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I Am A Mennonite investigates the past to glimpse into the future
Within the first five minutes of Paul Plett's (CMU 2004-05) newest documentary, I Am A Mennonite, he askes his target audience of Mennonites, "Where are we going to spiritually?"
That may be a loaded question for a community whose history is steeped in schisms, immigration, and discernment. But, It's a question Plett says is not rhetorical. "We're not going anywhere else physically. As a community, it does sort of seem that the real adventure is the spiritual one." Plett says that since Mennonite's transient disposition seems to have receded, we need to journey deeper into self-reflection, exploring inward as our spirituality is the most important odyssey of all.
CMU alumni collaborate on book featuring women in music
A vibrant children's book featuring 26 women in music will soon be hitting bookstore shelves, and it was created by two CMU alumni. Anneli Loepp Thiessen (CMU '18) first wrote The ABCs of Women in Music in fall 2020 as a creative project for a feminist theories class at the University of Ottawa, where she is a PhD student in interdisciplinary music research.
Polar bear research connects CMU alumna to the natural world
For Sara Wolowich Brown (CMU' 19, Environmental Studies), going to the zoo is more than just entertainment. It's become a passion.
Every year, she takes a pilgrimage to Assiniboine Park Zoo on her birthday. It's an almost ritualistic experience that connects her to the disorder of nature. "I always [been] very interested in science, and the natural world was always super fascinating to me. I always loved going to the zoo," says the alumna who graduated with Environmental Studies major.
Impactful work-integrated learning experience leads alumna to pursue decolonization efforts and Indigenous solidarity work
Ask any Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) graduate the most impactful learning experience during their undergrad, and they will most likely say their practicum placement.
As the only university in Canada that includes a work-integrated learning placement for all undergraduates, CMU's Practicum Program gives students practical, hands-on opportunities to work in their desired fields of study. Most students look at their practicum placement as a turning point in their education; they get a fully realized vision of the types of impacts they can make in the world and can be inspired to reach further heights in their academics or career.
A community of hope, life, and vibrancy inspires CMU alumna at COP26
With floods decimating major highways, forest fires pillaging towns and countries, and a global average temperature steadily increasing, there is without a doubt a climate emergency on our hands.
Canadian Mennonite University alumna Kari Miller (CMU '21) has seen the atrocities of climate change and has made it her life's work to mitigate the shifting world. Miller's role as the Environmental Education Coordinator for A Rocha Manitoba gave her the opportunity to attend the 26th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations (UN) climate summit in Glasgow, known more famously as COP26.
Fall 2021 alumni updates
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.
Unfortunately, the past several issues of The Blazer in its digest format were not able to include alumni news. Below is a compilation of updates provided by a few of our alumni (including the most adorable baby photos).
A message from the CMU president regarding fall 2021 vaccine requirements
Canadian Mennonite University is committed to honouring the health, safety, and well-being of the community as a whole. Our collective health is reliant on shared habits and responsibilities of students, staff, and faculty in this time of COVID-19 and always. As we move into the 2021-22 school year the ongoing health risks of COVID-19 remain highly concerning, even with exemplary vaccination rates in Manitoba. Thus, all CMU students, staff, and faculty are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 in accordance with the schedule listed below. We make this announcement with recognition that many members of the CMU community already have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Summer 2021 alumni updates
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.
Unfortunately, the past several issues of The Blazer were not able to include alumni news. Below is a compilation of news from a few of our alumni (including the most adorable baby photos).
Germinating Conversations: CMU alumna harvests a decade of content to produce book
The spring of 2021 saw the release of Germinating Conversations: Stories from Sustained Rural-Urban Dialogue on Food, Faith, Farming, and the Land. Edited by Marta Bunnett Wiebe, a recent graduate of Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) and current Peace and Advocacy Coordinator at MCC Manitoba, and collaboratively published by CMU, A Rocha, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, and Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba, the book emerged out of over a 10-year-long period of class discussions, listening events, and public dialogues between urban and rural farmers in Manitoba. The book surfaces out of these various initiatives producing germinating conversations centred around reconciliation, food production, and ecological crisis. With over 30 participants of both rural and urban contexts, the book attempts to mirror the kind of dialogue, and most importantly, the kind of listening that is required for real conversations to take place.
CMU announces 2021 Leadership Scholarship recipients
David Nelson, Mia Loeppky, Matthew Pahl, and Eleanor Reimer are awarded this year's endowments: $3,500 annually up to four years, to a maximum value of $14,000 each.
CMU takes great pride in announcing the four winners of this year's Leadership Scholarships: David Nelson of Winnipeg, MB (Westgate Mennonite Collegiate); Mia Loeppky of Selkirk, MB (Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School); Matthew Pahl of Morden, MB (Morden Collegiate Institute); and Eleanor Reimer of Winnipeg, MB (Sisler High School) are the winners of up to $14,000 each.
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