Grebel at 60

In the fall of 1963, J. Winfield Fretz began his role as the first president of Conrad Grebel College in Waterloo, Ontario.  In addition to hiring the first employees and spearheading a $750,000 building project, he taught courses in the sociology department at the University of Waterloo. The beginnings of this educational initiative by Ontario Mennonites began in 1959 with a study group from various Anabaptist denominations who wanted to explore options to support young Mennonites in higher education.

Ultimately, these leaders responded to the invitation from the newly established University of Waterloo to join three other denominational colleges on the campus that opened in 1957. When writing about Grebel’s history, Grebel historian and professor, Marlene Epp, noted, “They were embarking on a venture quite radical for its time, although it may be hard for us to see today how truly innovative their vision for postsecondary education was” as they “affirmed the presence of Mennonite young people on a public university campus.”

This model of a Mennonite college on a public university campus is indeed unique and provides many opportunities and challenges. “Our teaching, integrated within the Faculty of Arts, emphasizes Mennonite strengths of music, peace studies, and theology, but students from across the University enrol in our courses,” noted Professor Troy Osborne, the College’s Dean. Today Grebel teaches more than 3, 200 UWaterloo students in its undergraduate courses each year. Graduate programs teach an additional 65 students in theology and Peace and Conflict Studies.

When the residence opened in 1964, it had 106 beds. Today the campus houses 172 students in the residence and apartments. In addition, Student Services supports off-campus students as associates, bringing the total number of students connecting to the residence program to around 300 per year. Part of this number includes co-op students who are on campus from May to August in the spring term. Students who identify as Mennonite represent about 25 percent of the residence population. Interestingly, the number of Mennonite students has remained relatively stable over the last 60 years, with about the same number in residence in 2023 as in 1964.

“From the beginning, the Grebel vision was to be a partner in a larger university. Winfield Fretz talked about a college that would serve and teach people from all walks of life—not just Mennonites, and not just Christians. He imagined Grebel as a kind of offering to the wider world,” observed the eighth president, Marcus Shantz. “I think we’ve lived into that founding vision wonderfully over the past sixty years, and it continues to shape our future.”