Distinctives of a CMU Education
Now, as never before, the world needs university graduates who are intellectually wise, respectfully open to others, vocationally discerning, morally and ethically astute, and religiously sensitive.
Liberal Arts
- A CMU education is centred in the liberal arts which includes studies in the Humanities (literature, music, languages, theology, Bible, philosophy, ethics...); Social Sciences (history, psychology, sociology, communications, economics, geography, business, peace and conflict transformation, international development...); and Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, geography, mathematics...).
- Such a comprehensive education fosters critical thinking, a broad spectrum of knowledge and skill, a sense of wonder, humility and awe, and prepares students for vocational paths they cannot yet envision and a future as yet unknown.
Faith
- CMU offers a distinctive alternative in Canadian higher education. A foundational grounding in the Christian-Anabaptist faith tradition and relationships with diverse church communities, is coupled with a deep openness to engage and learn from other traditions and peoples from all backgrounds.
- Convictions regarding integrity in life and faith alongside the integration of knowledge, action, and community wisdom lie at the heart of CMU's educational vision. CMU's self-understanding as a church-related university is grounded in relationships of trust and in commitments to ongoing, open dialogue, and inquiry.
- At the heart of a CMU education lie conversations and big questions that draw on the full array of religious and academic traditions.
- Such grounding and openness call students to reflect spiritually and ethically on the world’s big challenges, as they are opened to new understandings and empowered to engage the world through wisdom, humility, and hope.
- The questions ‘Who are you and where are you going?’ shape student thinking and character, foster vocational discernment, and develop facility in the practice and language of faith, meaning, and purpose.
Vocation
- CMU education is ‘education for vocation’ through which students are called to work and to career paths that are both meaningful to them, needed in our communities, and helpful to the earth and its creatures.
- Vocation-centered education:
- Equips students to understand how people and communities’ flourish in healthy ways
- Is attentive to the diverse callings that students answer whether in church, non-profit, or for-profit sectors
- Nurtures wisdom and capacities for good through all forms of endeavor and work in the world
Peace-Justice
- CMU education colours all programs with a commitment to peace-justice and in so doing seeks to heal the divisions that fragment our world, build up hope-filled communities, and befriend the earth.
- CMU’s commitment is to produce 'global citizens' who have the capacity, inspiration, and faith to continue learning through their lives, to be present in and to contribute to their communities through a range of career and volunteer possibilities.
Welcome, Hospitality, and Dialogue
- CMU fosters a welcoming and hospitable university community, committed to open dialogue out of which deep learning becomes possible.
- All students who meet the university’s academic entrance requirements are welcomed, regardless of ethnic or national background; religious conviction; gender identity or sexual orientation; social or economic standing; or political affiliation.
- CMU respects the dignity of each person as an expression of God’s love, and commits to fostering a learning community marked by a commitment to welcome all and learn from all.
CMU welcomes students who are connected to diverse Christian church and faith traditions along with many students with no religious or church background.
Printed from: www.cmu.ca/about/cmu/education