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Faculty: In Their Own Words – Dr. John Brubacher

Dr. John Brubacher, Assistant Professor of Biology, has worked at CMU since 2008.

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What do you love about your work here?

One of the things I appreciate is that at CMU, we have our four commitments: Educate for Peace – Justice; Learn through Thinking and Doing; Welcome Generous Hospitality… Radical Dialogue; and Model Invitational Community. To work at a place that’s seriously trying to make those sorts of things the undergirding aspect of an education is exciting.

What are you excited about teaching in the coming school year?

This winter I’m teaching a course called The Genetic Revolution. I’ll guide students through a series of the greatest experiments in the history of genetics. I’m excited because I’ll be teaching it in historical progression, with the idea being that it will help give students some insights into not just what we know about genes and how they work in organisms, but how we figured it out.

What are you researching and writing right now?

I’m researching little flatworms that are called planarians. You can take one and chop it into 100 pieces, and each piece can regenerate and remodel itself to form an intact worm. That allows us to start asking all sorts of questions about how these flatworms – and animals generally – develop and heal. I’m working with colleagues at the Morgridge Institute for Research in Wisconsin, and I’m helping them with a micro anatomical study of the worms to understand how the cells are arranged in a normal worm, and then how they behave when you cut a piece off the worm. The cells need to migrate around – they need to differentiate and specialize to become different types of cells, and we still have a lot to learn about the basics of cell behaviour in that process.

What are you reading for enjoyment?

I like a little mindless mystery every now and then, so I picked up a commemorative set of four famous mysteries by Agatha Christie featuring one of her most famous characters, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. I just started Murder on the Orient Express. But these days, I’m mostly reading for school and watching the Olympics.

Where or how do students give you hope?

There’s a sense of generosity to our students that gives me hope. One thing that exemplifies what I’m thinking of is that every November, students celebrate Tuition Freedom Day, which marks the end of the fiscal year paid for by student tuition, and the beginning of the year made possible by grants and donations from the Manitoba government, churches, and individual donors. Students host a big festival to celebrate the importance of donor and government funding just to keep this place operational. That’s really powerful.

What saying or motto inspires you?

For my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, an aunt of mine cross-stitched them a wall hanging of Micah 6:8: “What does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” I grew up with that on the wall and that’s always been one of those things to aim for.

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Events News Releases

CMU Students Express Gratitude to Donors, Churches, and Manitoba Government on Tuition Freedom Day

TFDTuition Freedom Day celebrates the generosity of donors, churches, and the Manitoba Government in supporting education at Canadian Mennonite University.

Taking place November 30, 2015 at 11:30 AM in CMU’s Chapel (600 Shaftesbury Blvd.), Tuition Freedom Day marks the end of the fiscal year paid for by student tuition, and the beginning of the year made possible by grants and donations from the Manitoba government, churches, and individual donors.

Ron Penner will address the student body on behalf of CMU’s church constituency, speaking of their broad commitment to CMU because of its allegiance to Anabaptist-Mennonite perspectives on Scripture and the Christian faith that combines justice, peace, discipleship, evangelism, and community. Ron and his wife Ruth were both students of founding college MBBC, after which time Ron served as lead pastor at Braeside Evangelical Mennonite Church until his retirement. Today Penner serves as an executive with the Mennonite World Conference.

Hugo Peters, an alumnus of founding college CMBC, will speak as a representative of CMU’s donors. Peters expresses profound appreciation for the foundation CMBC provided during his post-secondary years before becoming a high school teacher first in Virden, MB and then at Transcona Collegiate in Winnipeg. Peters supports CMU with a recognition for the need for a faith-based university that cultivates and validates a broad range of ministries and a world view beyond the immediate.

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 800 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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Events News Releases

University students express gratitude to donors, churches, and Manitoba government on tuition freedom day

Tuition Freedom Day celebrates the generosity of donors, churches, and the Manitoba Government in supporting education at Canadian Mennonite University.
TFD
Taking place November 24, 2014 at 11:30 AM in CMU’s Chapel, Tuition Freedom Day marks the end of the fiscal year paid for by student tuition, and the beginning of the year made possible by grants and donations from the Manitoba government, churches, and individual donors.

The day is “a valuable way for students to understand that the amount that they pay is a small portion of what it costs for their education for one year,” says Marilyn Peters Kliewer, Dean of Student Life.

Marla Langelotz, Lead Pastor at Sargent Mennonite Church; Dr. Paul Peters, recipient of a Blazer Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007 and previous CMU board chair will speak to students on behalf of this year’s donors.

