Tag: Cheryl Pauls

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CMU announces $1.7 million Centre for Ecological and Economic Resilience

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce the creation of a new centre that will incubate and nurture social enterprises.

The Centre for Ecological and Economic Resilience will develop policy, design, and enterprise innovations for a resilient economy that improves social equity and environmental protection.

The centre will occupy 6,500 square feet of space on the fourth floor of CMU’s building at 500 Shaftesbury Blvd., formerly the School for the Deaf.

“This Centre will serve as a generative hub of partnering social enterprises with mandates towards economic and environmental health and well being,” said CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls. “As partnering entities take tenancy in the space they will form a collective incubator.”

“These enterprises also will extend their thinking and doing through partnership with the education, research and service of CMU,” Pauls added. “Diverse fields of study and community engagement will connect through the Centre.”

James Magnus-Johnston, Instructor of Political Studies and Economics at CMU, has been contracted as Director of the Centre.

In addition to his academic background, Magnus-Johnston has entrepreneurial experience as one of the co-owners of Fools & Horses Coffee. He also serves with a number of organizations, including Assiniboine Credit Union, the Centre for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy, the Green Action Centre, and Transition Winnipeg. He is also a singer and actor.

“James’ entrepreneurship at the crux of business, economic, environmental, political, societal, cultural, spiritual and performing arts communities rings true in the classroom for CMU students, and will soundly shape the development of this Centre,” Pauls said.

Magnus-Johnston began his work last month and says that one of the things that excites him about the Centre is that it is designed specifically for collaboration.

The Centre will serve as an academic hub, allowing partnering organizations to collaborate on research among other partners at the centre, take part in educational and research seminars, consultations, and conferences, as well as present opportunities for students at the university to take part in various experiential learning or “co-op” options.

“There is a lot of grassroots enthusiasm about this initiative from folks who are interested in taking up residence or collaborating on projects” Magnus-Johnston said. “When you can get innovative thinkers from intersecting disciplines in the same room together, I think we can move some projects forward more effectively.”

Ian Wishart, Manitoba's Minister of Education (left) and Doug Eyolfson, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley, announced the support of the provincial and federal governments for the Centre. President Cheryl Pauls says the Centre will support small enterprises working to make a positive impact in community & environment.
CMU President Cheryl Pauls and CEER Director James Magnus-Johnston are joined by Ian Wishart, Manitoba’s Minister of Education (left) and Doug Eyolfson, MP for Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley (right)

Earlier this month, the provincial and federal governments announced more than $1.1 million in joint funding to create the Centre, which will cost about $1.7 million. CMU will contribute the remainder of the balance.

Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart and Doug Eyolfson, MP for Charleswood – St. James – Assiniboia – Headingley joined CMU President Cheryl Pauls at the announcement, which took place on Friday, December 9 on campus in Marpeck Commons.

“Investing in research facilities that create stronger linkages between post-secondary and local research institutions will create new opportunities for Manitoba students to gain hands-on experience and build a promising career,” Wishart said. “We are pleased to support this initiative that will encourage dynamic partnerships and help spur innovation in our economy, while strengthening Manitoba’s position as a leader in environmental stewardship.”

Eyolfson added that the government is proud to support the project.

“This investment is indicative of the important work CMU is doing to focus on the needs of the community, as well as providing students with the education and training they need to join a strong, healthy middle class,” he said.

The Centre for Ecological and Economic Resilience is slated to open in spring 2018.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3-KZsYz5I4[/youtube]

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Dr. Cheryl Pauls reappointed CMU President

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is pleased to announce that it has reappointed President Dr. Cheryl Pauls to a second term.

“We are extremely excited and gratified that Cheryl has accepted the call to a second term,” says CMU Board of Governors Chair Gordon Daman. “We are also extremely thankful for the humble service and leadership she provides.”

Dr. Cheryl Pauls
CMU President, Dr. Cheryl Pauls

Pauls says that she is excited to continue to serve in her role as President.

“What I love most about CMU is the character of faith, courage, and vulnerability with which students, faculty, staff and surrounding communities collectively seek trustworthy understandings,” Pauls says. “It is an honour and joy to nurture the avenues and relationships that sustain this vibrant university community.”

