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CMU/MSC-affiliated research project awarded $2.6M

Canadian universities and project partners awarded $2.6M in funding from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Government of Canada’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).

Principal investigators are Dr. Pashupati Chaudhary from Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD), Dr. Ram Rana from Anamolbiu Private Limited, and Manish N. Raizada from the University of Guelph.

Research partners include Dr. Kirit Patel, Assistant Professor of International Development Studies at Menno Simons College (MSC), a college of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU); Plant Products Company Inc.; XiteBio Technologies Inc.; iDE Canada and iDE Nepal; and the Nepal Agricultural Research Council.

The project is titled “Innovations for Terrace Farmers in Nepal and Testing of Private Sector Scaling Up Using Sustainable Agriculture Kits (SAKs) and Stall-Based Franchises (Nepal Terrace Farmers and SAKs).”

SAKs are toolkits that contain three components: seeds, low-cost agricultural technology, and instructional picture books. The kit contents vary by region and are chosen through local consultation to meet each region’s specific agroecological, socioeconomic, and nutritional needs.

Testing threshing machineThe SAK project builds upon experience gained from a previous project, funded by the IDRC and DFATD and of which Patel was a principal investigator, on promoting small millets cultivation, production and consumption for enhancing food security in South Asia.

The SAK project began in August 2014 and will run for two and a half years with the focus on non-monetary or low cost “technological developments for small Nepalese farmers who are growing subsistence crops on hillsides,” says Patel.

CMU will provide support for participatory analysis of technological constraints faced by small and marginal farmers and examining the impacts new technologies introduced by the project have on women farmers.

“As a social scientist, I try to understand the agrarian context,” he says. “We see many young farmers are leaving rural areas and women are left in the household to do the farming.”

Added workload for female farmers is just one of the challenges facing Nepalese terrace farmers. Other challenges are limited land for cultivation, limited irrigation facilities, loss in soil fertility and deficiency in nutrients, water runoff from sloping land, and soil erosion.

P1030651The project will address these challenges by: improving soil fertility, promoting climate change resilient crops, empowering and strengthening the resiliency of local innovators/farmers, using technology to assess farmers’ needs and collect feedback, and seeking ways to scale up the aforementioned technologies for inclusion in SAKs.

The project will operate using a participatory model, inviting input and knowledge from local farmers, local development organizations, entrepreneurs, and the private sector.

“The farmers have a role in the project—identifying problems and possible solutions,” says Patel. He is also seeking the participation of MSC students who would like to complete a research-oriented practicum or honours thesis in Nepal.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Former CMBC president Henry Poettcker, 90, dies

Colleagues remember gifted scholar, administrator who exemplified servant-leadership

Immigrant farm boy, hard and confident worker, team builder, family man, devout Christian—Henry Poettcker was all those things and more.

Poettcker, who served as president of Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC), one of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) predecessor institutions, died on Sunday, May 24, following a stroke. He was 90 years old.

2015-06-04 - Henry Poettcker [01]
Henry Poettcker in his office at Canadian Mennonite Bible College in 1964.
A scholar with a PhD from Princeton, Poettcker joined the faculty of CMBC in 1954 and became its president five years later at the age of 34. He held that office for 19 years.

Waldemar Janzen, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and German, worked as CMBC’s dean during Poettcker’s presidency. He remembers Poettcker as a calm, steadfast person who steered a steady course for CMBC during the turbulent youth movements of the 1960s and 70s.

“He was a humble, unpretentious leader,” Janzen says.

Harry Huebner, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Theology, says Poettcker gave the faculty the freedom to help shape CMBC.

“Perhaps his greatest gift was to interpret the constituency to the faculty and the faculty to the constituency,” Huebner says. “A most sensitive skill.”

Poettcker was born in Rudnerweide, Russia on March 27, 1925. His family moved to St. Elizabeth, Manitoba when he was just a few months old, and then to a farm 25 km. west of Pincher Creek, AB when he was two.

While attending Menno Bible Institute in Didsbury, AB throughout the winter of 1942-43, Poettcker met Aganetha (Agnes) Baergen. After marrying in 1946 in Tofield, AB, they spent eight years in Alberta, Kansas, Illinois, and New Jersey while Poettcker furthered his education.

