Strength to Strength Campaign Report

The Margaret MacMillan Trinity One Program

In the spring of 2008, the Trinity One program for first-year students had been up and running for three years.

It was already paying dividends for some exceptional young people, but its future was far from secure.

Championed by former Provost Margaret MacMillan, Trinity One is open to a select group of first-year students enrolled in International Relations or Ethics. Participants get a rich introduction to their undergraduate years through small classes and seminars that have been taught by some of the university’s most distinguished professors, as well as co-curricular events and guest speakers. And while MacMillan felt the program was “terribly exciting,” she also acknowledged that “we were operating it on a shoestring.”

Enter Peter Munk, one of Canada’s most successful businessmen and a generous benefactor of both the College and the University of Toronto. In front of 100 guests at a dinner for the departing Provost, Munk stunned everybody by announcing that he and his wife, Melanie, would fund Trinity One to the tune of $1 million.

Trinity One attracts top students nationwide and provides them with a remarkable educational experience. At the time, Munk told Trinity magazine, “I have always done business globally. And I believe it is important for Canadian students to have a more global, international view.”

At Munk’s request, this select first-year course of study was renamed the Margaret MacMillan Trinity One program. “My admiration for Margaret MacMillan is infinite,” Munk said. “She is my favourite Canadian. For me, Margaret MacMillan symbolizes Trinity.”