Pauls’ reappointment follows an extensive review of her first term that the Board conducted this past spring. The review included stakeholder feedback from faculty, staff, alumni, donors, sister institutions, Council and Board members, church leaders, and students.

“The gifts Cheryl has, and the commitment to service she exhibits each and every day, made the decision of a second call one that was not only easy to make, but one that was exciting for the Board,” Daman says.

Pauls’ second term, slated to last five years, will begin in the summer of 2017.

Pauls first began her work as President in November 2012. During her first term, Pauls oversaw the construction of Marpeck Commons, the university’s new Library, Learning Commons, and Pedestrian Bridge.

During Pauls’ administration, the university has introduced two new graduate studies programs: a Master of Arts in Peacebuilding and Collaborative Development, as well as a Collaborative Master of Business Administration program jointly offered by CMU, Eastern Mennonite University, Goshen College, and Bluffton University.

Since Pauls became President, CMU has also started offering a new undergraduate major in Environmental Studies.

In addition to these academic changes, Pauls has been a strong proponent of Indigenous education.

Also under her leadership, the university began hosting the Peguis First Nation post-secondary Indigenous transition program, a 10-month program that assists students in the transition from high school to post-secondary education, from the reserve to an urban setting.

Additionally, Pauls joined other post-secondary educational institutions in Manitoba last December in a commitment to advance Indigenous education and reconciliation by signing the Indigenous Education Blueprint.

Pauls succeeded President Dr. Gerald Gerbrandt, who served as President from 2003 until his retirement in June 2012, and Interim President Dr. Earl Davey, who served in this capacity from July to October 2012.

Pauls is a graduate of one of CMU’s predecessor colleges, Mennonite Brethren Bible College, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of British Columbia. Prior to becoming President, she served as Professor in Piano and Music Theory at CMU.

Pauls has made her home in Manitoba since 1983. She and her husband Bryan Harder have two sons, Nicholas and William. The family attends River East Mennonite Brethren Church.

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 800 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 Community Celebrates at Fall Festival 2015

Reunions, Concerts, Alumni Awards, and Donor Recognition Highlights of Annual Event

Although it’s only been five months since she graduated from Canadian Mennonite University, Amber Neufeld was eager to return to campus for Fall Festival.

Neufeld performed at the festival’s MPK folk concert, shopped at the farmers market, and attended the opening program. She hopes to attend more CMU events in the future because of the impact the university has had on her life.

“Not only did CMU teach me valuable things that are the foundation for my faith and education, it gave me some amazing people that I’m honoured to be friends,” Neufeld said.

More than 500 people gathered at CMU for Fall Festival this past weekend (Sept. 25-26).

President Cheryl Pauls addresses those gather for the Opening Program
CMU President Cheryl Pauls addresses those gathered for the Fall Festival 2015’s opening program

Celebrated at the end of each September, Fall Festival features opportunities for students, alumni, friends, donors, and community members to connect, learn, play, and celebrate with the CMU community.

In addition to the folk music festival and farmers market, the weekend included class reunions, community meals, a Manitoba Cycling Association-sanctioned bicycle race, MCAC basketball games, and a tour of Marpeck Commons, the new building on campus that houses a library, a bookstore/resource centre, learning commons, and a café.

The weekend kicked off on Friday, Sept. 25 with a Face2Face community discussion exploring oil dependency.

After a full day of activity on a warm and windy Saturday (Sept. 26), Fall Festival wrapped up with CMU’s annual opening program, a time of worship to celebrate the start of a new school year.

For the first time ever, the opening program was held in Marpeck Commons, which opened at the end of November 2014.

Delivering a message based on CMU’s chapel theme for 2015-16, Behold the Beauty of the Lord (Psalm 27:4), CMU President Cheryl Pauls spoke of the ways in which beauty and inquiry work together.

Meditating on the popular phrase, “Leave it better than you found it,” Pauls talked about how that mentality has captured people’s imaginations as they work amidst the complex, strained matters of today, such as economic disparity, climate change, food security, human sexuality, and reconciliation with First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples.

“I’ve little doubt that the call ‘Better than we found it’ nurtures our commitments to these and many more hurting peoples and places,” Pauls said.

