Campaign McGill surpasses $400-million mark

Calgary couple adds $1-million gift to campaign coffers

BY MICHAEL BOURGUIGNON | Campaign McGill is already more than halfway toward its $750-million goal, having reached the $400-million milestone just six months after its public launch.

Campaign McGill was unveiled last October after raising $325 million during its 'quiet phase'.

The five-year campaign has the largest initial goal of any university fundraising initiative in Canadian history. Surpassing the halfway mark so early in the campaign is an encouraging sign of the support McGill enjoys from its alumni and friends around the globe, said McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum.

Marc Weinstein, McGill Vice-Principal (Development and Alumni Relations), credited the Campaign Executive Cabinet, including the three co-chairs, Senator Michael Meighen, Yves Fortier and Eugene McBurney, the international volunteer committees working on Campaign McGill and the worldwide alumni community for the campaign's success to date.

He added, however, that much work remains to be done and that Campaign McGill will continue to press ahead in pursuit of its goal.

Campaign officials were in Calgary on April 30 to meet with local alumni and announce the latest major gift to Campaign McGill, a $1-million pledge from Calgary residents and McGill alumni Dr. Richard and Carolina J. Walls. The funds will be used to endow the Dr. Richard and Carolina J. Walls Best in the West Scholarships in Science and to launch a new award program, The Best in the West, aimed at helping qualified undergraduate students from Western Canada to attend McGill. Dr. Walls, Chairman of Fairborne Energy Ltd., and his wife urged other Canadians to contribute to The Best in the West, which has a $5-million goal to provide support to students from Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

"The potential for forging strong relations between McGill and our friends, alumni and other supporters in the Calgary is tremendous," said Scot DeJong, Senior Development Officer, Major Gifts. "The initial feedback we've received throughout Campaign McGill is that our supporters right across Canada are really looking forward to being involved in the campaign, and we're going to be working hard to provide many opportunities for that involvement as the momentum surrounding Campaign McGill continues to grow."