News

An expert in civil society peacebuilding, Professor Reina Neufeldt will be joining the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) department at the University of Waterloo, based at Conrad Grebel University College, beginning July 1, 2012. Neufeldt comes to Conrad Grebel from American University in Washington D.C. where her research focuses on the intersection of identity, social change, ethics, and peace processes.

In the culmination of more than a decade of dreaming and a year of intense work, Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo announces the launch of a new Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program. Combining rigorous interdisciplinary scholarship with concrete application, MPACS is a vibrant academic program that will empower students with the knowledge, research, and practical skills needed to contribute to nonviolent peacebuilding efforts.

Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU) and Conrad Grebel University College (CGUC) are pleased to announce the creation of the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement at Conrad Grebel. MSCU’s one million dollar commitment will empower Conrad Grebel to create an accelerator centre committed to collaborative peace innovation with lasting impact.  

For decades, Lorraine Roth has been a wonderful resource for Mennonite and Amish families researching their history and genealogy. This Tavistock resident will be honoured at a fundraising dinner on Thursday, October 13 for her life-long contribution at the Tavistock Mennonite Church at 5:30pm.

From the moment she arrived in Waterloo, appropriately on Canada Day, Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, the new president of Conrad Grebel University College, has been meeting as many key Grebel stakeholders and community leaders in southern Ontario as she can. These one-on-one visits have revealed how Grebel has touched lives with defining moments for alumni, purpose-driven careers for staff and faculty, and hope for future generations for donors.

Huxman stated:

Is food a human right? Is the famine in east Africa just a symptom of something bigger? Does buying locally actually promote peace? How does a discussion on food relate to the International Day of Peace?

Inspiration from a visiting art exhibit called “Just Food” and concern regarding the ongoing crisis in east Africa has spurred an event that will tackle these tough questions on issues of food and peace. 

A mum wrote after the first day of Peace Camp on August 8:

Our son is still raving about his first day at Peace Camp. He told me all about how to do mediation on the way home!

J. had just practiced some peer mediation skills with Dr. Fae Samuels, a retired educator who specialized in bringing peer mediation into the schools in Toronto throughout her career as a principal.

In a fitting close to his presidential term, Henry Paetkau announced that Conrad Grebel University College’s new Community Education Room will be funded by a $500,000 gift from RBJ Schlegel Holdings Inc..

Is food ever just food? Food is not only something to be routinely prepared and consumed, it is also essential for human life. Food is an important aspect of celebrating as families and communities and has also been declared a human right. However, the reality is that food is not always justly accessible.

Conrad Grebel University College invites junior youth to have fun and make a difference at this summer’s first-ever Peace Camp. With fun in the sun and a social justice twist, Peace Camp promises a five-day action-packed program that combines the excitement of summer camp with critical approaches to conflict.