Grebel is committed to fostering meaningful relationships that enrich the college community.
In the early 1960s, the recently established University of Waterloo offered Mennonites in Ontario an invitation to establish a Mennonite college alongside three other church colleges on its new campus. Three Ontario conferences who were part of the Kitchener-Waterloo Inter-Mennonite Ministers Fellowship worked together to establish Conrad Grebel College. Today, those conferences are part of Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC), the governing body that elects a majority of the College's Board of Governors. Grebel partners with MCEC on many projects, most notably, the Anabaptist Learning Workshop.
For 50 years, Conrad Grebel has enjoyed a special relationship with the University of Waterloo. In 1963, the fledgling Engineering school invited Mennonites of Ontario to sponsor a liberal arts college on its campus. Today, over 4000 Waterloo students take classes at Grebel each year, making the college a diverse community. In the residence, approximately 50% of the students are Mennonite, the rest come from a variety of faith backgrounds and no faith backgrounds.
All students who live and study at Conrad Grebel University College are registered at, take classes throughout, and graduate from, the prestigious University of Waterloo. In both the residence and classrooms at Grebel you will find students from all faculties of Waterloo. Some take most of their classes at Conrad Grebel, while others just take one or two that are of special interest.
Students who want to live at Grebel must also be accepted to study at the University of Waterloo. Grebel is the only residence on campus where first year students and upper year students live together. This continuity builds a strong community where friendships grow and last a lifetime.
Students who wish to live a Grebel, must fill out an application and participate in an interview process.
The Brubacher House Museum is a distinguished home built in 1850 by John E. Brubacher, a Pennsylvania German Mennonite settler. In 1979, the University of Waterloo officially opened the house as a museum in recognition of the university's location on what was once Mennonite farmland. The museum is operated by Conrad Grebel University College and the Mennonite Historical Society of Ontario.
The goals of the Centre for Family Business are to help build strong, profitable companies by strengthening and maintaining healthy families. A unique combination of business and family resources make the centre a vital authority for family enterprises.
Offered each August, Ontario Mennonite Music Camp is a two-week, live-in musical experience at Grebel. The camp provides musically motivated children between the ages of twelve and sixteen with an appreciation for the musical heritage of the Christian church.