Henry Poettcker as a young man.
Henry Poettcker as a young man.

After CMBC, Poettcker moved to Elkhart, Indiana, where he served as President and Professor of New Testament beginning in 1978 at Mennonite Biblical Seminary, one of the two seminaries that constituted Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, now Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

He was named President Emeritus when he retired in 1990.

Jacob Elias, Professor Emeritus of New Testament who served as dean at AMBS most of the years that Poettcker was president, describes Poettcker as gracious, dedicated, pastoral, organized, warm, and humble.

“His style of leadership was to empower others in their ministries,” Elias says. “He had a keen awareness of the challenges and opportunities facing congregations in Canada and the United States, as well as internationally. He had a deep love for Christ and the church, and a heart for pastors and other church leaders.”

As the first Canadian president of MBS, Poettcker fostered a closer link between the seminaries and CMBC/CMU, says Walter Sawatsky.

Sawatsky, who now is Professor Emeritus of Church History and Mission, remembers Poettcker’s approach to leadership: “Henry’s leadership style modeled a collegial approach that conveyed his style from CMBC and his belief that faculty needed a sense of freedom and were assumed to be part of the seminary leadership.”

In addition to his contributions to CMBC and MBS, Poettcker served as president of the General Conference Mennonite Church (now Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church USA) from 1962 to 1968, wrote Sunday school curricula for adults in German and English, and frequently contributed to Mennonite periodicals.

Upon his retirement in 1990, Poettcker returned to Winnipeg. In 2005, CMU honoured his years of service by naming one of its buildings Poettcker Hall. Four years later, CMU Press published Poettcker’s book, A President’s Journey: The Memoirs of Henry Poettcker.

In his later years, Poettcker gave loving care to Agnes, who suffered a severe and debilitating stroke. She passed away in February 2014.

Poettcker also participated in the professor emeriti group that meets every Thursday morning at CMU for fellowship, professional discussion, and mutual support.

This past March, 10 of Poettcker’s CMBC colleagues gathered with him to celebrate his 90th birthday.

It was a festive hour spent reminiscing over coffee and cake, and honouring the significant role Poettcker played in their lives and careers, and in the history of CMU.

“Henry has been a much greater and more impressive leader than he makes himself out to be,” Waldemar Janzen wrote in the foreword to A President’s Journey.

“He was never an advancement seeker or self-promoter. He did not display his own gifts, but others recognized them and challenged him to prepare for and assume leadership. When that happened, Henry acted with surprise that he should be chosen, and then applied all his energies to the task in order to serve others and God. When I hear the term ‘servant-leader,’ my first thought is of Henry Poettcker.”

A line Poettcker wrote in the resignation letter he sent to CMBC board members in 1977 perhaps best exemplifies his humility and faithfulness in the face of his many contributions to the Mennonite Church:

“If I have been one link in helping along, I give thanks to God.”

Poettcker is survived by daughter Chrystyanna, sons Ron (Carol-Ann) and Martin (Erna), seven grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren, and extended family.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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CMU prof completes unfinished book by mentor, friend

Paul Doerksen’s latest book is one he hoped he would never have to work on.

Doerksen, Associate Professor of Theology and Anabaptist Studies at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), is the editor of Toward an Anabaptist Political Theology: Law, Order, and Civil Society. Published this past October by Wipf and Stock, the book is a collection of essays by the late theologian A. James Reimer.

2015-03-12 - Doerksen Book (TaAPT) 03
Paul Doerksen (right), Associate Professor of Theology and Anabaptist Studies at CMU, is the editor of Toward an Anabaptist Political Theology: Law, Order, and Civil Society, a collection of essays by the late theologian James Reimer (left).

Reimer, who was diagnosed with cancer while working on the book, called Doerksen in 2010 and asked if Doerksen would finish the book and find a publisher for it if he were to die before completing it.

“I agreed in a heartbeat out of respect for him and his work,” says Doerksen, who developed a deep friendship with Reimer after Reimer served as the advisor for his Master’s thesis. “I recall hoping that I wouldn’t have to keep good on the promise – that he would survive long enough to finish it himself. That would have been great.”

Six weeks after that phone call, Reimer died.

