UO receives second $500M donation from Phil and Penny Knight for research campus

By Web Staff

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    EUGENE, Oregon (KPTV) — The University of Oregon announced Tuesday that it has received a second $500 million donation from Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny Knight.

The new donation will help launch the next phase of the university’s state-of-the-art research campus – the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. Launched in 2016 with the first $500 million gift from the Knights, the campus “embodies a new paradigm for scientific inquiry that accelerates the cycle of translating scientific discoveries into solutions that create societal impact,” according to the university.

“Thanks to the inspiration of our donors, led by the magnificent and record-breaking gifts of Penny and Phil Knight, and the passion of our faculty to make the world a better place, the Knight Campus has forever transformed the University of Oregon and the state of Oregon. The work that will take place at the Knight Campus will improve people’s lives directly through innovative treatments and devices, and indirectly through company formation, jobs and economic development,” said Michael H. Schill, University of Oregon president and professor of law. “This second $500 million gift accelerates our drive to greater heights of excellence, forging partnerships with other great universities, and creating incredible opportunities for students. It further secures our position as a global university, a destination for discovery, a hub of innovation, and a place of progress and answers. At the same time, equity is built into our graduate programs and who we will hire. Words cannot adequately express our gratitude for the Knights’ faith in the University of Oregon, so we will need to demonstrate our thanks through the pace and passion of our work.”

The donation will allow the Knight Campus to shift into phase two of its planning process, which includes a second building for research and innovation. The university says the current plan is for a 175,000-square-foot, multi-story bioengineering and applied science research building to support expanded research programs and facilities. The second building is slated to be built north of the first Knight Campus building, on two acres along Riverfront Research Parkway.

The donation will also support faculty, academic and innovation programming, as well as support operations through an endowment. To learn more about the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, visit accelerate.uoregon.edu.

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