In January, Charles Biswas and Clare Malakar travelled from Dhaka, Bangladesh to Waterloo, Canada. As Conrad Grebel University College’s new Campus Hosts, Grebel staff and students made sure to greet them with a lively welcome at the entrance doors, warm clothing, and fresh homemade food.
When Kassim Ibrahim thinks of North America, he thinks of a land of freedom and vast opportunity. Kassim grew up in Kenya in a refugee camp. In the camp, Kassim cooked for his family and taught mathematics to other students. Education is highly valued in his community, but opportunities were scarce. With the goal to create more educational, economic, and empowerment opportunities, the World University Service of Canada (WUSC) program works in over 15 countries helping young people, and particularly young refugees, pursue higher education.
“As an international student, my goal was to study in a place that wasn’t exactly like my home country,” said Darley Dau, a first year Honours Arts and Business student from Vietnam. Conrad Grebel University College was just the place Darley’s passion for learning was looking for — a residence where she could be open-minded and learn about a variety of people’s interests, skills, religions, cultures, and more.
When studying abroad, finding community may seem daunting at first. However, sharing cultural traditions and practices with others is a way to connect and empower both international and domestic students. As an International Student Representative in the Larger Leadership Team at Conrad Grebel University College, Jane now supports international students who live in residence at Grebel and plans cultural events at the College.
Union Co-operative, a Grebel Peace Incubator participant, strives to impact the Waterloo Region by purchasing properties to maintain permanent affordability. “Our investment with Union Co-operative is a great example of how we can participate in addressing housing affordability challenges in our local community,” explained Roger Kehl, the Chair of Grebel’s Investment Advisory. The College has invested $100,000 from its endowment portfolio in this initiative.
Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre (TMTC) will end its operations this spring, following a decision of the Conrad Grebel University College Board of Governors at its February meeting.
Conrad Grebel University College has felt like home to Joel Woods since he was 12 years old. Following in his sister’s footsteps, Joel attended Ontario Mennonite Music Camp (OMMC). For the next five years, Joel returned to Grebel each August for OMMC, shaping exciting summer memories, his creativity, a love for music, and eventually his post-secondary path.
Part of the Renewing an Inspired Community strategic plan at Conrad Grebel University College focuses on the renewal of key partnerships. One foundational partnership is with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC).
Supporting Grebel programs and capital campaigns has always been a priority for Grebel alumna Anita (Lehn) Tiessen (BA '81) and her late husband Bob Tiessen (BMath '74). In February 2023, Anita established the "Robert J Tiessen Archival Community Education Endowment Fund" in honour of Bob’s passion for Mennonite history.
This year, Conrad Grebel University College and Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) came together to explore new pathways for learning by offering cross-listed graduate courses in which students from both institutions could enrol.