Doerksen and Reimer had collaborated in the past, and Doerksen approached his work preparing Reimer’s essays for publication with sadness, respect, and a sense of privilege.

“His voice comes through so clearly in his writing that it just felt like the work was continuing, only more slowly than if he had been there,” Doerksen says.

2015-03-12 - Doerksen Book (TaAPT) 02
Reimer graduated from Canadian Mennonite Bible College, one of CMU’s predecessor colleges, in 1963.

More slowly, and not as fun. Reimer was a humorous, engaging man who enjoyed cooking for friends and family.

“I missed all those things,” Doerksen says. “Nonetheless, the voice and the development of an argument – and the passion for what he was trying to do – was sort of a constant companion when I was working with his material.”

Political theology is a burgeoning field. In the book, Reimer argues for a more positive embrace of law, order, and civil society than Anabaptists have historically offered.

“He was trying to do Anabaptist work in the field, but in a way that was far more open to classical Christianity, especially the kind that was developed in the first four centuries,” says Doerksen, adding that he appreciates the comprehensiveness of Reimer’s project. “I think it’s a fresh voice.”

Reimer was Professor of Religious Studies and Christian Theology at Conrad Grebel University College and at the Toronto School of Theology, and was named Distinguished Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 2008.

2015-03-12 - Doerksen Book (TaAPT) 04
Doerksen with Reimer’s wife, Margaret Loewen Reimer, at the Waterloo launch for the book.

He was an alumnus of Canadian Mennonite Bible College, one of CMU’s predecessor colleges. In 2010, CMU presented him with a Blazer Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his contribution of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Toward an Anabaptist Political Theology is the third book by Reimer published posthumously.

Christians and War: A Brief History of the Church’s Teachings and Practices was published the month after his death, and La dynamique de la foi chrétienne: Quand les dogmes libérent l’imagination – a French translation of his 2003 book, The Dogmatic Imagination – was published last year.

Reimer’s wife, Margaret Loewen Reimer, says she is happy Toward an Anabaptist Political Theology is available.

“Paul did a really good job of presenting the essays,” Loewen Reimer says. “Jim would have been delighted.”

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Graduates receive award from CMU president

Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe and Mike Wiebe take home President’s Medals for scholarship, leadership, and service

Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe and Mike Wiebe are the 2015 recipients of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) President’s Medals.

CMU President Cheryl Pauls awarded the medals during CMU’s 2015 Graduation Exercises on April 26. Klassen-Wiebe and Wiebe (no relation) received the awards in recognition of their qualities of scholarship, leadership, and service.

“CMU has been a very important place for me for the years I’ve been here, so getting this award means a great deal to me,” Klassen-Wiebe says.

Klassen-Wiebe, 22, and Wiebe, 21, were chosen from a group of 89 graduates.

Klassen-Wiebe, who lives in Winnipeg’s River Heights neighbourhood, graduated with a Bachelor of Music, Concentration: Performance – Collaborative Piano.

Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe (left) with CMU President Cheryl Pauls and Michael Wiebe
Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe (left) and Michael Wiebe (right), recipients of 2015’s President’s Medals, pose with CMU President Cheryl Pauls

During her time at CMU, she immersed herself in university life by living on campus, working as a residence assistant, singing in choirs, performing with various music ensembles, and attending chapel services.

She is also involved at Charleswood Mennonite Church and has spent numerous summers working as a camp counsellor at Mennonite Church Manitoba’s Camps With Meaning.

Mike Wiebe, who is originally from Gretna, MB, graduated with a four-year Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Communications and Media. During his time at CMU, Wiebe lived on campus for two years and worked as a residence assistant for one of those years.

He played guitar in worship band, participated in chapel services, sang in a number of choirs, and worked on campus as a sound engineer. Like Klassen-Wiebe, he has spent many summers working at Camps With Meaning.

For Wiebe, highlights of studying at CMU included growing deeper in his faith by studying Mennonite history.

“Aside from my communications studies, courses on Mennonite studies and defining Anabaptism have impacted me and made me excited about work in the church,” he says.

Klassen-Wiebe says she has enjoyed studying at CMU.

“I have loved seeing the interweaving of music and faith through my education here,” she says.

