In 2010, Peter and Melanie Munk established their bold vision to create a unique, world-leading academic enterprise through a landmark gift to the University of Toronto. In just seven years, the Munk School of Global Affairs has taken great strides to make their vision a reality.

Peter and Melanie Munk are two of Canada’s greatest philanthropists. Their generosity to U of T exceeds $51 million, including a landmark donation in 2010 of $35 million – the largest single gift from an individual in the University’s history at the time – to create the Munk School of Global Affairs.

Peter Munk is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of Barrick Gold Corporation. He was born in Hungary and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1952 (B.A.Sc., Electrical Engineering). Melanie Munk is his partner in many philanthropic initiatives, championing innovation in patient care at the University Health Network’s Peter Munk Cardiac Centre. Together, Peter and Melanie Munk have made significant contributions to support higher education, improve health care and advance public policy.

Mr. Munk has an Honorary Doctor of Laws (1995) from the University of Toronto. He and Melanie Munk were each awarded an Honorary Doctor of Sacred Letters from Trinity College, University of Toronto, in 2004. Peter Munk has received numerous awards, including being named as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993. In 2008, he was promoted to Companion of the Order of Canada. The most prestigious level of the Order, this recognition is given to Canadians who have demonstrated the highest degree of merit to Canada and humanity, on the national or international scene. He has been inducted into The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame and The Canadian Business Hall of Fame, and he was the first Canadian to receive the Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship. Mr. Munk was the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, and in 2016 he was awarded the Commander’s Cross with Star of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary. Also in 2016, Peter and Melanie Munk received the Outstanding Philanthropists Award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Toronto Chapter. In 2017 Mr. Munk was named the Most Important Mining Man in Canadian History by the Canadian Mining Journal, and he was recognized as one of 18 leaders (and the only Canadian) celebrated on the New York Stock Exchange’s inaugural Wall of Innovators. Peter and Melanie Munk live in Toronto.

“The world continues to become more complex and defined by forces beyond the nation state,” Meric Gertler, president of the University of Toronto, said recently. “Peter and Melanie Munk have given Canadians a powerful means to understand and navigate this fluid global reality. In fulfilling Peter and Melanie Munk’s original vision, the Munk School of Global Affairs has become one of the world’s leading contributors to the global conversation on the most important issues of our time.”

Building a space for world-leading research, teaching and public engagement on the global issues that matter most is an ambitious long-term endeavour. The work of the Munk School of Global Affairs would not be possible without the support of visionary philanthropic collaborators.

The gift of insight. This year Ipsos Corp. gave an important trove of data to the Munk School: the original data files from the Ipsos Global Advisor survey from 2008 onward. Valued at $8.2 million, this unique dataset covers public attitudes on current events, country reputations and other topics relevant to Munk School students and faculty, and to the U of T research community at large.

From the Tokyo summit to the Munk School. During a 2016 summit, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau he hoped to foster mutual understanding between Japan and Canada through Canadian universities.

This year a gift of US$5 million from the government of Japan will create a new Chair in Japanese Politics and Global Affairs and launch a Centre for the Study of Global Japan. Housed in the Munk School, this first-in-Canada centre will stimulate research networks and use teaching and public engagement to promote deeper understanding of Japanese politics and diplomacy in Asia and worldwide during a time of dramatic change.

A new innovation project with a long-time partner. The Munk School’s Innovation Policy Lab is proud to launch The Lupina Programme on Social Determinants of Health, Social Innovation and Innovation Studies, enabled by a crucial gift of over $1 million from The Lupina Foundation. This gift and program launch are the latest chapter in a long-standing relationship that has included rich collaboration and over $3.6 million in support from the foundation since 2000, much of it devoted to the Comparative Program on Health and Society, which made vital contributions to the study of the social determinants of health and concluded its work this year.