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e ensuing decades. With the arrival of the charismatic and world-renowned
geologist, Sir William Dawson, Principal from 1855-1893, McGill grew in both
size and prestige. Under his leadership, the great benefactors of the day Lord
Strathcona, Sir William Macdonald, William Molson and Peter Redpath supported a
major expansion of campus, which included the construction of more than ten new
buildings. In 1885, the name McGill University was formally adopted by the
college's Board of Governors.
A Tradition of Innovation
With
investment came innovation and progress. Lord Strathcona established a special
fund for the education of women which led to the admission of McGill's first
female students in 1884. One graduate, Carrie Derick, BA1890, was the first
woman to become a professor in Canada, teaching botany at McGill. Large gifts
from Sir William Macdonald around the turn of the century allowed McGill to add
a second campus in Ste Anne de Bellevue and attract professors such as Ernest
Rutherford, whose Nobel Prize-winning research on the nature of the
radioactivity began a long tradition of McGill innovation, which has included
the invention of the world's first artificial cell and
Plexiglas.
Rapid Growth
McGill's reputation for excellence
continued to grow as the post-war years dramatically transformed the University.
The influx of returning soldiers, and then the Baby Boom generation tripled
McGill's enrolment. The shift from a purely private institution to a publicly
funded one opened its doors to more students. At the same time, the campus grew,
with modern concrete and glass structures springing up alongside McGill's older
stone buildings.
McGill Today
Today McGill University is
recognized as one of Canada's top research-intensive universities. In 2003,
Heather Munroe-Blum became McGill's 16th Principal. Under her leadership, McGill
has solidified its reputation as one of the top universities in the world,
excelling in the quality of its research, education and service to the
community. |
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