Janet Brenneman, Dean of CMU’s School of Music and one of Klassen-Wiebe’s professors, says Klassen-Wiebe demonstrated what it means to be a music student at CMU.

“She got involved in as many music activities as she could, she took her studies very seriously, she got involved in the life of CMU outside of music, and I think people on campus knew her for her music abilities and beyond,” Brenneman says. “She is hardworking, a fine musician, a much-loved student, and a really great person.”

David Balzer, Assistant Professor of Media and Communications and one of Mike Wiebe’s professors, describes Wiebe as a hardworking, passionate student who demonstrated creativity in his assignments.

At the same time, Balzer notes Wiebe’s contributions to the CMU community outside of the classroom.

“Mike just simply invests in people,” Balzer says. “If he’s passionate about the academic side, I think he’s equally passionate about noticing people and giving what he has to them.”

Both President’s Medal recipients are in the midst of discerning what comes next in life.

Right now, they are working together for the next three months as co-directors of the summer program at Camp Assiniboia, located 20 minutes southwest of Winnipeg.

“I hope that my future will be able to integrate my love of people, of music, and of faith in some way,” Klassen-Wiebe says.

Mike Wiebe says that receiving the President’s Medal has caused him to reflect on his CMU experience and appreciate it even more, because he has realized how invested he was in the university over the past four years.

“This place has really impacted my life… and I think I’ve somehow, in some way, made CMU a part of my daily living,” he says.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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CMU to host reading by acclaimed author, university professor

David Waltner-Toews to read from The Origin of Feces

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to host a reading by acclaimed author Dr. David Waltner-Toews.

Waltner-Toews will read from his most recent book, The Origin of Feces: What Excrement Tells Us About Evolution, Ecology, and a Sustainable Society at 4:00 PM on Saturday, May 30 in Marpeck Commons (2299 Grant Ave.). All are welcome to attend. Admission is free. <event poster>

2015-05-19 - Origin of Feces
Dr. David Walter-Toews will read from his book The Origin of Feces: What Excrement Tells Us About Evolution, Ecology, and a Sustainable Society at 4:00 PM on May 30 at CMU’s Marpeck Commons

An entertaining and enlightening exploration of why waste matters, The Origin of Feces is a cultural history that explores an often ignored subject matter and makes a compelling argument for a deeper understanding of human and animal waste.

Approaching the subject from a variety of perspectives—evolutionary, ecological, and cultural—the book shows how integral excrement is to biodiversity, agriculture, public health, food production and distribution, and global ecosystems.

Upon its release in 2013, The Origin of Feces won the silver medal at the Independent Publishers Book Awards and was shortlisted in the Canadian Science Writers Association’s Best Adult Science Book category.

John Brubacher, Assistant Professor of Biology at CMU, is looking forward to Waltner-Toews’ visit.

“David is always entertaining and thought-provoking in equal measure,” Brubacher says, adding that Waltner-Toews’ work fits in with a variety of different program areas at CMU. “He combines the humanities, sciences, and social sciences in a really delightful way.”

Based in Kitchener, ON, Waltner-Toews is a veterinarian, epidemiologist, scientist, and popular author.

He is the author or coauthor of 17 books of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and recipes, including The Chickens Fight Back: Pandemic Panics and Deadly Diseases That Jump from Animals to People (Greystone Books, 2007) and Food, Sex and Salmonella: Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick (Greystone Books, 2008).

A University Professor Emeritus at University of Guelph, Waltner-Toews was founding president of Veterinarians Without Borders and of the Network for Ecosystem Sustainability and Health, and a founding member of Communities of Practice for Ecosystem Approaches to Health in Canada.

He is the recipient of the inaugural award for contributions to ecosystem approaches to health from The International Association for Ecology and Health.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Articles Student Profiles

Applying business principles in the non-profit sector

Katie DamanKatie Daman had the opportunity to apply business skills in a non-profit setting during her practicum with Canadian Mennonite University (CMU).

Daman, who graduated from CMU’s Redekop School of Business with a Bachelor of Business Administration in April 2015, completed her practicum at WestEnd Commons (WEC), a social enterprise in Winnipeg’s West End community.

