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Since its launch in 2017, McGill鈥檚 Max Bell School of Public Policy has become an influential voice in shaping public conversations and in training the next generation of policy experts.

In addition to a unique master鈥檚 program that attracts students from around the globe, the School鈥檚 faculty inform public debate on some of the thorniest issues of our time, from online mis- and disinformation to homelessness, trade policy, sustainability and peace and security.

Now, the School is poised to accomplish even more, thanks to a $12-million donation from the Max Bell Foundation. The extraordinary gift builds on the Foundation鈥檚 longstanding support of McGill over the decades 鈥� notably, its visionary gift in 2017 to establish the University鈥檚 public policy school.

The Foundation is also making a $3-million gift to McGill鈥檚 School of Population and Global Health.

鈥淲e are deeply grateful to the Max Bell Foundation for its tremendous ongoing support,鈥� says Professor Jennifer Welsh, an international affairs expert and former UN official who took over as the School鈥檚 director in January 2025. 鈥淭his new gift will help us attain our ambitious goals over the next decade and beyond in teaching, research, practical advocacy of sound public policy and public outreach.鈥�

The Calgary-based organization was founded by McGill graduate George Maxwell 鈥楳ax鈥� Bell, BCom鈥�32, a Canadian visionary and business leader, who stipulated in his will that 30 per cent of all the Foundation鈥檚 gifts should go to his alma mater. 聽

Engaging with policymakers and the public

Under the leadership of inaugural director Professor Christopher Ragan, the Max Bell School actively engaged the public in its activities, hosting conferences, lectures and workshops on important policy issues such as Arctic security and Canada-U.S. relations with China.听

It also attracted a stellar roster of full-time faculty and visiting professors, including Taylor Owen, the founding director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, who has聽, and Welsh herself, who is one of the world鈥檚 most prominent thinkers on the history and practice of humanitarian intervention.

Powered by the Foundation鈥檚 latest gift, Welsh aims to expand the School鈥檚 capacity for policy-engaged research. She says the established model in public policy, where academics conduct research and then disseminate it, is outdated.

鈥淣ow, we need to be doing joint knowledge production with policymakers, jointly identifying the issues, collaborating along the way, thinking about how the research can really speak to current preoccupations,鈥� Welsh says.

The School will also play a significant role in McGill鈥檚 New Vic Project, the University鈥檚 ambitious plan to convert a portion of the former site of the Royal Victoria Hospital into the largest sustainability and public policy research facility of its kind in the world.

鈥淚t is enormously exciting to think that we're going to be bringing these units together,鈥� says Welsh. 鈥淲e've had a lot to do to stand the School up. But we can be more connected to the University. And I think the New Vic will help significantly with that.鈥�

She also wants to see Max Bell School increasingly bring people together from various spheres for compelling policy conversations.听

鈥淲e've put a toe in the water in terms of our convening power, but there's a lot more to do,鈥� Welsh says. 鈥淚 think we can become聽the聽space where policymakers would like to come from different sectors to talk about thorny issues.鈥�

A public policy program that stands out from the pack

Among the Max Bell School鈥檚 greatest accomplishments to date is its Master of Public Policy (MPP), an intensive 11-month program that welcomed its first cohort in 2019 and already counts more than 175 graduates.

Practitioners from the policy world play an active role in the program, delving into real-world policy events and challenges. Brenda Eaton, Chair of the Max Bell Foundation, gives that approach a big thumbs-up.

鈥淚 think students come out with that mix of, how do you approach an issue with rigour? How do you look across the spectrum at public policy issues and solutions? But then also, how do you influence decision-makers? And how do you make sure that your public policy proposals, solutions and ideas are actually feasible and practical? It鈥檚 melding the academic work, the course work, with real-life examples,鈥� says Eaton, who is also a member of the School鈥檚 advisory board.

鈥淭he program is working,鈥� says Ragan, who was the main architect of the MPP during his term. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all getting jobs.鈥� Data suggests 80 per cent of students from the first five MPP cohorts secured a job before completing their degree, with the remaining 20 per cent landing positions within a few months of graduation.

鈥淚鈥檝e told people that my year at Max Bell was life-changing, and I truly mean it,鈥� says Vivian Allison, BEd鈥�21, MPP鈥�23, who has since parlayed her studies into a job as an energy policy analyst with the Government of Alberta.

鈥淚 literally felt like my mind was broken open and I was exposed to so many complex issues and different perspectives,鈥� says Allison. 鈥淚 truly think that it made me a better person in that I became more informed, more critical, way more engaged in different areas that I never thought I鈥檇 be interested in. I loved how hard the program worked me.鈥�

This article originally posted on .

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