Tag Archives: EMU history

An Experiment Like No Other: Centennial Historian’s Reflections

May 31, 2017 – 10:35 pm

Centennial historian Donald B. Kraybill ’67 reflects on six years of research for his book Eastern Mennonite University: A Century of Countercultural Education to be released by Penn State University Press in September 2017. How does the length of time spent on this project compare to your many other published works? Each project has its own quirks. ...More

1990-Present: Tapping Our Roots, Mapping Our Future

March 10, 2016 – 10:14 pm

From its earliest days as a four-week Bible institute until now, Eastern Mennonite has maintained focus on its religious purpose. It evolved through a two-year Bachelor of Theology program from the 1930s through the 1950s, to a four-year theology degree in the 1960s, moving step by step toward having a full-fledged seminary. Yet facilities lagged. ...More

Circa 1917: Sinking Roots in Virginia

March 8, 2016 – 4:39 pm

Can you imagine Eastern Mennonite University nestled in densely populated Fairfax County, just across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.? The earliest version of EMU was a four-week Bible institute held in January, 1915. Forty-nine students, taught by five men, lived and studied in a 19-room mansion. It was old even in those days, dating ...More