What Can You Do With $500-million?

(Photos: Owen Egan)

We are very proud to announce that – thanks to the contributions of more than 70,000 donors around the world – Campaign McGill has surpassed $500-million, only two years into its public phase.

Some time ago, when we were planning the Campaign’s launch, the idea of reaching $500-million seemed an almost impossible task. But we made the decision to count on our McGill family, and so we chose the even more ambitious target of $750- million – the largest starting goal of any fundraising drive in Canadian university history.

Clearly, it was the right decision. In true McGill style, we are excelling. Even during a time of global economic uncertainty, we have already surpassed what we originally thought might be impossible. And there are other markers of this remarkable support from the McGill community: the Annual Fund recently surpassed $9-million in cash gifts for the first time ever.

So, what can you do with half-a-billion? This issue of Making History gives you a sense of the enormous range of people and programs that have been impacted by your gifts. Since gifts of all sizes count toward Campaign McGill, each and every donation is making a powerful difference to our students, researchers and faculty, today and into the future.

While $500-million is a staggering amount of money, it is nonetheless only one more step in our long-term efforts to ensure McGill remains a trailblazer on the world scene. We must continue to push forward in support of Campaign McGill’s vision: attract and retain the world’s best students and faculty, increase access to quality education, and enhance McGill’s ability to address critical global challenges.

As always, our sincere gratitude for your continuing support. Thank you for leading the way.

The Campaign Co-Chairs:

L.Yves Fortier, CC, OQ, QC, BCL’58,LLD’05

Eugene C. McBurney, LLB’77

The Hon. Michael A. Meighen, QC, BA’60