Conrad Grebel University College is a

university college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

affiliated with the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a public research university with a main campus in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to "Uptown" Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also operates ...

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, a battle on 18 June 1815 in which Napoleon met his final defeat * Waterloo, Belgium, where the battle took place. Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Antarctica * King George Island ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The college is owned by Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and named for early

Anabaptist Anabaptism (from Neo-Latin , from the Greek : 're-' and 'baptism', german: Täufer, earlier also )Since the middle of the 20th century, the German-speaking world no longer uses the term (translation: "Re-baptizers"), considering it biased. ...

leader

Conrad Grebel Conrad Grebel (c. 1498 – 1526), son of a prominent Swiss merchant and councilman, was a co-founder of the Swiss Brethren movement. Early life Conrad Grebel was born, probably in Grüningen in the Canton of Zurich, about 1498 to Junker Jak ...

. Its mission statement reads: "The mission of Conrad Grebel University College is to seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society."Conrad Grebel University College Mission Statement
/ref> The college is named after

, a co-founder of the

Swiss Brethren The Swiss Brethren are a branch of Anabaptism that started in Zürich, spread to nearby cities and towns, and then was exported to neighboring countries. Today's Swiss Mennonite Conference can be traced to the Swiss Brethren. In 1525, Felix Manz ...

movement who is called the "Father of Anabaptists".

History

Starting in the late 1950s, discussions among Harvey W. Taves (Director of the Canadian office of the

Mennonite Central Committee Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) is a relief service, and peace agency representing fifteen Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish bodies in North America. The U.S. headquarters are in Akron, Pennsylvania, the Canadian in Winnipeg, Manitoba. ...

) and others occurred with the purpose of establishing a college undergirded by the peace commitment of the Mennonite church. Following the founding of Conrad Grebel College in 1963, Taves served as secretary of the board for several years. An Act respecting Conrad Grebel University College was assented to June 24, 2004.

Facilities

Grebel (pronounced "Grey-bull") is located next to the University of Waterloo and offers residence and classes for students. The facility has residences for 142 students, as well as apartments for an additional 32 students.

Programs

Conrad Grebel University College runs courses in Arts, English, Fine Arts, History, Mennonite Studies, Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Sociology. Grebel also runs the Graduate Theological Studies program with the

. Conrad Grebel University College is affiliated with the

Toronto School of Theology The Toronto School of Theology (TST) is an ecumenical consortium of seven theological colleges and is affiliated with the University of Toronto. TST is the largest ecumenical consortium for theological education in Canada. Its seven member schools ...

. * Peace and Conflict Studies * Music * Certificate Program in Conflict Management

Scholarships and bursaries

The Government of Canada sponsors an Aboriginal Bursaries Search Tool that lists over 680 scholarships, bursaries, and other incentives offered by governments, universities, and industry to support Aboriginal post-secondary participation. Conrad Grebel University College scholarships for

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: ** First Nat ...

and

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which deri ...

students include: Sundance Aboriginal Student Award

Media

Conrad Grebel University College runs the Conrad Grebel Review

Relationship with the University of Waterloo

All students at Conrad Grebel, and all of the other university colleges surrounding the central university, are registered at, take classes at, and graduate from the University of Waterloo. Specialized classes are available from Conrad Grebel, which has an academic focus on Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Religious Studies, and Mennonite Studies. Courses from Grebel may be taken by any University of Waterloo student, and are taught by Grebel professors at the Grebel college, but count as credit at the University of Waterloo.

Community

Conrad Grebel University college places a strong emphasis on community. This is both a reflection of founding Mennonite values and of the small size of the college. Because of Grebel's small size (at most 142 residence students, 32 Apartment residents per term in addition to a number of associates) and emphasis on providing room for upper year students, most of the students know most of the other students in residence. Relationships with others are encouraged through Snack Nights, regular chapel services, and a weekly Community Supper at which the entire residence community, as well as some associate students and faculty and staff gather for a more formal dinner. Conrad Grebel University College is also affiliated with the Inter-Mennonite Children's Choir.

References

Books

*Kenneth McLaughlin 'Waterloo: The Unconventional Founding of an Unconventional University' (Waterloo: University of Waterloo Press © 1997) *Kenneth McLaughlin 'Out of the Shadow of Orthodoxy: Waterloo @ 50' (Waterloo: University of Waterloo Press © 2007) *Brian McKillop, 'Matters of Mind: The University in Ontario, 1791-1951' (Ottawa: University of Ottawa Press ©1951)

External links

Official website

in ''Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online'' {{authority control Seminaries and theological colleges in Canada Universities and colleges affiliated with the Mennonite Church 1963 establishments in Ontario Mennonite schools in Canada University of Waterloo buildings Mennonitism in Ontario