Phil Knight Donates $1 Billion to University of Oregon

Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, donated $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish a new engineering school in Eugene. The university described the contribution as the largest gift ever made to a comprehensive public university. The new school will focus on bioengineering and other high-demand disciplines to accelerate the transition of laboratory discoveries into commercial products and therapies.

The engineering school will be located at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact. This gift marks the third major commitment from the Knights in a decade, bringing their total known giving to the university to over $2 billion. The donation follows other recent large-scale philanthropic efforts by the couple, including a $1.1 billion commitment to women's health facilities and a $2 billion commitment to the Oregon Health & Science University cancer institute.

University of Oregon President Karl Scholz accepted the donation, characterizing it as a "screaming endorsement" of the university's work.