Phil Knight Gifts University of Oregon $1B for Engineering College
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Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny donated $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish an engineering college in Eugene. The gift is the largest ever to a comprehensive public university, according to UO. The college will expand Oregon's engineering offerings from minors and graduate programs to a full undergraduate program.
Key Facts
- The $1 billion gift from Phil and Penny Knight is the largest ever given to a comprehensive public university, according to the University of Oregon.
- The new engineering college will be located on the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, created by two earlier $500 million gifts in 2016 and 2021.
- The gift brings the Knights' total commitment to the Knight Campus to more than $2 billion.
- The new college will allow Oregon, which currently offers only engineering minors and graduate programs, to build a full undergraduate engineering program.
- University of Oregon President Karl Scholz called the gift 'an endorsement of what higher education delivers.'
The Gift
The University of Oregon announced Wednesday that Phil Knight, a 1959 graduate, and his wife Penny committed $1 billion to establish an engineering college in Eugene. The New York Times reported the gift was unexpected, surfacing from an unscheduled call. The college will be named in honor of the Knights, like other Oregon campus facilities. Phil Knight said in a statement that making 'an audacious dream a reality' requires the opportunity that American universities have historically provided.
Knight Campus Expansion
The new engineering college will be located on the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. The campus was created by two previous $500 million contributions from the Knights, one in 2016 and the other in 2021. Those earlier gifts inspired additional support from the state, industry partners, foundations, and other donors, according to the university. The new gift brings the couple's total commitment to the Knight Campus to more than $2 billion.
Engineering Program Development
Oregon currently offers only engineering minors and graduate programs, and the new gift will allow the university to build a full undergraduate engineering program. Officials told The New York Times the process will take about a decade. Bob Guldberg, a UO vice president and bioengineering professor, told the paper the program could help ease the state's shortage of engineers. University of Oregon President Karl Scholz said the Knights have a long history of believing in things before they exist, citing their 2016 gift and the current one at a scale 'genuinely hard to take in.'
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