News

At Grebel, we remember Walter Klaassen as one of the foundational figures in our college’s history. Walter was not only the first chaplain, but also the first dean of students, a founder of the University of Waterloo’s Religious Studies department, and (with Winfield Fretz) one of the first two faculty members at Grebel. He was a scholar of the Radical Reformation, an articulate pacifist, a public intellectual, and a kind but deeply principled man.

When Marina Gallagher was sitting in Professor Laura Gray’s Music and Landscapes class in 2013, she didn’t imagine that the connections she was making between pastoral music, landscapes, and Classical literature would lead her back to Grebel a decade later, teaching a special topics course on Video Game Music.  

Peace is not just a theory for Maria Lucia Zapata Cancelado (DPCS 2001); it is a daily mission. As a Colombian lawyer and peace scholar, Maria is the Director of the Institute for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution at Javeriana University in Bogotá. Her work at the Jesuit school focuses on restorative justice and post-conflict peacebuilding. Maria earned her PACS diploma from Conrad Grebel University College in 2000, where she developed an interdisciplinary approach that reshaped her perspectives on law and peacebuilding. 

Think about a time when you attended a worship service in a community that was new to you. What stood out as different? What is most important about worship for you? Now imagine you’re 13-29 years old. Would you answer differently? 

Two Grebel alumni, Sarah Kathleen Johnson (BA 2007, MTS 2008) and Mykayla Turner (BSC 2020, MTS 2024), are asking these very questions through a collaboration on the Young People and Christian Worship study. This research project aims to shape better conversations about teenagers, emerging adults, and Christian worship by valuing their experiences as an important theological voice. 

For 24 years, Fred W. Martin served Grebel in fundraising and advancement. As the Director of Advancement, Fred has been a tireless advocate for Grebel, building strong relationships with donors, alumni, students, churches, and community partners.

Chris Brnjas, a double Grebel alum, is returning to campus as the new Director of Development at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo. Chris will lead fundraising and alumni relations for Grebel by building relationships through donor engagement, major gift strategy, planned giving, and alumni events.

A sunny Labour Day weekend saw students new and old moving into Conrad Grebel University College for another year of learning and growing together. There was no shortage of returning students to welcome first-year residents and lend a helping hand moving belongings into dorm rooms.

The Conrad Grebel Review, established in 1983, was an initiative of Conrad Grebel University College’s first Chaplain and Religious Studies Professor Walter Klaassen. In his introduction to the first issue, he located the journal at a critical moment of Mennonite self-assurance and noted that the time was ripe for a journal that looked at the present and towards the future.

Larry Cornies is a master of his craft. Over the span of 45 years, he has sustained a distinguished career in journalism, teaching, and community service. His vocational path wasn’t direct, but his choices contributed to the depth and perspective that he brings to his work. Cornies is the recipient of Conrad Grebel University College's 2024 Distinguished Alumni Service Award, recognizing his significant contributions to the field. 

It is with sadness that Conrad Grebel University College announces the passing of John E. Toews on September 29, 2024. He served as Grebel’s president from 1996 to 2002 and Academic Dean from 1971 to 1973. Toews arrived at Grebel in January 1996, during a time of difficult financial and administrative challenges. Under his leadership, Grebel’s budget was balanced, the donor base grew significantly, and the student residence expanded.