New residence and room dedications mark CMU’s opening weekend

The opening of a new student residence and the dedication of rooms and buildings in honour of people who have made a significant contribution to the university or its predecessor colleges, along with the opening program, marked the beginning of Canadian Mennonite University’s 2005–6 academic year.

Pictured l–r, architect Rudy Friesen, CMU president Gerald Gerbrandt and builder Ted Petkau cut the ribbon to open CMU’s new student residence.

More than 1800 students are taking one or more courses at CMU this year, including 431 full or part-time students at the CMU campus and 97 in the Outtatown program.

The former Manitoba School for the Deaf, called the North Campus, was renamed Founders Hall, in recognition of “the many faithful servants God has used to build the body of Christ.”

Other dedications included the new residence, Concord Hall, named after Concord College; the A.H. Unruh Heritage Lounge, named after a pioneer of Mennonite Brethren higher education; Poettcker Hall, dedicated to the life and ministry of the former president of CMBC; and the Laudamus auditorium, named in honour of William and Irmgard Baerg and George and Esther Wiebe, who led music programs at MBBC/Concord College and CMBC. A total of 54 rooms and buildings were dedicated during the weekend.

Most efficient

CMU’s new $5-million student residence, which will house 101 students, has been rated the province’s most energy efficient building.

“CMU teaches students about the importance of caring for the environment,” said vice-president for advancement David Leis. “The new residence is a practical way for us to put our words into action.”

The residence is heated and cooled by a geothermal heat pump and the rooms feature energy efficient windows and T8 fluorescent lighting. The building is expected to use a record 56 percent less energy than buildings constructed to national standards, said a Manitoba Hydro spokesperson.

The technologies used in the building, as well as in its parking lot lighting and controllers, is expected to save the university over $23,000 in operating costs, as well as earning it incentives from Manitoba Hydro’s Power Smart program and a grant from the federal government.

“The best decision”

“Coming to CMU was the best decision I ever made,” Tera Dyck, a fourth-year math major from Vineland, Ont. told the audience at the opening program Sept. 24. “I’ve been continually blown away by the humility, the generosity and the compassion the faculty and staff have shown me. . . . They are truly women and men of God.”

President Gerald Gerbrandt welcomed some 400 guests to the opening, acknowledging in particular the graduates of 1955 who had come to celebrate their 50-year homecoming, and Sheila Klassen-Wiebe, assistant professor of theology, preached on CMU’s theme verse for this school year, Jeremiah 29:11.

—from CMU release