“I’ve also little doubt that the mission entrusted to this university requires action and reflection—action and reflection that’s animated by bending towards beauty. That is, through postures of prayer in the courage and humility of inquiry and awe, ever seeking of God clear, compelling ways forward with matters and relationships that confound and trouble us. And also, perhaps more importantly, by ever releasing and offering to God the very best of our persuasions and of all we think we now grasp.”

The opening program included the presentation of the 2015 Distinguished Alumni Awards, which annually recognize alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU’s values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society.

Pauls presented the awards to Larry Plenert, an Olympian-turned-lawyer who has worked for the past eight years as an adjudicator of claims of serious abuse by former students of Indian Residential Schools; Cheryl Woelk, an educator and peace worker; Gerry Dyck, a businessman who has made significant contributions in the field of international development; and Arno and Lena Fast, a couple who have spent the past 46 years ministering at a church in Winnipeg’s North End.

DonorArt
Winnipeg artists Richard Finney (right) and Ray Dirks (left) with their art piece, which acknowledges those who donated to the construction of Marpeck Commons

Later in the program, Pauls noted that $12 million of the $14.4 million needed to pay for Marpeck Commons has been raised so far.

She unveiled a donor recognition wall, which features an art piece commemorating people who contribute money to the project.

Created by Winnipeg artists Richard Finney and Ray Dirks, the piece is made up of brushed metal and glass.

The glass features an etching of a tree made up of phrases from CMU’s mission statement.

The lower portions of the piece feature a laser cutting of the names of donors who contributed to the project, with room to add the names of future donors.

“It’s a field of names,” Pauls explained. “Each individual is a kernel, a kernel that matters and is vital to the actual, ongoing life of this place. As a collective, this field of names draws out the best of what is made possible through the learning, the conversation, the sharing together in this place.”

Vice President External Terry Schellenberg noted that Fall Festival is an important community builder for CMU.

“Once again, Fall Festival opened CMU to alumni, friends, and the broader community,” Schellenberg said.

“We were moved by a significant Face2Face conversation; inspired by stories of ministry, restorative justice, business, and peacemaking from five alumni award recipients; gratified by the generosity of CMU’s support community as we unveiled a beautiful donor wall in Marpeck Commons; and celebrated and blessed the start of a new academic year.”

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 800 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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General News News Releases

CMU hosts Peguis First Nation Post-secondary Indigenous Transition Program

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is pleased to host and facilitate the first Peguis First Nation Post-secondary Indigenous Transition Program.

Designed by the Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC), the 10-month program aims to assist students in the transition from high school to postsecondary education, from the reserve to an urban setting.

With the support of the Peguis First Nation School Board, 19 students from Peguis First Nation are participating in the transition program, which began in August 2015. It is the first transition program in Manitoba to occur in Winnipeg, allowing students to fully experience city life. Eighteen of the students are living on CMU’s campus.

Students from the Peguis First Nation Post-secondary Indigenous Transition Program
Students from the Peguis First Nation Post-secondary Indigenous Transition Program

“It’s an honour for CMU to work in partnership with Peguis First Nation to make this program possible,” says CMU President Cheryl Pauls. “There is significant evidence that quality of academic and life learning can be correlated directly to quality of relationships students have with instructors and peers. The cohort model of this Transition Program builds on and strengthens the relational commitments of the CMU learning community.”

The transition program includes a combination of life skills training, an Indigenous cultural awareness component, as well as university courses accredited through CMU.

“Everything they learn in this program is going to be the skills they use in the future,” says Clairissa Kelly, Program Coordinator and Student Counsellor. “It’s about setting them up for success in the future.

Drawing on the medicine wheel, the transition program offers supports in four key areas, explains Kelly: physical—focusing on housing, transportation, and physical health; social —focusing on relationship building, peer-to-peer learning, recreation, and volunteering; mental—including setting education and employment goals and meeting mental health needs; and spiritual—including cultural components and learning such as smudging and participating in a traditional sweat.

“I see this program as a way of reconciliation—an example of how reconciliation can be achieved between First Nations people and Canadian society,” says Kelly.

Through the life skills training, students will learn about their history, culture, and heritage. Guest speakers and elders will share about traditional knowledge, teachings, and ceremonies, with opportunities given for students to participate in ceremonies.