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

Categories
Events News Releases

University Students Thank Donors, Churches, and Manitoba Government on Tuition Freedom Day

Canadian Mennonite University celebrates end of fiscal year costs covered by student tuition fees

“Tuition Freedom Day has become a wonderful way for CMU students to celebrate and express their appreciation to the government, church constituencies, and individual donors for the valuable contributions they have make to their education,” said Marilyn Peters Kliewer, Dean of Student Life at CMU. “Students realize this financial support helps make their post-secondary education a possibility!”

Screen shot 2013-11-23 at 7.38.27 AMCMU’s Tuition Freedom Day was established in 2007, inspired by a similar event held at Goshen College in Indiana. This recurring date in November marks the end of the fiscal year paid for by student tuition, and the beginning of the year covered by grants and donations from government, church groups, and individual donors.

“The tuition fees students pay  only go so far, and celebrating Tuition Freedom Day acts as a reminder for us,” said Amber Neufeld, Vice President Activities for CMU Student Council. “A lot of students don’t really know that their tuition only covers a portion of the costs, and this event is a great opportunity to acknowledge our generous donors and put a face to who is donating to CMU.”

Tuition Freedom Day will take place on Nov. 25 from 11:30 AM to 12:00 PM at the CMU Chapel at 600 Shaftesbury Boulevard.

Curtis Nordman (Advanced Education’s Chair of Council on Post-Secondary Education), Mary Anne Isaak (Pastor at River East Mennonite Brethren Church), and Terrell and Jenna Wiebe (CMU alumni) will present on behalf of this year’s donors.

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General News News Releases

CMU Students Celebrate Tuition Freedom Day

In a room packed with faculty, staff, guests, and students, Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) students on November 25 paid thanks to those who each year help to make higher education possible.

In opening the University’s annual Tuition Freedom Day celebrations, CMU Student Council (CMUSC) President Ben Borne noted: “This is a day where the students and all of CMU recognize the generous hearts of our donors, and say ‘thank you.’”

“Today marks the day when we celebrate the fact that donors have provided a great contribution in order for us to continue our studies here at CMU, since our tuition fees do not cover the full costs of our education,” said CMUSC Vice President, Activities, Belinda Morales, who chaired the event organizing committee.

CMU President Gerald Gerbrandt noted that just over $13-million is spent annually under CMU’s operating budget, of which about $10.3 million is related to academic costs. Of this total, he said, students themselves contribute roughly $4.6 million or 45% of costs. “The next largest portion of about $3.6 M, or 36%, comes from the Manitoba Government. More than $2.1-million is donation money, roughly $400,000 from conferences and congregations, and $1.7 from individuals who believe in CMU and contribute their money accordingly.

Manitoba’s Minister of Advanced Education and Literacy, the Honourable Erin Selby, brought greetings from the provincial government. Administrators, students, donors, and government – all contribute to sharing the costs of education, Selby noted. “We each do our part to sustain higher education, but today is the day that we recognize that, from this day forward, the operating costs come from other sources (than tuition).” She congratulated CMU for preparing students to lead rich, full lives. “We know they will contribute to our society,” she said.

Speaking on behalf of supporting churches, Elton da Silva, executive director of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba, spoke to students about the church’s reasons for investing in higher education at CMU. “There are great results that come out of having you being part of CMU, learning here, being equipped here. We will have better churches in the future because you have spent your time here.”

President Gerbrandt welcomed Katherine Wiens to speak on behalf of more than 1,800 individual donors who contribute to CMU each year.

In his introduction, Gerbrandt commented on Katherine Wiens’ long-standing connection to CMU, noting as well that her father was J.J. Thiessen, one of the people responsible for establishing one of CMU’s founding colleges, Canadian Mennonite Bible College (CMBC), in 1947.

“My father J.J. Thiessen was very involved in the college, giving counsel, time, and prayer support,” she said, describing a time when “he went to a friendly manager of the bank and asked for a loan which he promptly gave to CMBC. He repaid that in monthly instalments,” she recalled.

Many members of their extended family benefited from the higher education they received at CMU and earlier founding institutions, said Wiens. The latest family member associated with CMU spent a year with the University’s Outtatown discipleship school.

“One does not support (an institution) only for what one’s children will get, but also for those in the next generations as well. I see CMU as God’s plan for our churches at this time.”

Stephanie Heide expressed appreciation from the student body to CMU’s donor groups. “Without the support of donors, the tuition we pay would be over double what it currently is. For a lot of us, that would mean not being able to continue our education. The support of donors makes a difference – a life-changing difference – by making quality education at an accredited Christian University possible.”

“We, the students of CMU, express our deep-felt thanks to those who have contributed to our education by helping to make it affordable. It is a huge gift to us,” said Heide. “Thank you, donors.”

Released Dec. 2, 2011