Marc Bieler, a well-known businessman with 35 years in the cranberry industry in Quebec, is donating $15 million to his alma mater, McGill University, in order to strengthen teaching capacities, research and experiential learning from the McGill School of the Environment.
The institution says that this philanthropic investment will allow the school to acquire resources to tackle critical environmental and social issues.
In recognition, McGill announced Wednesday that the school has been renamed the Bieler School of Environment.
Suzanne Fortier, principal of McGill University, said that environmental sustainability is one of the greatest challenges of our time. She said the donation will help the Bieler School of Environment be able to transform new knowledge into solutions that will have real and lasting effects on our planet for generations to come.
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Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette also congratulated Bieler on behalf of the provincial government for his achievements and commitment to research at the university.
The $15-million donation is the largest ever made by a McGill Macdonald Campus graduate. It includes an initial cash investment followed by a commitment of contributions from him and his estate for the next 25 years.
McGill reports that Bieler has given money to the university every year since 1964, including $1 million in 2009 to create the Bieler Family Internship Program within the agricultural faculty.