Gustavson School of Business grieves the passing of businessman and philanthropist Sardul S. Gill
Victoria, BC (December 13, 2021) - The Peter B. Gustavson School of Business and Sardul S. Gill Graduate School are deeply saddened by the passing of Sardul Gill on Thursday, November 25th.
In 2011, Gill made a transformational gift of $5 million to the faculty of business, establishing a permanent endowment that disburses funds for scholarships, teaching and research. This important support built the foundation for the graduate school to thrive, grow and become a leader in international, innovative management education.
In recognition of the impact of this gift, the Sardul S. Gill Graduate School was named in his honour.
“Mr. Gill’s incredible generosity and commitment to education continue to be felt in all that we accomplish in our graduate school,” says the business dean, Saul Klein. “Over the years we have added new programs, such as our Master in Management, solidified existing programs such as the Master in Global Business and PhD, and reimagined our MBA to focus on sustainable innovation. The successes of our students and the recognition gained by our teaching and research at the graduate level have been advanced in significant ways by Mr. Gill’s support. The impact of his gift will continue to be felt by future generations of graduate students at the school.”
Made in honour of his parents, who immigrated to Canada from Punjab, India and were staunch believers in the value of education, Gill’s gift saluted the institution where he began his own post-secondary education journey.
Gill’s contribution marked a number of milestones at UVic: the first gift of its size to a UVic graduate school and the largest gift from an alumnus to the university. The naming of the Sardul S. Gill Graduate School was also the first time in Canada that such an institution had been named after a philanthropist of Sikh Indian descent.
Gill, who attended UVic’s predecessor Victoria College (Class of ’53), was the former president and secretary of Gill-AM Investments Ltd, a Victoria-based real-estate holding company. He was born in Victoria in 1931, graduated from Victoria High School and attended Victoria College before completing his commerce degree at UBC.