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CMU announces recipient of first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship

Canadian Mennonite University is pleased to announce that Jonah Langelotz has been awarded the first Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship.

Dr. Robert Janzen was particularly interested in the environmental aspects and impacts of agriculture. Janzen pursued his interests through studies at Canadian Mennonite Bible College, University of Manitoba, and University of Alberta, where he received his doctorate in soil science. A hard working farmer and steward of the land, Janzen supported agricultural communities around the world by sharing his expertise with farmers.

Students qualifying for this $1,000 scholarship demonstrate inter-disciplinary interest in courses in Geography, Environmental Studies, International Development, Biology, Biblical/Theological Studies and are involved with CMU’s market garden/farm and in connecting this experience with their studies.

The annual scholarship is awarded to a student entering their 3rd or 4th year of studies and who is exploring some combination of: land use and ethics, rural-urban land issues, agricultural capacity building, soil biodiversity and nutrient cycles, environmental sustainability, and urban agriculture.

Jonah Langelotz, the first recipient of the Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship
Jonah Langelotz, the first recipient of the Dr. Robert Janzen Memorial Scholarship

Recipient Jonah Langelotz is entering the 4th year of his International Development Studies (IDS) degree and completed his practicum this summer by working at a small-scale organic farm in southern Manitoba. He says he’s “very interested in exploring the hands-on aspects of farming” and how the topics of agriculture and the environment connect with international development.

Kenton Lobe, a member of the selection committee and an instructor of International Development at CMU, says that Langelotz wrestles with the broad questions of food justice, and at the same time, reflects on the application of those questions in the local context.

“Jonah reflects a kind of student who is wrestling with the ‘out there-ness’ of IDS,” says Lobe. “It’s not simply ‘out there’ that we ask questions of justice but also in our own lives.”

Lobe says Langelotz’s practicum choice was one way for him to reflect on the question of “how agriculture and food systems connect into questions of sustainability.”

Langelotz is interested in learning more about the impacts of agricultural policy for small-scale farmers, a topic which he explored in his scholarship application essay. In Seeking Justice on the Land and in Local Markets, Langelotz asks questions about the food system, agricultural policies and structures, and connects his interest in these areas to his faith, which he says includes caring for creation.

About CMU
A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, CMU’s Shaftesbury campus offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences and social sciences, and graduate degrees in Theology and Ministry. CMU has over 1,600 students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury Campus and in its Menno Simons College and Outtatown programs.

For information about CMU, visit: www.cmu.ca.

For additional information, please contact:

Kevin Kilbrei, Director of Communications & Marketing
kkilbrei@cmu.ca; 204.487.3300 Ext. 621
Canadian Mennonite University
500 Shaftesbury Blvd., Winnipeg, MB  R3P 2N2