facilitating engaging classes is just one of the ways that Lowell Ewert cares for and supports students in achieving their goals. Lowell is Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. Originally a lawyer, he researches the ways that peace interacts with human rights, law, and civil society. His teaching and in-class discussions empower students to apply what they are learning in whatever vocation they find themselves.

Photo by Seyran Mammadov

Lukas Wormald of the Waterloo Warriors swim team has called Conrad Grebel University College home for the last two years. Lukas is in his second year of mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo and appreciates how living at Grebel suits his busy schedule.

Grebel Students have supported the Homework Help initiative at Chandler Mowat Community Centre for more than five years. Currently about six Grebel students travel to Kitchener each week to tutor children in a variety of subjects at the community centre’s homework club. Ananya Xavier has been volunteering with Homework Help since her first year at university.

As a new term began, students flocked back to campus, just like our resident geese. However, those living on the other side of Laurel Creek were preparing not only for a new term of studies, but to put skill and perseverance to the test. That’s right, the Inter-College Cup has been revived for another year of lively competition and community-building across the Affiliated University Colleges and Institutions of the University of Waterloo.

Conrad Grebel University College presents Nunsense, an off-Broadway hit musical comedy (Book, Music and Lyrics by Dan Goggin), running February 20-23, 2020. Nunsense follows the misadventures of a group of nuns as they work together to fundraise for the burial of their fellow sisters following a tragic cooking accident. It is fitting then, that this comical tale is presented as a fundraising effort for the Fill the Table campaign at Grebel.

From the Prairies: The Solo Piano Music of Karen Sunabacka received warm applause from the full audience at Conrad Grebel University College's first Noon Hour Concert of the season on January 15. Grebel Music Prof. Karen Sunabacka is a composer, cellist, and music theorist based in Waterloo.

Combining academics and practice is vital to learning. Recognizing this, Professor Jane Kuepfer, Schlegel Specialist in Spirituality and Aging, integrates experiential learning in the classes that she teaches in the Master of Theological Studies (MTS) program at Conrad Grebel University College. “Academics is a way of processing what happens in daily life. Our interactions and service outside of the classroom are enriched as we strive to understand ourselves and others better through readings and discussion in class.”

The 2020 Bechtel Lectures in Anabaptist-Mennonite Studies at Conrad Grebel University College will examine Mennonite agriculture around the world and how this vocation directly impacts the lives of farmers. The Bechtel Lectures provide an opportunity to gain understanding of Mennonite history, identity, faith and culture across disciplines. “Food & Faith: Mennonites Farming Locally and Globally” will explore these themes in a film screening and a breakfast panel.

Music and Mathematics have been connected disciplines in the minds of psychologists and neuroscientists for years. An increasing number of studies have been carried out to link the effects of music on mathematical skills and vice versa. Many of these studies have found correlations between above-average musical abilities and above-average math performance.

John Neufeld (BA 1996) has continually served the communities around him, whether that be through leadership or behind the scenes, at Grebel or in the broader Waterloo Region. In recognition of his generous and dedicated service, Conrad Grebel University College has named John the 2019 Distinguished Alumni Service Award winner.