The transition program includes 15 credit hours of university courses: Introduction to Computers, Introduction to University, Academic Writing, and a two-part course on Indigenous Knowledge.

Each course has been developed from an Indigenous perspective and will be taught by instructors associated with the transition program. The courses are accredited by CMU and will operate according to CMU policies. Students will emerge with CMU credits that are transferrable to other universities or to additional CMU programs.

“My goal at the end of the program is for students to have employment—part time or summer employment—or that they are attending post-secondary education,” says Kelly.

The idea for the program grew out of observations and experience that the transition from high school to university can be challenging for students, says Wayne Mason, who helped develop the transition program while working at MFNERC.

Moving away from their supportive home community, family, and friends, adjusting to life in Winnipeg, and differences between high school and university atmospheres can sometimes hinder students’ success, explains Mason.

“We need to make changes that will help our young people to succeed and overcome a lot of those negative aspects that may hold them back,” says Mason. “The transition program is needed and hopefully we can work ourselves out of transition programs when all students can go directly from high school to university or college.”

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 800 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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General News News Releases

Canadian Mennonite University rates at top among 28 universities

CMU’s students give top marks to faculty, academics, and community

Canadian Mennonite University students have given top marks to the faculty, academics, and community at the university.

A Maclean’s Magazine feature published this month gives a snapshot of the 2014 Canadian University Survey Consortium’s (CUSC) findings, in which CMU placed in the Top Four out of 28 universities in four categories highlighted in the article.

The statements reflect how students feel about their professors and how comfortable they feel at their university.

Link to Maclean's Magazine article
Link to Maclean’s Magazine article

When presented with the statement, “Generally, I am satisfied with the quality of teaching I have received,” 58 per cent of respondents from CMU said that they strongly agree—earning CMU the top spot out of the 28 universities surveyed.

Student responses to the statement, “Most of my professors treat students as individuals, not just numbers,” also put CMU at #1.

CMU placed second when students were presented with the statement, “Most of my professors are intellectually stimulating in their teaching,” and fourth when presented with the statement, “I feel as if I belong at this university.”

To obtain the results, the CUSC administered an online questionnaire to a random sample of middle-years students at each school.

CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls says she is deeply encouraged by the way CMU students ranked their university.

“This affirmation is a form of gratitude, and helps us to keep providing this quality of education,” Pauls says. “We consider mentorship to be vital to the learning students receive, and the survey demonstrates that students see and appreciate that faculty take them seriously as individuals both inside and beyond the classroom.”

“I’m persuaded that our students will show a similar interest and care to others based on how they have been taught,” Pauls adds. “That bolsters our courage and humility at the same time.”

To view the Maclean’s Magazine article, visit www.cmu.ca/macleans.

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, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

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

Marpeck Commons Grand Opening and Dedication (video)

“We are honoured to open this spectacular space to the university community and the communities surrounding CMU,” says CMU President Cheryl Pauls. “Marpeck Commons will be the hub of the campus and of a vibrant learning community. It’s a great place for formal and informal gathering, and we’re excited about the quality of conversation and study that will happen there.”

Pauls adds that the bridge offers coherence to the CMU campus by providing students, staff, and guests a safe and accessible way across Grant Ave.

Central to Marpeck Commons is the library. The library is vital to CMU’s effectiveness in connecting students with one another and with the expertise and mentoring of faculty, librarians, and staff.

Marpeck Commons also houses CommonWord, a book and resource centre created in partnership with Mennonite Church Canada that will allow users to buy, borrow, and download a wide range of resources, as well as a coffee and snack bar called Folio Café.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Cg8LNWfiNA8?list=PLetwI-M-5VVm9QIHDPS5tzny1CPTnGLDP[/youtube]

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CMU Announces New Vice President Academic

Dr. Gordon Zerbe selected to assume academic leadership role in June 2014

Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) announces the appointment of Dr. Gordon Zerbe as Vice President Academic, effective June 2014. Zerbe replaces Dr. Earl Davey who retires in June following six years of service in this role.

CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls is delighted to announce Zerbe’s appointment.

“Dr. Zerbe brings visionary rigour and analytical imagination to the role,” says Pauls. “At the same time, he enjoys quality relationships with students and faculty.”

