Leading by example
Claude Généreux, BEng’85, epitomizes the critical role of volunteers at McGill – energized by the challenges facing the University, supportive of the vision for our third century, and dedicated to the spirit of giving back.
“Giving back to the community is important to me and my family and we believe that we need to encourage people to do more of that,” he says.
Among his many volunteer commitments, Généreux serves as Vice-Chair of the Board of Governors and Co-Chair of Made by McGill: the Campaign for Our Third Century. Crucially, he is also helping McGill foster closer collaboration with key leaders in the corporate sector and building vital support for the University’s future needs.
Claude Généreux
For Généreux and countless volunteers like him, giving back is measured in many ways – whether it’s time devoted to the University or donations that pinpoint worthy student needs and often evoke a personal resonance.
That was the case when Généreux and his wife Myriam Legault, BEd’85, made a $1-million gift to enhance scholarships for varsity athletes, strengthen the men's lacrosse program, and create an award for athletes who demonstrate exceptional community service.
“I had much pride during my brief experience as a varsity athlete and had a chance to relive it decades later through my son [Louis-Charles Généreux, BCom’18] with the lacrosse team,” says Généreux. “This philanthropic notion of supporting a team and trying to encourage others to do more community service is very important to our family.”
Volunteers like Généreux are not an anomaly among McGillians. Hundreds of alumni and friends are serving in volunteer leadership roles, sharing their energy and expertise to help the University move forward.
Connecting through shared identities
McGill’s alumni groups, powered by volunteer organizers, are the lifeblood of our growing community. With 300,000 graduates living in 185 countries, our regional alumni network has never been larger or more engaged, boasting more than 70 groups worldwide.
Shared geographies, however, are not the only McGillian ties that bind. Increasing diversity on campus over time has led to a more diverse alumni population and the growth of new alumni affinity groups, which are formed around shared identities.
Under the umbrella of the McGill Alumni Association (MAA) and in alignment with McGill’s EDI efforts, groups including the McGill Queer Alum Association and the McGill Latino Alumni Society were added to the affinity group network, creating opportunities for graduates and students from those communities to find, support and advocate for each other. A McGill Indigenous Alumni Association is also currently being developed by the MAA in collaboration with Indigenous Initiatives and First Peoples’ House.
Meanwhile, well-established affinity groups like the McGill Women’s Alumnae Association (MWAA) are working on ambitious initiatives. In honour of their 130th anniversary, the MWAA raised $130,000 to establish a new entrance scholarship for female students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that will help address the gender gap in STEM fields.
In addition to support for financial awards, mentorship is a hallmark of alumni engagement – and student success – at McGill. Both the MWAA and the McGill Black Alumni Association launched specialized mentorship programs in 2021, each making more than 100 mentee-mentor matches, connecting undergraduate and graduate students with alumni from around the world.
“It’s really invaluable to be able to have safe spaces, to have people with shared experiences connect and be able to enrich each other,” said MBAA co-founder Sandrine Ntibarigobeka, BA’16, speaking to CBC News about the launch of the mentorship program.