McGill University launched their fundraising campaign ‘Made by McGill: the Campaign for Our Third Century’ on Sept. 26 in anticipation of the school’s 200th birthday in 2021.
McGill hopes to raise $2-billion with the help of alumni, students and innovators worldwide.
Built to commemorate two centuries of McGill’s educational legacy, the fundraiser aims to increase the financial supply to bursaries and scholarships, in order to supplement more students’ education, field and work experience projects, innovation in the areas of neuroscience, sustainability, and research.
Our goal is to “deepen the engagement of our alumni, our staff, parents, students and anybody who is connected to the McGill community,” said Marc Weinstein, vice-president of university advancement at McGill.
“The fundraiser aims to make excellent tertiary education affordable for more students in light of the increasing university fees,” Marcia Moffat, co-chairperson of the campaign, said.
Over the course of 2018, the deans of all faculties as well as the principal of the university, who are the core stakeholders in the campaign, have been ‘preparing, strategizing, listening’ to decide on the core objectives and themes of the fundraiser, recounted Weinstein.
McGill raised $1.026 billion over the course of 6 years in its first fundraising campaign called Campaign McGill: History in The Making, more than the initial target of $750 million.
Keeping this in mind, McGill set a target of $2 billion working with Grenbach Glier and Associates of Chicago and after feasibility studies to analyse potential ‘donor fatigue’ and volunteer readiness.
The most active and largest donors are expected to be McGill’s alumni, parents and students of the McGill community, Weinstein and Moffat agreed.
McGill is one of Canada’s best-known public research universities, and according to Moffat, close to half of the funds raised will be aimed at “improving students’ access and opportunities.”
McGill plans to allot $600 million to scholarships and bursaries, making tertiary education accessible to more students, especially international students, for whom the fees are significantly higher than those for domestic students, Tabina Mahmood, an undergraduate student, said.
“We should all reinvest in our educational institutions,” Moffat added, highlighting the need for alumni and current students to remain engaged with their colleges.
Abrar Mahir Rakin, a first-year mechanical engineering student, said that investment into research in today’s globalized world, especially one which invites contributions from international students through bursaries and scholarships, will “expand the base of knowledge” or diversify the inputs to research.
“As an international student, the tuition in Canada is very high,” Mahmood added. “A big part of the reason I’m here at McGill is the scholarship I got.”
“Education is something that everyone should have the right to.”
According to Rakin, the campaign will reduce costs for future students because there will be more scholarships available and that will benefit his younger sister, who hopes to join college in a few years.
McGill’s third century begins in 2021 and Made by McGill: the Campaign for Our Third Century is ready to be set in action. The funds raised will benefit both current and future students as tertiary education becomes more affordable.
Feature image courtesy of McGill University.
