university

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

Karl Scholz

Major gifts tracked

$1 billion

Major gifts to University of Oregon

Donor	Amount	Announced	Purpose
Phil and Penny Knight Read the story	$1 billion	Sep 23, 2026	New Knight College of Engineering

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

Philanthropy

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

Sep 30, 2026 · 2 min read

Philanthropy

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

Sep 23, 2026 · 2 min read

Sources

Knights Commit $1 Billion to Establish College of Engineering

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