In a hugely successful fundraising campaign – conducted entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic – McGill’s community of alumnae came together to establish an endowed entrance scholarship for a female undergraduate student entering one of the University’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) programs.
The ambitious undertaking was conceived and conducted by the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association (MWAA) to mark its 130th anniversary, exceeding its goal of $130,000 and bringing in nearly 500 gifts from individuals and corporations. A fundraising highlight came toward the end of the campaign when a major gift from an anonymous donor – herself the past recipient of a MWAA-funded scholarship – took the campaign across the finish line.
“We are thrilled with the impact this new scholarship will have on McGill’s current and future female students,” says Anelia Wright, BSc(P&OT)’58, who co-chaired the campaign with Susan Czarnocki, MA’89. “Since its creation, the MWAA has championed and supported McGill’s female students. Thanks to the generosity of today’s community, this tradition will continue for many years to come.”
The campaign brought together an enthusiastic team of women who, while new to fundraising, hit the ground running – making calls, preparing brochures and proposals, and reaching out to individuals as well as to corporations in the STEM fields. “It was a real team effort,” says Wright. “Our collective enthusiasm and commitment energized us, and together we all shared in the campaign’s success.”
The MWAA has a long and proud tradition of supporting McGill’s students. Its members organize the annual Muriel V. Roscoe lecture and a Come and Be Inspired lecture series. They also sponsor workshops that offer practical advice on careers, financial planning and other issues, and recently launched a mentorship initiative that allows established alumnae to guide and inspire fellow alumnae in their professional ambitions.
But the Association’s longstanding impact has been in the area of student support. In 1932 the Association established a scholarship committee and an endowment fund to support scholarships, fellowships, prizes and bursaries. “The first award was given out in 1935 and today we annually provide some $60,000 to support 30 female students. To date, more than 2,000 MWAA scholarships have been awarded,” says Czarnocki.
The newly created MWAA 130th Anniversary Scholarship will be awarded to a female undergraduate student entering any STEM program. “In keeping with the MWAA’s commitment to remedy underrepresentation at McGill, preference will be given to women facing systemic barriers, such as visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, those with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientation or minority gender identity, refugees, and those experiencing financial difficulty,” says Czarnocki.
Advocating for women
While women now earn a majority of all undergraduate and advanced degrees, a disproportionately low number receive degrees in STEM fields of study. The last Canadian census revealed that only 15.3 per cent of women with bachelor’s degrees had graduated in one of these disciplines. This situation is alarming, since careers in science and technology – particularly in engineering and computer science – are considered the professions of the future, driving innovation, social wellbeing, inclusive growth and sustainable development. As recently as 2019, less than 18 per cent of newly licensed engineers were women, according to Engineers Canada.
Although McGill University was established in 1821, it was not until 1884 that the first women were admitted. The impetus for this change came from Donald A. Smith – later Lord Strathcona – who made a landmark donation to McGill with the proviso that education for women would be the same as for men. In honour of Smith, McGill’s first class of eight female students were known as the “Donaldas”.
Carrying on the legacy of these trailblazing women, the MWAA has continued to be a force for change and equality. Its members have fought for equal rights on campus and across Canada. They battled alongside women in the province of Quebec for the right to vote and lobbied to end the men-only membership on McGill’s Board of Governors in 1970.
The presence of women in McGill’s senior administrative roles is even more recent. It has been less than three decades since McGill named its first female chancellor (the late Gretta Chambers, BA'47, DLitt'01), and the University’s first female principal (Heather Munroe-Blum, DSc'17) was appointed just 20 years ago.
According to Wright, these relatively recent milestones are a reminder that the MWAA’s mission remains important. “Supporting McGill’s female students and encouraging them take on leadership roles is still relevant today.”