G.Zerbe
Dr. Gordon Zerbe

The VP Academic is responsible for advancing CMU’s mission as a thriving liberal arts university in the Anabaptist/Mennonite tradition through its BA, BBA, BMus, and MA degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus as well as its two programs at Menno Simons College.

A key member of senior administration, the VP Academic works closely with the President and other VPs to create a synergistic flow amongst academic activities, community partnerships, university operations, and long-term planning.

“Dr. Zerbe is whole-heartedly committed to the mission entrusted to CMU and he is well-suited to lead the ongoing design of its programming,” says Pauls. “Gordon’s scholarship and teaching demonstrate exemplary depth and breadth, and he is effective in translating these qualities into academic and faculty development.”

“I think CMU has a great future, and I’m excited about the prospect of working with CMU’s engaged faculty and committed administrators, as we move into the next phase of its life, matching creative and relevant programming with the interests of our dynamic and diverse student body.”

Zerbe’s appointment follows a six-month search process involving external stakeholders as well as faculty.

About Dr. Gordon Zerbe

Zerbe served a term as Vice President and Academic Dean for CMU’s Shaftesbury campus from 2004-2007. A professor at CMU since 1990, he has taught a wide range of subjects including Biblical Studies, Early Christianity, Greco-Roman History, World Religions, and Peace Studies.

Zerbe is also the General Editor of CMU Press, an academic publisher of scholarly, reference, and general interest books. Within the past year he has completed two books, Citizenship: Paul on Peace and Politics, and Philippians (forthcoming in 2014), part of the Believers Church Bible Commentary series.

Zerbe holds a PhD in New Testament from Princeton Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Western Washington University, a Master of Arts Biblical Studies (New Testament) from Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary, and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work from Tabor College.

In his spare time, Zerbe enjoys reading, traveling, hiking, tennis, theatre, and tinkering around in his 100-year old house.

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CMU Recognizes Distinguished Alumni with 2013 Blazer Awards

MCC thrift shop founders to receive university’s Distinguished Community Service Award

WINNIPEG – A public policy expert, a man working at building relationships between First Nations people and Mennonites, two international development workers living in West Africa, and a pastor who donated one of her kidneys are the recipients of Canadian Mennonite University’s (CMU) 2013 Blazer Distinguished Alumni Awards.

CMU President Cheryl Pauls is pleased to present the awards to John Siebert, Leonard Doell, Robin & Zachary Heppner Entz, and Carol Penner on Friday, September 27 during the university’s Fall Festival.

The Blazer Awards celebrate alumni who, through their lives, embody CMU’s values and mission of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society. The awards are presented annually to alumni from CMU and its predecessor colleges: Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC) and Mennonite Brethren Bible College (MBBC)/Concord College.

“We want to honour and celebrate the significant contributions that alumni make to the church and the broader community,” Pauls says. “In telling their stories, it’s an encouragement and an inspiration to the rest of us. It awakens those of us who hear their stories to new possibilities for ourselves.”

Pauls will also present the university’s Blazer Distinguished Community Service Award to Selma Loewen, Sara Stoesz, Susan Giesbrecht, and Linie Friesen, the four women who started the first Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Thrift Shop.

“The vision, initiative, and level of commitment these four women displayed is remarkable,” Pauls says. “They had the imagination to create a project that was able to create good in multiple ways.”

The awards ceremony honouring these men and women takes place at 7:00 PM on Friday, September 27 in CMU’s Laudamus Auditorium.

Information about the award recipients:

  • Blazer Award Winners - John SiebertJohn Siebert attended MBBC from 1977 to 1979 and has worked on public policy issues for the past 30 years. He is currently the executive director at Project Ploughshares, a Waterloo, ON-based non-governmental organization that works with churches, governments, and civil society, in Canada and abroad, to advance policies and actions to prevent war and armed violence, and build peace.

 

  • Blazer Award Winners - Leonard DoellHistorical research and writing have been strong interests throughout Leonard Doell’s life. Since attending CMBC in the late ‘70s, he has written extensively about Mennonite and First Nations history. Doell works as the Aboriginal Neighbours Coordinator at MCC Saskatchewan, where he helps build relationships between Mennonites and First Nations peoples.

