Conrad Grebel University College was founded by the Mennonite church and is affiliated with the University of Waterloo. Grebel offers undergraduate courses in Music, History, Mennonite Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Religious Studies, and Sociology, as well as graduate programs in Theological Studies and Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (MPACS).
In addition to academics, the College has a thriving residence program that houses 142 University of Waterloo students each term.
Conrad Grebel University College is a liberal arts college founded by the Mennonite church and affiliated with the University of Waterloo. The mission and programs of Grebel are rooted in and inspired by its Christian identity and its Anabaptist/Mennonite heritage.
The mission of Conrad Grebel University College is to seek wisdom, nurture faith, and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.
Grebel’s core values grow out of its identity and mission:
Inspired teaching
Scholarly excellence
Community building
Leadership development
Faith formation
Creativity
Generosity
Global engagement
Compassionate service
Active peacemaking
Responsible citizenship
Stewardship of creation
These values are expressed in and through Grebel’s programs.
Conrad Grebel University College was chartered in 1961, taught its first classes in 1963 and dedicated its first building (a residence for 106 students) in 1964. Ontario Mennonite leaders established Grebel when more Mennonite young adults were attending secular universities for training in specialties not available at traditional Mennonite colleges or bible schools. The possibility of an affiliated college at the University of Waterloo allowed Ontario Mennonites to provide post-secondary education with a relatively small financial investment. Conrad Grebel University College added “University” to its name in June 2001 to recognize its graduate program and to differentiate itself from community colleges.
Crucial visionaries in founding Conrad Grebel College included Norman High, Harvey Taves, John W. Snyder, Henry H. Epp and Milton R. Good. J. Winfield Fretz began service as Grebel’s first president in 1963, and made an impact in the Ontario Mennonite community far beyond Grebel.
The Ontario Mennonite leaders initially envisioned a residential college for Mennonite students studying at university in non-theological disciplines. They expected that Conrad Grebel’s teaching would be limited to religious knowledge and such other liberal arts courses as would be negotiated with the university. However, Grebel’s teaching program rapidly expanded, with an academic office and classroom building added in 1976.
Grebel’s undergraduate students are registered at, and receive their degrees from, the University of Waterloo. Grebel established its own Graduate Theological Studies in 1987; these students receive a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) degree from Conrad Grebel University College. Ontario provincial funding has typically provided half of Conrad Grebel’s income through grants and undergraduate tuition fees; the remainder comes from residence income, donations and endowment income, as well as other sales of services.
Mennonite students have usually filled half the spaces in the residence, but the percentage of Mennonite students in Conrad Grebel academic courses is much less than 10%. This difference has created some dissonance between the residence and academic programs throughout Conrad Grebel’s history. At the same time that it has reflected the unique mission of Grebel, it has intersected with the very diverse student body of a large provincial university.
As a student at Conrad Grebel, you can take a rich variety of liberal arts courses, from first to fourth year, in the disciplines of Arts, History, Mennonite Studies, Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and Sociology, taught by Grebel professors and adjunct instructors.
University of Waterloo students who are pursuing a major or minor in Music will take all of their music courses at Conrad Grebel, and many of their elective courses as well. The same is true for Peace and Conflict Studies students, and also for students completing a minor in Mennonite Studies or Church, Music, and Worship.
Students enrolled in other academic plans in the Faculty of Arts at University of Waterloo may take some of their required and electives courses at Conrad Grebel.
Students who are in any of University of Waterloo’s six Faculties may take one or more elective courses at Conrad Grebel University College. Many of the students living in Grebel’s residence take required or elective courses at the College, depending on their academic program of choice.
All undergraduate students taking courses at Conrad Grebel University College must register for their academic programs through University of Waterloo. Students wishing to live in residence at Grebel should apply directly to Conrad Grebel.