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CONNECT Campaign reaches $14.4 million goal

A fundraising campaign to build Marpeck Commons, the library, learning commons, and bridge at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU), has reached its goal.

“It is our great pleasure and gratitude to announce that the CONNECT Campaign goal of $14.4 million has been achieved in gifts and commitments,” CMU President Dr. Cheryl Pauls said during a speech she gave on Saturday, November 25 at the university’s annual Christmas concert.

Marpeck Commons, housing the CMU Library, CommonWord Bookstore and Resource Centre, folio café, and a learning commons.

Plans for Marpeck Commons started taking shape in 2009, when leadership at CMU began envisioning a building that would get the university’s library out of the basement, as well as create a learning commons with light and space.

The building would include a pedestrian bridge linking the two sides of CMU’s Shaftesbury campus and ensuring safe passageway across Grant Avenue. It would be a space drawing together the community within and surrounding CMU—the community of students, staff, and faculty, as well as the community of neighbours and constituents.

That dream became a reality when CMU opened the doors of Marpeck Commons on January 5, 2015.

Since then, Marpeck Commons has had a measurable and transformative impact for CMU students, faculty, and the broader community. The CMU Library, for example, annually receives more than three times the number of visitors it received in its previous location.

The building includes an inviting café, along with a bookstore and resource centre with the most extensive selection of theological resources anywhere in the province.

The pedestrian bridge, which spans Grant Avenue, connects the north and south sides of CMU’s Shaftesbury campus.

This has been the largest fundraising campaign in CMU’s history.

Nine hundred donors contributed, with 60 per cent of those contributions coming from Manitoba and 40 per cent coming from out of province. The donations included those of alumni and supporters who purchased 459 engraved bridge tiles.

“We are honoured by the generous investment of 900 families, individuals, foundations, and churches who collectively paid for the whole of Marpeck Commons,” Pauls said. “Their vision has created a cherished gathering place, which we are delighted to share with thousands of people annually.”

The volunteer leadership of the CONNECT Campaign Cabinet, a group characterized by deep generosity and vision, has been critical to the success of this fundraising endeavour.

Led by campaign chair Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting, Ltd, the cabinet included Arthur DeFehr, Philipp R. Ens, Bill Fast, Janice Filmon, Albert Friesen, Charles Loewen, Jake Rempel, and Tamara Roehr.

“I am really pleased with the way all of the members of our campaign cabinet stepped up to meet the challenge,” Hildebrand said. “It was a real pleasure to work with this group of visionary and generous individuals.”

 

 

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, as well as graduate degrees in theology, ministry, peacebuilding and collaborative development, and an MBA. CMU has over 900 full-time equivalent students, including those enrolled in degree programs at the Shaftesbury and Menno Simons College campuses and in its Outtatown certificate program.

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

 

 

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CMU invites community to celebrate the grand opening of Marpeck Commons

We are honoured to open this spectacular space,’ says university president

Canadian Mennonite University will celebrate the grand opening of Marpeck Commons, CMU’s new library, learning commons, and bridge, on Saturday, November 29.

The public is invited to join CMU staff, faculty, and students at 2299 Grant Ave. for the grand opening celebration from 1:30 PM to 2:15 PM. An open house is scheduled for 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

MCbanner“We are honoured to open this spectacular space to the university community and the communities surrounding CMU,” says CMU President Cheryl Pauls. “Marpeck Commons will be the hub of the campus and of a vibrant learning community. It’s a great place for formal and informal gathering, and we’re excited about the quality of conversation and study that will happen there.”

Pauls adds that the bridge offers coherence to the CMU campus by providing students, staff, and guests a safe and accessible way across Grant Ave.

Central to Marpeck Commons is the library. The library is vital to CMU’s effectiveness in connecting students with one another and with the expertise and mentoring of faculty, librarians, and staff.

“CMU’s capacity to connect students with one another and with faculty, librarians, staff, and surrounding communities enables the university to live out its mission of inspiring and equipping women and men for lives of service, leadership, and reconciliation in church and society,” Pauls says.

Vic Froese, Library Director, is excited to see the library open. “It will invite students and others to come to a place where we have a fine collection of good resources and resourcing expertise,” Froese says.

Marpeck Commons also houses CommonWord, a book and resource centre created in partnership with Mennonite Church Canada that will allow users to buy, borrow, and download a wide range of resources, as well as a coffee and snack bar called Folio Café.

Marpeck Commons is named after Pilgram Marpeck, a 16th century Anabaptist leader and civil engineer whose writings emphasize Christian love, the pursuit of peace, and active pursuit of justice before God and among all people.

