Don and Marion McDougall donate a further $3 million to UPEI Faculty of Business
The University of Prince Edward Island honoured Dr. Don and Mrs. Marion McDougall at an event today after it was announced they will donate a further $3 million to the Faculty of Business. Immediately following the announcement, Dr. Greg Keefe, Interim President and Vice-Chancellor, revealed that the Faculty will now be known as the “McDougall Faculty of Business.”
“From today forward, the University of Prince Edward Island will proudly be home to the McDougall Faculty of Business,” Dr. Keefe announced to the crowd filling Schurman Market Square, located in the building that also bears the McDougall name. “Don and Marion have been wonderful ambassadors and champions, not only for the Faculty but also for the University as a whole over many years. In particular, Don’s guidance and mentorship to me personally in the last few years has been tremendous. Don and Marion McDougall have helped shape UPEI into the institution it is today.”
The honour recognizes Don and Marion McDougall’s long connection with the Faculty of Business and UPEI. Both native Prince Edward Islanders, Don and Marion McDougall graduated from Saint Dunstan's University (SDU), one of UPEI’s founding institutions, in 1958; continued their education in business and teaching respectively; and became leaders in their community.
Speaking at the event, Dr. McDougall, who received an honorary doctor of laws from UPEI in 1978 and served as Chancellor from 2014–2019, thanked President Keefe and Dr. Tarek Mady, dean of business, for their leadership and saluted the University’s commitment to business education. But he directed most of his remarks to the faculty and students in attendance, offering his advice to those pursuing a career in business.
“Formal business education has never been more important,” said Dr. McDougall. “The demands on business leaders today to deliver quality products and services while respecting the rights of employees, customers, and community requires skilled training by our best and brightest.
“That is why Marion and I are so pleased to continue supporting UPEI so that the Faculty of Business can fulfill its mission of helping students gain the knowledge and skills they need to bridge the gap between education and business-world experience.”
In 2008, to mark the 50th anniversary of their graduation from SDU, the McDougalls provided a $2 million leadership gift to name the building in which the Faculty is housed. Today’s further donation of $3 million and naming announcement will help the Faculty pursue its goal of becoming one of the top business schools in the region and country.
“Today’s historic announcement truly marks a new era for the business programs at UPEI,” said Dr. Mady. “The McDougalls are allowing us to attach their name to our Faculty, which will be transformative in so many ways, and their gift will make a huge difference in the lives of UPEI’s students, supporting scholarships, academic initiatives, infrastructure, and more.
“The McDougall name represents values-based management and decision making. We couldn’t ask for better role models than Don and Marion for our students, or more generous supporters. I’ve always been extremely proud to work at UPEI, and I can now say that I’m even prouder to lead the McDougall Faculty of Business.”
About Don and Marion McDougall
Don McDougall, CM, LLD, was born in 1937, the son of Frank and Patricia (Callaghan) MacDougall of Kinkora. After graduating from Saint Dunstan’s University and teaching high school in Summerside, he attended the University of Western Ontario and graduated with his Master of Business Administration degree in 1961. He spent the next 12 years in managerial positions with the Labatt Brewing Company. He was named President in 1973, a position he held for six years.
After working with Howard Webster of Montreal in the early 1980s, he acquired Novatronics Inc. of Stratford, Ontario, in 1983. Over the next 20 years, he expanded this aerospace company globally and sold it to Curtiss-Wright Inc. in 2003. He has been a director of a number of private and public companies, and continues to be still involved in PEI business ventures such as the Mill River Resort and Eagles Glenn of Cavendish golf course.
In addition to being a well-known name in the Canadian business world, Dr. McDougall has been credited as one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Toronto Blue Jays major league baseball team and was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2002. In 2023, he was appointed to the Order of Canada.
He credits his upbringing on the Island with helping him to get as far in life as he has and believes that coming from a small community helps build character traits that can be advantageous to a young person.
Marion McDougall was born in Little Pond in 1938, the daughter of Henry and Anna (Quinn) MacDonald. After graduating from St. Dunstan's, she taught at Morell High School before moving to London, Ontario, where she taught Grade 5. In 1961, she and Don were married, and for 24 years she worked full-time raising their five children—Brian, Donna, Neil, Colin, and Anne—all of whom have earned an MBA degree.
Marion returned to university in the mid-eighties to complete the required courses for her Ontario teaching certificate and she worked as a part-time teacher until her retirement in 1993.
Dr. and Mrs. McDougall split their time between homes in Florida and Ebbsfleet, PEI.
