Mark Riczu’s legacy gift: Helping transform sexual diversity studies at U of T

Sep 12, 2025

*Mark Riczu’s philanthropy is transforming students’ lives in the Sexual Diversity Studies program.*

For U of T alum Mark Riczu, the power of philanthropy is that it transforms the lives of recipients each year, and for years to come.

When Riczu, who earned his honours bachelor of science in mathematics as a member of St. Michael’s College, bequested the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, the reason was simple: his foundational years were spent in the 2SLGBTQ+ community at U of T.

Around the same time, in the early 2000s, David Rayside, professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science and the inaugural director of the Bonham Centre, introduced the Sexual Diversity Studies program to the university.

It made a lasting impression on Riczu. “The most formative years of my life were at U of T. Having the support of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, especially in the early days of institutions embracing these issues, was a big part of my coming-out story,” says Riczu. “Education accounts for a big chunk of your life. Donors give because the experience transformed their lives.”

Transforming lives

This is just one example of the transformative power legacy gift giving is having at Arts & Science’s Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, administered by University College.

“Legacy gifts help reshape the university,” says Dana Seitler, director of the Bonham Centre and an English professor. “Students that are part of the Bonham Centre’s Queer and Trans Research Lab (QTRL) go out into the world with a greater knowledge and capacity to do good. Their research impacts the world.”

Bequests fuel groundbreaking work and enable the Faculty of Arts & Science’s QTRL, housed at the Bonham Centre, to attract global talent.

The lab, an interdisciplinary research hub within the centre, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2023 and funds both undergraduate research positions and graduate students.

Opportunities outside the classroom

It’s not just bequests that have a meaningful impact: all philanthropy makes a difference. Seitler explains that donations fund one or two undergraduate research assistant positions each year, giving students the chance to engage in experiential learning and gain invaluable opportunities outside the classroom, especially for those pursuing degrees in sexual diversity studies.

Spaces like the QTLR are vital for fostering dialogue that extends beyond the lecture hall.

“Every year we bring in at least 10 undergraduate students from the Sexual Diversity Studies major and we embed them in the lab,” says Seitler. “It’s a huge enterprise. These are paid research assistantships. Students are embedded in both traditional research projects and community-based research projects. They become part of these experiential-learning models and leave the university with those skill sets. That entire operation happens because of things like legacy gifts.”

This ongoing funding supports the growth of complex, interdisciplinary projects, like a South African scholar writing a book on sexually diverse communities living under apartheid, or an artist-in-residence breathing life into the story of a queer Trinidadian musician and activist.

Riczu, in addition to his planned gift, continues to support the centre annually in the form of an award. In 2011, Riczu received an Arbor Award, recognizing alumni and friends whose loyalty, dedication and generosity have added immeasurably to the quality of the U of T experience. He was honoured, along with a group of peers, for his efforts to create safe, inclusive spaces for LGBTQ+ students and for establishing the LGBTOUT student activism award, which celebrates students committed to social change and advocacy.

A lasting legacy

The LGBTOUT award is given to two students each academic year. Since its inception in 2006, the award has supported 51 students and provided over $43,000 in funding to students in sexual diversity studies.

“I think a lot about what the legacy of my life and my work will be,” says Riczu. “Whatever we can do to make the world a better place is the kind of legacy I want to leave with institutions or programs that matter to me.”

By Adam Segal