Designed by ft3 and constructed under the direction of Concord Projects, Marpeck Commons includes a range of environmentally conscious and energy-saving initiatives that have been integrated into both the interior and exterior construction.

See the construction of Marpeck Commons from beginning to end (photo album)
See the construction of Marpeck Commons from beginning to end (photo album)

The Commons lies on a designated Manitoba Heritage site, between two Winnipeg treasures: Assiniboine Park and a large urban forest. The site design of the CMU campus complements these green city spaces.

Construction on the project began in July 2013, funded by the CONNECT fundraising campaign under the leadership of Campaign Chair Elmer Hildebrand, CEO of Golden West Broadcasting. To date, $13-million has been committed toward the campaign’s $14.4-million goal.

Immediately following the grand opening program on November 29, the public is invited to Christmas at CMU at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM. Create your own concert with family, friends, and neighbours while enjoying music, festive décor, cookies, and hot apple cider. Admission is free.

In addition to the grand opening, media are invited to an open house on Friday, November 28 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Members of the media will have the opportunity to tour Marpeck Commons with Pauls and other CMU personnel on hand to answer questions.

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

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CMU CONNECT Campaign Passes $4-Million Mark

August 3, 2012 – Early gifts from CONNECT Campaign Executive and CMU “family” (Board, faculty, staff, etc.) exceed $4-million to start the fundraising campaign for CMU’s Library and Learning Commons and Pedestrian Bridge.

CMU’s latest capital project will significantly enhance CMU’s infrastructure for delivering quality post-secondary education and also serve as a valuable resource to the broader Manitoba community.

“Building the new CMU Library and Learning Commons, along with a pedestrian bridge linking both sides
of CMU’s Shaftesbury campus, are key next steps in building a CMU for the future,” says Elmer Hildebrand, CONNECT Campaign Chair and CEO of Golden West Radio. Hildebrand is joined in his efforts by the Campaign Executive Members.

“CMU is grateful for the dedicated fundraising leadership of the Campaign Executive. We’re looking forward to our public campaign in the coming months,” says CMU’s new President Cheryl Pauls, who begins her new role effective November 1.

Features of the New Library and Learning Commons
The Library and Learning Commons will greatly enhance the CMU learning environment for students, faculty, and the general public.
• Study carrels, worktables, and lounge seating in attractive setting will stimulate students to connect with ideas and thinkers from around the world.
• Small group rooms will invite students to work together in teams at important questions and issues.
• New computer, wireless, and peripheral technologies will support study, research, and collaboration.
• A seminar room will enable small classes to meet in proximity to necessary library resources.
• Significantly increased space with natural light and controlled temperature and humidity will allow future expansion and growth.

The Library and Learning Commons will include a prominent and welcoming entrance and gathering area (Library Centre), inviting students and the general public to make use of its resources.
• It will feature a Bookstore and Resource Centre with the most extensive selection of theological resources anywhere in the province.
• An inviting café will welcome students, faculty, staff, and members of the community to gather and discuss the issues of the day.

An attractive Pedestrian Bridge will link the two sides of CMU’s campus, currently partitioned by a busy thoroughfare, providing a safe, accessible route across Grant Avenue. It will also signal the presence of CMU in the community, serving as a symbol for an institution that connects people with ideas and each other over issues that matter.

The Campaign Executive has been actively fundraising in support of the project and expects to publicly launch the CONNECT campaign within the year. CMU anticipates beginning construction on the new facility and bridge in 2013.

A Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition, Canadian Mennonite University, offers undergraduate degrees in arts, business, humanities, music, sciences, and social sciences, as well as two graduate degree programs. CMU has over 1,700 students at its Shaftesbury Campus, at Menno Simons College in downtown Winnipeg, and enrolled through its Outtatown discipleship program. CMU is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada.

For Campaign information, contact:
CMU Director of Development Abe Bergen | agbergen@cmu.ca

Photo: Joining in the CMU CONNECT Campaign project announcement on June 15, 2012 were: (front row, l. to r.) CMU President-Elect Cheryl Pauls, CMU former President Gerald Gerbrandt, Premier of Manitoba Greg Selinger, CONNECT Campaign Chair Elmer Hildebrand, Acting Deputy Mayor Paula Havixbeck, Councillor for Charleswood Tuxedo; (back row, l to r), CMU Vice President External Terry Schellenberg, and Campaign Executive Members Tamara Roehr, Bill Fast, Jake Rempel, Bert Friesen, Charles Loewen, and Janice Filmon.
(Inset: Campaign Executive Members Philipp R. Ens, at left, and Art DeFehr)