Social enterprises are “not-for-profits that use business means to fulfill their mission,” explains Daman. WEC is home to the Neighbourhood Resource Centre, a social enterprise that “provides safe and affordable programming as well as meeting and office space for neighbourhood families and organizations in West Central Winnipeg.”

The social enterprise model adopted by WEC includes renting out spaces in the building including a commercial kitchen, assembly hall, and meeting and office space. The income generated from the rentals is invested in community programming.

Daman utilized her business education to help WEC further their transition into a social enterprise. Her main role was social media coordinator. She maintained WEC’s social media presence by posting articles that featured WEC, sharing content relevant to WEC’s mission, and connecting with organizations that support WEC.

“Social media is really important to not only create awareness of your organization’s existence, but also to help people remain aware about what your organization does on a day-to-day basis,” says Daman.

Additionally, Daman provided input into marketing plans and strategies, which she says is one way her practicum connected directly with her studies. The courses she’s taken have equipped her with the skills to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, which centres on an organization’s mission and vision.

“Mission and vision are crucial to an organization internally and externally,” says Daman. “Internally you want to rally around a common purpose and goal. You need a common understanding so you can achieve it. Externally, you want people to buy into your purpose as well.”

Daman believes a social enterprise model can benefit non-profits and sees potential for non-profits to apply business principles in a way that helps them achieve their goals.

“A lot of non-profits are moving toward a social enterprise model,” she says. “It’s important to have people working in non-profits who understand core business principles and can apply them to the greater good—understanding how the two can work together, instead of as opposites.”

After graduating, Daman would like to pursue work in the social enterprise or community economic development sector. She feels the BBA degree has equipped her well for work in those areas.

“For me, CMU played an important part in allowing me to explore some of my alternative passions and desires, while also giving me the necessary business acumen to go out and work in the real world. If business is something that you’re interested in, whether it be traditional business or an alternative form, CMU should definitely be on your radar.”

Ellen Paulley is a Writer and Social Media Coordinator at Canadian Mennonite University

Click here to learn more about the Redekop School of Business

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2015’s Graduation Service (video)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_8r4xTi2Mc[/youtube]

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Events General News News Releases

Canadian Mennonite University Celebrates Class of 2015

Eighty-seven degrees, two certificates awarded during university’s annual commencement exercises

When Joseph Kiranto moved from Kenya to study at Canadian Mennonite University, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to major in. Each class he attended piqued his interest.

“Before long, the list of what I wanted to do became unrealistic for me,” Kiranto said. “I wouldn’t have known what to do with myself if it were not for the help of… the faculty and staff.”

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Joseph Kiranto, CMU’s Class of 2015 Valedictorian

Kiranto told the story during his valedictory address at CMU’s graduation service, held on Sunday afternoon, April 26 at Immanuel Pentecostal Church. Kiranto (BA, Four-Year, Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies) was one of 89 students who graduated.

Referencing the Class of 2015’s graduation verse, James 3:17-18, Kiranto encouraged his fellow graduates to do the best they can in spite of the obstacles they might face.

“Here at CMU we have been challenged, we have been encouraged, we have been empowered, and we have been motivated,” Kiranto said. “I will do the best I can. Will you?”

It was an inspiring message delivered toward the end of a weekend filled with reflection, laughter, and tears as graduates and families enjoyed stories, songs, presentations, and meals along with CMU faculty, staff, and current students.

The graduation service culminated with CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls conferring 78 undergraduate degrees, nine Master of Arts degrees, and two graduate certificates in Christian Studies.

“With credentials, we honour the credibility of the tangible skills, transferable competencies, vibrant imaginations, and responsive hearts of the graduands,” Pauls said. “We also profess trust in their capacity and commitment to be agents of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.”

CMU President Cheryl Pauls (centre) with President Medal winners Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe (left) and Michael Wiebe (right)
CMU President Cheryl Pauls (centre) with President Medal winners Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe (left) and Michael Wiebe (right)

Pauls awarded President’s Medals to Mike Wiebe (BA, Four-Year, Communications and Media) and Rebecca Klassen-Wiebe (BMus, Concentration: Performance – Collaborative Piano) in recognition of their qualities of scholarship, leadership, and service.

Earlier in the service, Rev. Dr. Hippolyto Tshimanga, a theologian and missiologist who works as the director of Mennonite Church Canada’s Africa, Europe, and Latin America Ministry, delivered the graduation address.