 

 

  • Blazer Award Winners - Robin & ZacharyRobin and Zachary Heppner Entz earned degrees from CMU. They have spent the past six years working in the West African nation of Mali as community development consultants advocating on behalf of the Fulani communities as they seek to retain ownership of their communal lands. Robin and Zachary work with World Renew, the development, disaster response, and justice arm of the Christian Reformed Church in North America.

 

  • Blazer Award Winners - Carol PennerWith a PhD in Systematic Theology, Carol Penner has taught courses at Conrad Grebel University College, enjoys freelance writing, maintains a blog of worship resources, and has worked as a pastor for the past 13 years. Last year, Penner, who graduated from CMBC in 1981, donated one of her kidneys to a stranger after watching the process that her husband, Eugene, went through when he was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2008 and had his diseased kidney removed.

 

  • Blazer Award Winners - Altona WomenIn 1972, Selma Loewen, Sara Stoesz, Susan Giesbrecht, and Linie Friesen started a thrift shop in Altona, MB to raise funds for MCC’s work overseas. It was the beginning of a network that has grown to more than 100 shops across North America that has generated contributions totaling $167 million for the work of MCC.

 

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General News News Releases

2013 Fall Enrolment Numbers Show Increase in CMU Students

Preliminary fall enrolment at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) shows a 2.5% increase in students registered for classes at its Shaftesbury campus and Outtatown program compared to last year. Overall, 621 students have registered, with Graduate program registrations increasing significantly by 15%.

CMU Students Sept 3

“Students are drawn to the high quality of academic programs and mentoring by CMU faculty and to the university’s distinct practicum program, through which all BA students make connections in the workplace and the broader community.” said CMU President Cheryl Pauls.

Final enrolment numbers will be confirmed in the upcoming weeks as registrations continue to be processed.

Note: Enrolment figures discussed do not include registrations for Menno Simons College.

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Events News Releases

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for CMU’s New Library, Learning Commons, and Bridge

WINNIPEG, July 8, 2013 – Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) President Cheryl Pauls, with MP Rod Bruinooge and City of Winnipeg Councillor Paula Havixbeck, broke ground today on the university’s new $13.9-million expansion project. They were joined by well over 100 friends and supporters from the university and the broader community.

Joining President Pauls were local businessmen Elmer Hildebrand, the capital project’s Campaign Chair, and Art DeFehr who is Vice-Chair of CMU’s Board of Governors.

“What is being done today really sets the pace for the future,” said MP Bruinooge, who chairs the Federal Government’s Post-Secondary Education Caucus. “I’ve seen many different schools across Canada and I know that the people here care at such a deep level—it brings such life to our community.”

CMU President Pauls stated, “The range of activities being planned for this Library and Learning Commons will make it the hub of the campus—linking the learning of the classroom with cutting edge research techniques that cross people and books and e-resources with invigorating forms of collaborative engagement.”

Havixbeck affirmed this vision, stating this project “goes beyond bricks and mortar as education is the life blood of our community. I am excited about this project.”

Planned for the heart of the CMU’s Shaftesbury campus in South Winnipeg, the Library and Learning Commons will generate vital resources and services, study and collaborative spaces, and welcome the constituency and wider community into the life of the university. Meanwhile, the new pedestrian bridge will connect CMU’s Shaftesbury Campus, which is currently separated by Grant Avenue.

To date, roughly $10-million has been raised. This funding comprises donations from private donors and foundations, as well as the Winnipeg Foundation, the Richardson Foundation, and the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation. The target for the project’s completion is September 2014.

(l-r) Art DeFehr, Vice Chair CMU Board of Governors; Elton DeSilva, MB Church Manitoba Executive Director; Cheryl Pauls CMU President; Elmer Hildebrand, CMU Capital Campaign Chair; Willard Metzger, Executive Director MC Canada; Paula Havixbeck, City of Winnipeg Councillor; MP Rod Bruinooge
(l-r) Art DeFehr, Vice Chair CMU Board of Governors; Elton DeSilva, MB Church Manitoba Executive Director; Cheryl Pauls CMU President; Elmer Hildebrand, CMU Capital Campaign Chair; Willard Metzger, Executive Director MC Canada; Paula Havixbeck, City of Winnipeg Councillor;
MP Rod Bruinooge