Receiving an acceptance to McGill can be a thrilling moment in a young person’s life. However, for many would-be McGillians – particularly those from Canada’s four western provinces – the anticipation of studying at Canada’s top-ranked university is often accompanied by a worrisome question: can they afford to attend McGill?
Leaving home and traveling across the country to attend university is a daunting financial undertaking for students and their families. In addition to the tuition fees, the costs for accommodation, food and travel to and from home all add up. In many cases, students must find a part-time job to make ends meet.
“Moving from Regina to Montreal to attend McGill came with some apprehension and perhaps none more notable than how I was going to fund my education,” says Victoria Gagné, BCom’18.
For the past 13 years, the Best in the West awards program has helped students like Gagné (pictured) and more than 330 others from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and more recently Manitoba, realize their dream of attending McGill.
“Being awarded a Best in the West scholarship instilled a confidence that confirmed, within me, somebody else’s belief in me. The scholarship was an investment in me as an individual and as a Métis student,” says Gagné. After graduating from McGill, she returned to Regina, where she currently works for the Clarence Campeau Development Fund and serves on the city’s downtown business improvement district board.
Volunteer-driven western support
The Best in the West awards program is the brainchild of Drs. Richard Walls, PhD’78, DSc’13, and Carolina J. Walls, BSc’85, DSc’13, longtime supporters, volunteers and McGill ambassadors in Western Canada. In 2008, their endowed $1-million gift created the Dr. Richard and Carolina J. Walls Best in the West Scholarships in Science and the Best in the West Scholarship in Earth and Planetary Sciences.
“Richard and I are both immigrants – he is from the United States and I was born in Chile – and this has given us an appreciation for the enriching exchange of ideas and cultures that comes with living in different places,” says Carolina Walls. “By giving bright young people from Western Canada an opportunity to experience Montreal and Quebec, at one of the world’s best universities, the Best in the West program allows recipients to broaden their perspectives and interact with people from across Canada and around the globe.”
Once students graduate, they frequently bring that experience and perspective back to their communities, as one of the longer-term goals of the visionary program is to strengthen and sustain the connections between west and east.
The program that the Walls launched has continued to grow, thanks to the commitment and generosity of other McGill alumni and friends. To date, 112 donors have contributed nearly $3.2 million to create 17 Best in the West scholarships and bursaries. In addition, more than 100 donors have supported the program through The McGill Fund – the University’s annual giving program.
With some 2,000 students from Western Canada applying to McGill each year, the need for financial support remains great. This has motivated McGill’s Western Canada Regional Advisory Board to launch a new campaign this fall. Its goal: to raise an additional $2 million for the Best in the West program, in order to create 20 new awards. There are also plans to provide the program’s students and graduates with enhanced access to leadership, mentorship, networking and professional development opportunities.
“So much in my life has been impacted by my decision to leave B.C. and come to Montreal to study at McGill,” says Vancouver-based Duncan Reid, BA’00, BCL/LLB’03, who co-chairs the Western Canada Regional Advisory Board alongside Robert Ritchie, BSc’67, of Calgary. Both have established new Best in the West awards.
“My McGill degree opened up exciting professional opportunities in New York and London,” says Reid. “It was also where I met my wife, and where I forged some of my closest friendships. I want others in Western Canada to have the life-changing experience of studying at McGill that I had. That’s why I have decided to fund an award.”
“McGill thanks all those who have enabled the Best in the West program to foster a dynamic Pan-Canadian exchange of ideas and cultures,” says Ritchie. “However, the need remains great, and philanthropic gifts from new donors will expand the number of opportunities for outstanding students from Western Canada.”
Historic western connections
McGill’s ties to Western Canada stretch back more than 100 years. In fact, McGill played an instrumental role in establishing higher education in British Columbia and Alberta. Through its affiliation with McGill, Victoria College, which eventually became the University of Victoria, offered McGill courses from 1903 to 1915. In Vancouver, McGill University College of British Columbia offered arts and applied sciences courses between 1906 and 1915, when the University of British Columbia took over and opened its doors.
Henry Marshall Tory, a McGill professor who was involved in establishing McGill University College, also left his mark on higher education in Alberta. In 1908, he co-founded the University of Alberta with Alexander Rutherford, a fellow McGill graduate, who was the province’s first premier. Tory served as the University of Alberta’s first president – a position he held for 20 years.
And Alexander Morris, the first person to receive an Arts degree from McGill, wound up playing a prominent role in establishing many of Manitoba’s earliest political and educational institutions, including the founding of the University of Manitoba in 1877.
Over the decades, McGill’s connection to Western Canada has endured through its people – faculty and staff, students and alumni. Among staff, renowned geologist and McGill professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Eric Mountjoy led the way in the exploration and geological mapping of the southern Canadian Rockies.
Accomplished McGill graduates from Western Canada include former freestyle skier and Olympic gold and silver medalist, Jennifer Heil, BCom’13, of Spruce Grove, Alberta; Vancouver-born Dr. Santa Ono, PhD’91, president of the University of British Columbia; Justice Sheilah Martin, BCL/LLB’81, a Calgarian originally from Montreal, who now serves on the Supreme Court of Canada; and Vancouver-based Montreal native Darren Entwistle, MBA’88, LLD’13, president and CEO of Telus.
The sheer number of Western Canadian students at McGill is a testament to the continued strength of McGill’s bond with Western Canada. Though every recipient of a Best in the West award has a unique story, they share something in common: they travelled far from their homes to further their educations at McGill during an important time of transition in their lives.
“The scholarship alleviated much of my financial stress and allowed me to focus on adjusting to a new province, engaging in my studies, and gaining the most from my experiences at McGill,” says Edward Dashwood, MBA’16, of Calgary. “As a recipient of a Best in the West scholarship I felt proud to represent Western Canada in an MBA program filled with students of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.”
Stay tuned for more updates from McGill this fall, as we officially launch the new Best in the West campaign. In the meantime, you can support the campaign today through your next gift to McGill using the giving link below.