Nike founder donates $1 Billion to University of Oregon for new engineering college

Phil Knight, founder of Nike, and his wife Penny are giving $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish a new engineering college in Eugene.

The university announced the donation on Sept. 23. The money will establish the Knight College of Engineering and expand undergraduate engineering programs, research, faculty, scholarships, and facilities.

The donation builds on the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, which opened in 2020. The Knights previously gave $500 million to establish the campus in 2016 and another $500 million to expand it in 2021.

What will the new engineering college include?

The University of Oregon currently offers engineering minors and graduate programs but does not have a full undergraduate engineering college.

That will change with the new Knight College of Engineering.

The university plans to double enrollment at the Knight Campus from about 500 students and increase its faculty from 17 to 42. The expansion is expected to take about 10 years.

UO also plans to build another facility near the existing Knight Campus buildings. Construction could begin within the next two years, although a location has not been selected.

The $1 billion donation will be distributed over 10 years and will support the college over the long term.

Why is UO expanding engineering?

University officials say Oregon needs more engineers, particularly for its technology, semiconductor, and biomedical industries.

The new college will give students another option for earning an engineering degree in Oregon.

Oregon State University in Corvallis and Portland State University already have established engineering programs. UO officials say they plan to focus on areas that complement existing programs rather than duplicate them.

The Knight Campus currently focuses on areas including bioengineering, biomedical data science, and applied science.

How much have the Knights given to UO?

The latest donation brings Phil and Penny Knight’s known contributions to the University of Oregon to more than $2 billion.

Phil Knight graduated from UO and ran track for the university before founding Nike with former Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman.

The Knights have funded numerous projects at the university, including the Knight Campus, library, law school, Matthew Knight Arena, and Hayward Field.

Their latest $1 billion contribution will now help UO build its first full engineering college and expand the number of engineering students educated in Eugene.