Most of the funds headed to student support

By Neale McDevitt

Campaign_HMB_Owen Egan
Photo: Owen Egan

There is no getting around it; the numbers of the recently completed Campaign McGill are impressive. But, as announced in a press conference early Tuesday, the one number that is truly astounding is the Campaign’s bottom line: $1 billion-plus raised to support students, faculty and researchers.

In announcing the final tally, even the people closest to the multi-year campaign seemed surprised by the record-breaking amount.

“Today, I am extremely proud to announce that our Campaign – thanks to our alumni; our students and their families; and our friends from Quebec and around the world – has exceeded all our expectations in a most extraordinary way,” said Campaign McGill Co-Chair Yves Fortier in announcing the total. “I offer my sincere thanks to almost 96,000 donors… who gave so generously to Campaign McGill and allowed us to amass $1,026,000,000.

“Yes, you heard it right, $1,026,000,000.”

Publicly launched with an initial goal of $750 million, the Campaign attracted support from 95,619 donors around the world, the majority of them McGill alumni. The Campaign also attracted unprecedented support from people outside of the University community – more than 10 per cent of the Campaign total came from individuals who are not alumni, parents, students or McGill staff, but who were moved by the cause of McGill to contribute to the Campaign.

Read the full story in the McGill Reporter.

June 19, 2013