Former Laurier staff member and her family donate $500,000 to the Faculty of Music

Nov. 1, 2021
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Former Laurier staff member Lois Macdonald and her husband Charles have donated $500,000 to the Faculty of Music to establish a student bursary and support the faculty’s highest-priority needs.

The Lois and Charles Macdonald Bursary will support full-time Faculty of Music undergraduate students in years two, three or four and full-time graduate students who meet all academic program requirements and demonstrate financial need.

Lois Macdonald worked for many years as secretary to the dean of the (former) Faculty of Romance and Languages. She is also an accomplished pianist and piano teacher. As a young person, Lois was not able to afford a music education that could have set her on a musical career path. She wants to change that for future students, as well as honouring her time at Laurier as a staff member.

“This award was created from a deep love of music, and a desire that the gift of music be widely shared,” she said. “I want the students of tomorrow to have more opportunity than I did. But the award also recognizes my deep love of Laurier, and how much I enjoyed working in the Department of Romance and Languages.”

“We wanted to find a way to acknowledge how much Laurier has done not just for us, but for so many generations of students,” said Charles. “We hope to help students who, like Lois, may be struggling financially to preserve and pursue their career in music.”

The Macdonalds’ gift will make a big impact in the Faculty of Music, supporting not only students, but high-priority needs, at the dean’s discretion.

“I’m so inspired by Lois and Charles and their gift to the Faculty of Music students,” said Cynthia Johnston Turner, dean of the Faculty of Music. “Meeting them, I learned how deeply they both feel about the transformational power of music and the importance of supporting students who believe in that power. And isn’t that why we do what we do? I share this belief in music and our students. Their gift is not only inspiring but a beautiful legacy and an affirmation of music’s power to unite and enrich us all.”

Read more about the Lois and Charles Macdonald Music Bursary