EACH FALL, I watch the throngs of students energize our campuses. And each fall, I stop to marvel at how all this started, so many years ago, when a mere handful of students gathered on James McGill’s former estate. That very first day of classes can seem far removed from the dynamic, world renowned university that McGill is today. But, as McGill celebrates its 190th anniversary, it becomes especially clear just how much our past shapes our present.
When James McGill left Scotland to build a new life on the edge of the Quebec wilderness, he came equipped with his University of Glasgow education. He brought with him the values of the Scottish Enlightenment: an openness to different views, a commitment to hard work, and a belief that knowledge betters the world. Communicating in French, English and some aboriginal languages, McGill flourished where others floundered. His values not only led to the creation of McGill University, but continue to profoundly shape us today. Like the city of Montreal itself, we thrive on diversity. Our students and faculty come to McGill from more than 150 countries, enlivening our campuses with multilingual, multicultural vitality. We’re dedicated to bringing together people from a wealth of backgrounds, who use the meaningful exchange of beliefs and experiences as a pathway to creation and discovery.
James McGill dedicated himself to bettering his adopted homeland— by spearheading grassroots community projects, by serving for many years as an elected member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada—and community engagement remains a crucial part of the McGill University identity. The students, faculty and staff of McGill today continue our founder’s engagement with local communities, as well as communities that stretch across Canada, and the world. Research, scholarship, learning: All we do aims to serve society.
Just as James McGill himself did, people come to Montreal with ambition and optimism. They come, from all over the world, to embrace potential where others balk at obstacles. I invite you to join them. Bring your dreams to McGill. Come stroll our downtown campus, set against the same mountain slope that inspired James McGill so many years ago. Find inspiration in the green riverside oasis that is our Macdonald campus. Come dream your future, then turn those dreams into reality.
Welcome to McGill.
Heather Munroe-Blum,
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
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