Highlights
A Christian University Like No Other
Peacebuilding
The Mennonite community from which EMU grew is known worldwide for bringing people together to solve conflicts non-violently. Working for positive change, peace based on respectful and just relationships, peace with creation… these are core values of our campus community.
EMU is home to a world-renowned graduate program in justice and peacebuilding – graduate Leymah Gbowee is a Nobel Peace Laureate - and an undergraduate major in peacebuilding and development. At chapel and other campus events, you'll hear from visiting scholars, international service volunteers, and alumni working locally and globally for social justice. Student clubs like Peace Fellowship raise awareness about social justice and peace issues. EMU's Center for Interfaith Engagement co-sponsors an annual Interfaith Peace Camp for area children. Read more.
Sustainability
At EMU we were practicing sustainability long before "green" became trendy. EMU's main buildings have been marked by efficient, low-energy consumption since the 1980s. The Mennonites' emphasis on living simply "in order that others may simply live" and a respectful relationship to the natural world, is core to the EMU community. Students play a big role in sustainability initiatives on campus. They manage the campus garden and compost project, organize sustainability events, run a bike co-op, and develop mini-grants for innovative projects like edible landscaping.
Our new dorm Cedarwood set a college precedent in fall 2011when it received LEED "gold" certification, one of the highest environmental standards that buildings can attain. One year before, we marked another "first" when we became host to the largest solar power deployment in the state of Virginia. Read more.
Faith & Community
Faith is important here. We're all journeying together toward living our faith in our day-to-day lives. Chapels throughout the week, worship through music, drop-in Bible studies in your dormitory, prayer partners willing to support you throughout your year… these are just some of the ways students connect to Christ on campus.
Reaching out to others in need is a part of this experience. In this caring, Christian community, you're likely to participate in community service and maybe find it life-changing. Thousands of alumni have completed service terms after graduation, some even making it a career through relief and development work, church ministry, teaching in underserved areas, and other service professions. Read more.
Cross-cultural
Most EMU faculty have lived and worked internationally. They guide students to ask themselves how their choices affect others, both locally and across the globe. All students complete a cross-cultural experience, with most spending a faculty-led semester in another part of the world, like the Middle East, India, Central America or Africa.
When you've traveled to Central America, visited the coffee bean fields, and stayed with the struggling farmers, you begin to grasp the big picture. Or when your cross-cultural studies take you to the South African township of Soweto to see the lingering impact of apartheid first-hand or to Northern Ireland to explore the long-running (but no longer bloody) religious conflict there, you'll see new realities and find yourself pondering how our world is interconnected. Read more.
