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    University of Oregon

    University of Oregon is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. In September 2026 it received a $1 billion commitment from Phil and Penny Knight to establish a college of engineering, described as the largest gift ever given to a comprehensive public university. The gift builds on the Knights' earlier support for the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact.

    uoregon.edu
    President
    John Karl Scholz
    Major gifts tracked
    $1 billion

    Leadership

    John Karl Scholz, President. John Karl Scholz is an American economist who has been the 19th president of the University of Oregon since 2023.

    Major gifts to University of Oregon

    DonorAmount
    Phil and Penny KnightRead the story$1 billion

    Key facts

    Knight engineering gift (2026)
    $1 billion committed to establish a college of engineering, the largest gift ever given to a comprehensive public universitysource
    Research expenditures
    $267 million annuallysource
    Knight Campus scale
    17 research laboratories engaging more than 500 students and trainees each year since 2016source
    Prior Knight commitments
    $500 million in 2016 and $500 million in 2021 that created and expanded the Knight Campussource

    WYDE coverage of University of Oregon

    WYDE Newsroom has published 3 articles about University of Oregon, from Sep 23, 2026 to Sep 30, 2026. University of Oregon is a recipient in 3 stories. The most recent is Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon a Record $3 Billion, the Largest US University Gift.

    Philanthropy

    Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon a Record $3 Billion, the Largest US University Gift

    Citadel founder Ken Griffin's $3 billion Carnegie Mellon donation, the largest higher education gift in US history, funds a new Miami campus and computer science in Pittsburgh.

    Sep 30, 2026 · 2 min read · Recipient

    WYDE Weekly

    States Just Took On SNAP's Bill, Fraud Topped $900 Million in a Week, and Philanthropy Wrote $1.2 Billion in Checks. Over 71,800 Meals.

    WYDE Weekly: the SNAP cost shift hits states October 1, Fast Lab's $500 million COVID fraud plea, Bitget's $387.5 million hack, the Fed's first stablecoin rules, and Phil and Penny Knight's $1 billion gift to Oregon.

    Sep 26, 2026 · 7 min read · Recipient

    Philanthropy

    Phil and Penny Knight Commit $1 Billion to Create an Engineering College at the University of Oregon

    The Nike co-founder's $1 billion gift, the largest ever to a comprehensive public university, will launch the Knight College of Engineering in Eugene, a week after the Knights pledged $1.1 billion to Providence.

    Sep 23, 2026 · 2 min read · Recipient

    Reported alongside University of Oregon

    Sources

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