Tshimanga challenged graduates to face the obstacles they encounter with bravery.

“Believe in your God-given potential, believe in the education that you have received, and keep on moving,” Tshimanga said. “What you should have is unshakeable, unshakeable belief in what you are able to accomplish. Have the courage to act on your belief.”

At With Gratitude, a CMU graduation weekend event at which class members share their experiences through spoken word or musical performance, Clare Schellenberg (BA, Four-Year, Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies) reflected on her time at CMU, which included an independent study course that involved hiking the Camino de Santiago, an 800-kilometre pilgrimage route in Spain.

Schellenberg said that her time at CMU altered her understanding of peace and justice, and highlighted for her the importance of relationships in navigating the conflicts people face.

“I am leaving with an imagination to reach out to those I fear, to touch the heart of complexity, to imagine beyond what is seen, to risk vulnerability one step at a time, and to open my mind and heart as big as an ocean,” Schellenberg said.

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CMU’s class of 2015

Speaking at the same event, Kathy McCamis (Master of Arts, Theological Studies) reflected on how the costs of doing a graduate degree seemed high when she resigned from her position as a youth pastor to pursue full-time ministry studies at CMU.

McCamis, who was one of four graduates who earned their MA from CMU in affiliation with Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, also realized she was studying for her MA at a time when many people question the value of a seminary education.

McCamis does not regret her decision, though.

“I graduate having been formed as a person who is growing in my ability to love God and to love my neighbour, as well as to love myself,” she said.

“That to me is the greatest gift of seminary education, and that is worth infinitely more to me than any of the costs that I’ve incurred along the way.”

The Graduation Service and With Gratitude presentation were part of a number of events that occurred during graduation weekend, including a gala dinner on Friday, April 24, Spring Concert on Saturday, April 25, and Baccalaureate Service the morning of April 26.

The entire 2015 graduation service is available for viewing on CMU’s Youtube channel. (link)

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2

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Video

“From Truth to Reconciliation” with Rt. Hon. Joe Clark (video)

A conversation with Rt. Hon. Joe Clark on reconciliation with aboriginal peoples, presented byCanadian Mennonite University and MCC Manitoba.

Recorded on Saturday, October 18, 2015.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGqm3eVhkkw[/youtube]

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CMU announces addition of MBA program

Highly differentiated business degree focuses on leadership for the common good

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to introduce the second of two new graduate studies programs to launch for the 2015/16 academic year. In addition to the recently unveiled Master of Arts in Peacebuilding and Collaborative Development, CMU announces its participation in a Collaborative Masters of Business Administration program.

CMBA logo color webThe Collaborative MBA is an accredited online program jointly offered by Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, Bluffton University, and CMU. Built on six core values—honouring community, leading as service, upholding justice, planning for sustainability, global citizenship, and growing spiritually—classes are delivered in synchronous (live video conferencing) and asynchronous (online learning/information sharing outside of the constraints of time and place) to accommodate both learning and employment

“The world needs new sustainable business models. Call it ‘capitalism for the common good’. Models that focus on the triple bottom line of people, planets, and profit,” says Jim Smucker, program director.

Mating business principles with an emphasize on sustainability, self-awareness, and making a profit without harm to people or the environment, the Collaborative MBA program is unique in its approach.

The curriculum is based on the concept of “Leadership for the Common Good.” Divided into nine core courses and three courses directly related to one of the eight concentration areas, the 26-hour program is typically completed in 22-24 months. With global citizenship as a core value, a one-week international residency is integrated into the coursework to provide students with a global perspective and context for an on-going case study for the entire Collaborative MBA curriculum.

As a joint-program of four faith-rooted institutions, the program boasts a diversity of business professors with varied backgrounds, interests, and expertise.

“The Collaborative MBA is a logical extension to CMU’s Redekop School of Business,” says Zerbe. “CMU’s undergraduate and graduate business programs offer unique perspective on how business can be successfully carried out with a with a value-based sensitivity and outlook that considers more than just dollars and cents.”

For more information about the Collaborative MBA program, please visit www.cmu.ca/gradstudies.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over about 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

For information about CMU visit www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:
Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2