Alumni

When the pandemic first closed down workplaces in March 2020, Simon Guthrie, like so many others at the time, found himself struggling to make sense of the world around him. A student in Grebel’s Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program, he soon had the idea to take advantage of this unusual opportunity and conduct research on the impact of a global pandemic -- right in the middle of one.

After Emily Charron completed her undergraduate degree in Global Studies, she found herself drawn to local issues. She went on to work for Compass Refugee Centre, a local non-profit organization that supports refugee claimants in the Waterloo Region. It was there that she was inspired to pursue graduate studies and soon learned of the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies program at Conrad Grebel University College.

Promoting Peace through Good Governance of Organizations and Systems Delivering Services

Rod Friesen graduated from Conrad Grebel University College in 2013 from the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program. He began working with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Ontario in May 2017, where he oversees several service delivery and restorative justice-related projects in his role as a Restorative Justice Program Coordinator.

Christian Fox graduated from Grebel’s Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS) program in June 2015. Before that he completed an undergraduate degree in Peace and Conflict Studies. He currently works for the Dixie Bloor Neighbourhood Centre as a Conflict Resolution Service Facilitator. The focus of the role is to help mediate neighbour disputes.

A team of PACS and MPACS students secured second place in the annual campus-wide Map the System challenge after competing in the finals on April 15, 2021.

Pandemic. Isolation. Stressful politics. Long winter. “Pancakes seem to be the obvious answer,” joked Master of Theological Studies student Christa Van Daele.

Conrad Grebel University College thrives on community, and with all the COVID restrictions in place, staff and students are always looking for creative ways to stay connected.

Rebecca Chinamasa, a second-year Master of Peace and Conflict Studies student, recently became a member of The Record's Community Editorial Board for 2020-21.

Lowell Ewert, Associate Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) at Conrad Grebel University College and the University of Waterloo, has been honoured with one of the four UWaterloo 2020 Distinguished Teacher Awards. This award celebrates exemplary instructors with a record of teaching excellence over an extended period. In addition to intellectual rigour, criteria for the award include impact beyond the classroom, concern for students, and a favourable and lasting influence on students and colleagues.