Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) is a private liberal arts university in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, affiliated with one of the historic peace churches, the Mennonite Church USA. Its 97-acre (390,000 m2) main campus is on the edge of the small city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, about three miles from state-owned James Madison University. The nearest major airport is Washington D.C.'s Washington Dulles International Airport, 110 miles to the northeast of Harrisonburg. EMU also has a satellite site in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which caters to working adults in that region.

Worldwide, EMU is probably best known for its Center for Justice and Peacebuilding (CJP), especially its graduate program in conflict transformation. CJP has educated and trained more than 3,000 people from 119 countries. CJP's founding director, John Paul Lederach, and its expert in restorative justice, Howard Zehr, are considered to be international leaders in the fields of peace and justice.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of EMU in 2007, George Duncan, the lead editorial writer in the Harrisonburg (Va.) Daily News Record, called EMU "a treasure and an academic jewel in the Shenandoah Valley." He elaborated: "EMU has not only been a blessing for the Valley. It has benefited dozens of nations. EMU conflict resolution teams are spread out over the globe. The university is an international haven for both students and faculty." As Duncan humorously confessed, this editorial was surprising because he had spent years writing highly conservative editorials that were "at odds at least 90 percent of the time" with the political views of most EMU faculty and students. Nevertheless, Duncan said he had found that "the faculty and students at EMU are some of the most intelligent and nicest people on Earth."

Half of EMU's undergraduate students do not come from Mennonite backgrounds, though the majority are Christian. EMU's graduate students represent a diversity of faiths, as exemplified by the mini-bios on Islamic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu alumni posted on EMU's website. About 57 percent of EMU's undergrads are from out of state (32 states; 21 countries), and 19 percent are persons of color, non-U.S. origins, or minority ethnicity.

EMU describes itself as a "leader among faith-based institutions" in emphasizing "peacebuilding, creation care, experiential learning, and cross-cultural engagement."