POSITION: Director of Residence Life, Student Accountability and Restorative Justice
DEPARTMENTS:
Student Life
Housing and Residence Life
CJP - Center for Justice & Peacebuilding
LOCATION: Main Campus, Harrisonburg | UC 226
PHONE: (540) 432-4128
EMAIL: jonathan.swartz@emu.edu
Jonathan Swartz serves (since 2017) as Eastern Mennonite University’s Director of Residence Life, Student Accountability, and Restorative Justice. Jonathan also served as EMU’s Restorative Justice Coordinator from 2014-2017. Jonathan has taught courses as an adjunct professor in the Bible and Religion Department at EMU and has been a guest lecturer in graduate and undergraduate courses in Restorative Justice. Jonathan also teaches a transitions course for first-year EMU students and a leadership course for students with leadership positions within Student Life.
Along with serving as a certified trainer/instructor for the Green Dot violence prevention program at EMU, Jonathan has planned and implemented workshops and trainings to prevent sexual harm. In addition, Jonathan has served as a trainer with EMU’s STAR (Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience) program - and has co-created and co-facilitated multi-day trainings on Restorative Justice, Trauma Awareness, and Resilience.
Jonathan obtained his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Bethel College (Mishawaka, IN), a Masters of Divinity (MDiv) degree from Eastern Mennonite Seminary (2014) and a Masters in Conflict Transformation (MACT) degree from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University (2014). During seminary and graduate school studies at EMU, Jonathan served as a Campus Ministries Intern and as Restorative Justice Facilitator/Assistant Resident Director in Residence Life. Before moving to Harrisonburg, VA in 2011, Jonathan spent 10 years in the construction industry, primarily building new homes in Northern Indiana.
Jonathan’s research, reading, and practitioner interests include theology and race/whiteness, restorative justice practice and theory – including/especially RJ and race, healing and reconciliation, gender and masculinity studies, and contemporary justice/peace movements.
BS, Bethel College (Psychology)
MDIV, Eastern Mennonite Seminary
MA, Eastern Mennonite University (Conflict Transformation)