Development and Alumni Relations
A breakdown of functions performed at McGill's new Martlet House
Ever wonder what goes on at 1430 Peel St., the newly christened Martlet House and the former Seagram Company's castle-like office? Read on for a complete breakdown of the many functions performed by McGill's Development and Alumni Relations (DAR):
Fundraising
DAR staff is involved in a variety of fundraising activities. Working with deans from the various McGill faculties, DAR staff identify major McGill projects that require special funding and support McGill administrators and faculty in their efforts to seek out large one-time gifts that can make these projects a reality. Recent examples include the Lorne Trottier Building, a new structure designed to offer state-of-the-art teaching facilities for programs in computer engineering, computer science, software engineering, telecommunications and microelectronics. Construction of the building was largely made possible thanks to a $10-million gift from Matrox Graphics president and McGill alumnus Lorne Trottier. Another DAR hallmark includes the Francesco Bellini Life Sciences Building, which will house many of McGill's top researchers in science and medicine and will soon become the largest research complex of its kind in Eastern Canada. Construction of the Bellini Building will be made possible through a $10-million donation from BioChem Pharma co-founder Francesco Bellini. Overall private support for McGill in 2002-2003 amounted to $50,127,107. There were 34,817 gifts made to McGill and $11,763,929 was donated to the University by its alumni.
Alumni Association branches
The Alumni Association works with almost 100 branches throughout the world to ensure that McGill graduates, wherever they reside, can get together with fellow alumni. There are Alumni Association branches across North America, as well as in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe and New Zealand.
McGill Homecoming
Each fall since the 1920s, McGill invites its graduates to "come home" and visit Montreal and their alma mater. McGill's Homecoming annually attracts thousands to the downtown and Macdonald campuses to take part in a range of events, including the Sports Hall of Fame Luncheon, where McGill sports heroes from yesteryear are honoured, and Lunch et Livres, where McGill authors discuss their recent books.
The Stephen Leacock Luncheons
Stephen Leacock was a widely respected economics and political science professor at McGill, but he is best known for the books of satirical humour he produced, including the classic Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. Soon to mark its 35th anniversary, the Leacock Luncheon celebrates his wit and annually attracts over 800 guests during McGill Homecoming. The event now also takes place in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Recent Leacock Lecturers have included award-winning author Will Ferguson (Happiness and Why I Hate Canadians), former Ontario premier Bob Rae, and former Reform Party leader Preston Manning.
McGill News Alumni Quarterly
First published in 1919, the McGill News Alumni Quarterly is one of Canada's oldest and most respected alumni magazines. The publication, produced by the Alumni Association, has won six awards from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) in the past four years for writing and overall excellence. Recent issues have included interviews with such noteworthy McGill graduates as architects Arthur Erickson, Raymond Moriyama and Moshe Safdie and Emmy Award-winning TV producer Virginia Carter, as well as stories about McGill research in such fields as nanotechnology and paleontology.
Sponsoring student successes
The Alumni Association helps fund and organize one-of-a-kind or especially ambitious undertakings by McGill students. The association has sponsored the McGill Rowing Club (a group that has produced several Olympians) and the University's award-winning solar race car team. The association sponsored a spectacularly successful tour of Europe in 1992 by the McGill Jazz Ensemble. The student band played at the Cork International Jazz Festival and performed on the popular Irish late TV program "The Late, Late Show" to an audience of three million. Many of Canada's top jazz performers today, including singer Denzel Sinclaire and saxophonist Christine Jensen, were part of that tour.
The McGill Mentor Program
The Mentor Program offers McGill students access to the insights of McGill alumni who are busy building the kinds of careers that today's students want to explore for themselves. Mentors are professionals from every line of work, including physicians, engineers, lawyers, businesspeople and academics. They have one thing in common – a willingness to share their experiences with McGill students in the market for some good career advice. The McGill Mentor Program is a joint project between the Alumni Association, Career and Placement Services, and the Student Organization for Alumni Relations (SOAR).
Public programs
DAR works with faculty and volunteers in organizing various lectures and events for graduates and other members of the public. One recent example is the McGill Mini-Med School, awarded the CCAE's Gold Award for "Best Community Outreach Program by a Canadian University." This lecture series features some of the Faculty of Medicine's top medical professors explaining their areas of expertise in layman's terms to the general public. McGill was the first Canadian university to adopt the program and several other Canadian universities now offer similar programs in the wake of McGill's success.
Travel program
One of the most popular services offered by the Alumni Association is the McGill Alumni Travel Program, which encourages "lifetime learning" through travel. Trips include tours in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia.
Alumnilife
A password-protected website offering McGill graduates a variety of services, including email for life, e-postcards, a method for safely making gifts to McGill online, and access to personal updates and contact information made available by fellow graduates.
