Grebel hires faculty for PACS and global music

Conrad Grebel University College announced the hiring of Jennifer Ball as Assistant Professor in Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) and Maisie Sum as Assistant Professor of Music, both in tenure track positions commencing July 1, 2015.

“Recently, the Board of Governors passed a new 5-year plan called Extending the Table,” explained Board Chair, Fred Redekop. “These two scholars will help the College in fulfilling our vision. The appointments that Sum and Ball have accepted are new positions for the College, so it is also exciting to see Grebel extend itself to new areas of study and ministry.”

Ball comes to Grebel most recently from a position at the University of Guelph where she received a PhD in Rural Studies. “After over 20 years of affiliation with Grebel—as a student, an alumna, a sessional instructor, and Certificate workshop facilitator—I am thrilled to now join the PACS faculty” said Ball.

“I am delighted that Jennifer will be joining the PACS faculty,” said Lowell Ewert who directs the PACS program. “She grew up in Zambia, intuitively understands cross-cultural differences, has walked with Africans in their villages, and has seen first-hand the issues with which they struggle.”

This is a new faculty position created due to the growth of the PACS program. In the last 10 years, PACS course enrolment has grown from 705 to 1244.

Maisie Sum began at Grebel two years ago in a two-year contract and has been a vibrant addition to Grebel’s community. She has connected with the Music Department and the College community in general, and has made significant connections to the University of Waterloo. The Grebel gamelan, under her direction, has been at concerts and workshops at high schools in Waterloo Region including Rockway Mennonite Collegiate, Ontario Mennonite Music Camp, and Rockway Mennonite Church where she attends. This winter, Sum taught a course on Music and Peace with Reina Neufeldt.

“Professor Sum has been a game changer for us in developing global music at Grebel/UWaterloo and in the church,” explained President Huxman. “She has also been a bridge builder for us in reaching new constituencies in the academy, the community, and in our schools around active peacemaking, global engagement and music-making, especially through the participatory gamelan ensemble.”