News and Releases
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CMU welcomes Dr. Alexander Sawatsky to lead new Bachelor of Social Work degree program
Tuesday, May 16, 2023 @ 10:00 AM
Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is excited to announce that Dr. Alexander Sawatsky will join the university as Professor and Chair of Social Work. Sawatsky's appointment starts September 1, 2023, when he will begin working on the development of CMU's new Bachelor of Social Work degree program, set to begin in Fall 2024.
Sawatsky is a highly respected teacher, practitioner, and researcher who brings a wealth of experience in social work program development, and deep relationships across the social work community. After 15 years in mental health work in the US, he joined Booth University College (BUC) in 2006 as a faculty member in social work and played a key role in developing that institution's social work program. In 2017, Sawatsky was promoted to be the Director of BUC's School of Social Work.
Read MoreCMU to launch professionally aligned, socially impactful Bachelor of Social Work degree program
Thursday, May 4, 2023 @ 10:00 AM
Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) is excited to announce the development of a new Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree program.
The program will deeply align with CMU's mission and commitments to reconciliation in church and society, as well as Mennonite/Anabaptist traditions of service and community development. This degree will provide students with the skills and abilities needed to help facilitate the health and well-being of vulnerable persons and communities across Canada.
Read MoreBreaking barriers: CMU alumnus defends doctoral dissertation on disability theology
Thursday, March 23, 2023 @ 9:00 AM
Daniel Rempel is smiling from ear to ear.
Having successfully defended his doctoral dissertation at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland just a week before the Zoom interview for this story, Rempel was visually, and rightfully, excited to share on his research on the often-overlooked field of disability theology.
Read MoreCMU alumna transforms dream for justice through peace program
Monday, March 20, 2023 @ 10:30 AM
CMU alumna Odelia Duffus wanted to be a lawyer after she graduated high school. Six years later, she's liaising with the court—but not in the role she expected.
Duffus is a mediator and caseworker with Mediation Services, a Winnipeg-based organization offering conflict resolution and training to workplaces, families, and communities. She wants to make a safer and more just future for all people involved in conflict, by navigating it in ways alternative to conventional punishment. Through mediation, she acts as a neutral third party that hears each side's perspective and helps create an agreement that benefits everyone and an appropriate solution.
Read MorePolarization: Get over it! Stories that lead the way
Thursday, February 9, 2023 @ 10:23 AM
Polarization—just get over it! It's easier said than done. But if we are to take serious steps and effectively engage with others to overcome our extreme differences, where do we start? Canadian Mennonite University's (CMU) upcoming Face2Face discussion will feature a panel of provincial MLAs and policy analysts exploring their unique experiences with polarization.
Read MoreCMU alum recontextualizes art song through queer, ecological lens
Monday, January 23, 2023 @ 1:18 PM
At first glance, it may not seem like music, climate justice, and queerness would cross career paths. But Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) alum Anna Bigland-Pritchard has built a life that weaves together these strands.
The 30-year-old soprano lives in Victoria, BC, where she divides her time between studying under renowned soprano Nancy Argenta, managing marketing at Vancouver Bach Choirs, directing music ministry at Oak Bay United Church, and teaching through her small business, ABP Music Studio. She also dedicates time to advocating for climate justice and facilitating workshops on eco-mindfulness, which she has done for institutions like KAIROS, University of Toronto, and CMU.
Read MorePeace Beyond Policing: Kristen Wiltshire
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 @ 8:31 AM
What's peace in a society where social systems can do harm to the people they are meant to serve? Jonas catches up with Kristen Wiltshire (CMU '14) on her work in family and social services.
Credits
Theme Music: Urbana-Metronica (wooh-yeah mix) by spinningmerkaba (c) copyright 2011 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/jlbrock44/33345 Ft: Morusque, Jeris, CSoul, Alex Beroza
Alumnus explores the relationship between art and commerce in daring new novel
Monday, August 22, 2022 @ 4:11 PM
In 2017, André Forget was asked by friend and collaborator Joel Peters (CMU, 2011) to write a short story about a fictitious underwater organ. The only rule was to keep the story around 2,000 words. Forget ended up writing a 10,000-word academic dissertation about the mythical instrument, which he named the hydroöganon. Complete with invented scholars debating each other's theses and extensive details as to the engineering of the instrument, the story, originally titled The Lower Registers, served as the impetus for writing his debut novel In the City of Pigs, published by Dundurn Press in the summer of 2022.
Read MoreSummer 2022 alumni updates (new content)
Thursday, June 30, 2022 @ 12:00 AM
Readers of CMU's The Blazer magazine often say they flip right to the Alumni News section before reading anything else.
Again, as with the past several issues of The Blazer in its digest format, we were unable to squeeze in alumni news. Below is a compilation of updates provided to CMU by alumni.
Read MoreReconciliation: Man-Made Temples
Friday, April 1, 2022 @ 9:45 AM
Jesus called for an end to oppression. How did the Bible become a weapon of colonization? Jonas talks with Christy Anderson, CMU Indigenous Engagement Advisor, about a sermon she gave at CMU in Fall 2021.
Anderson's full sermon is available as a special feature episode of this podcast.
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