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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. 

It has been almost a year and half since Conrad Grebel University College broke ground on the “Fill the Table” construction project. This ambitious fundraising campaign raised $4.2 million to expand and renovate the College’s kitchen and dining space to accommodate Grebel’s entire community.

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 University of Waterloo’s Music program at Conrad Grebel University College is known for instilling a collaborative mentality among its students. This cooperative culture is cultivated by staff and professors who encourage peer support. One of the core contributors to the Music program and its welcoming atmosphere over the past two decades has been Catherine Robertson.

Theology scholar Sarah Kathleen Johnson has always been interested in religion and Christian worship. In her pursuit of education, her many different involvements at Conrad Grebel University College deepened, clarified, and expanded those interests, through courses, innovative chapel experiences, and late night conversations.

“Worship is the beating heart of the Christian church,” reflected Professor Carol Penner, who teaches practical theology at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo. Carol and a team of six volunteers from Mennonite churches across Canada and the USA have spent the last two years creating a website of worship resources with an Anabaptist Mennonite approach designed to aid leaders in the Mennonite Church.

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.