Campaign McGill surges forward with new $4.1-million gift
Mining executive supports young talent in Earth and
Planetary Sciences
Ď㽶ĘÓƵ is delighted to announce a new donation of $4.1
million in support of outstanding students and junior faculty
members in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the
Faculty of Science. The generous gift builds on the success of
Campaign McGill, which recently surpassed the $500-million mark on
the way to its $750-million goal.
Robert Wares, BSc’79, and Osisko Mining Corporation have each
donated an equal amount of Osisko shares to create a $4.1-million
endowment in support of the next generation of Canadian geologists.
A portion of the gift will be matched by the McConnell Challenge
Fund, created in 2008 by the J.W. McConnell Family
Foundation.
“It’s time to inject some money into replenishing the geological
profession,” said Wares, who founded Osisko Mining Corporation in
1998 and is currently its executive vice-president and chief
operating officer. Osisko is currently developing the Canadian
Malartic gold project in northern Quebec, slated to become Quebec’s
biggest gold mine
“During the last mineral exploration boom, we had a hard time
finding geologists,” explained Wares, who is also president of the
Ordre des géologues du Québec, the professional body that controls
the practice of geology in the province. “Earth sciences
departments across the country have been chronically underfunded
for the last 15 years, some departments have even closed, and this
has seriously hindered student enrollment. I’m interested in
backing dynamic young talent and encouraging students to enroll in
earth sciences. New mineral discoveries and future of the mining
industry depend on a steady supply of qualified geologists, and
industry leaders in this country need to get more involved.”
The gift will fund these four areas in McGill’s Department of Earth
and Planetary Sciences:
-Â Â Â The Robert Wares and the Osisko Faculty
Scholars in Economic Geology, two new tenure-track positions to
attract and retain top junior faculty.
-Â Â Â Fellowships to support outstanding graduate
students in the department.
-Â Â Â Scholarships for promising undergraduates who
have completed at least one year of the BSc program in the
department.
-Â Â Â The Dawson Field Study Support Fund, a new fund
named after geologist Sir John William Dawson, principal of McGill
from 1855 to1893.
“We are tremendously grateful for Bob’s leadership,” said Prof.
John Stix, chair of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.
“This generous gift will help us to attract and retain the very
best junior faculty members, as well as the top students from
around the world. To receive this kind of visionary support from an
industry executive is truly gratifying.”
Through the McConnell Challenge Fund, McGill will be able to match
the donation amounts for the fellowship, scholarship and field
study portions of the gift – further increasing the impact of the
gift by $1 million.
“Our sincere thanks go to Bob Wares for stepping up to the plate
personally with an incredible gift in support of his alma mater,
and also for enlisting the support of his board to back the
training needs of future geologists,” said Marc Weinstein,
Vice-Principal (Development and Alumni Relations). “As well, I’d
like to express once again our deep gratitude to The J.W. McConnell
Family Foundation for the establishment of this challenge fund,
which continues their eight-decade legacy of supporting the student
experience at McGill.”
Campaign McGill was publicly launched in October 2007 to raise the
funds needed to attract and retain the world’s best students and
faculty, increase access to quality education and enhance McGill’s
ability to address critical global challenges.
Earth and planetary sciences is an interdisciplinary field of study
which applies physics, chemistry, mathematics and biology to
understand the past, present and future evolution of the Earth and
its neighbouring planets.
For more information on Campaign McGill, please visit /campaign/.
For more information on McGill’s Department of Earth and Planetary
Sciences, please visit .