Phil and Penny Knight Commit Record $1 Billion to Create University of Oregon Engineering College

Oregon billionaire businessman Phil Knight and his wife Penny have committed a record $1 billion to the University of Oregon (UO) to establish an engineering college.

Not only is this the largest donation ever made to a comprehensive public university, but it also brings to $2 billion in funding to the UO from the philanthropic couple in the last decade.

Students Will be Educated in Bio-Engineering and Other High-Demand Disciplines

The engineering college will be located at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, where engineers and applied scientists will be educated in bio-engineering and other high-demand disciplines.

What the Engineering Expansion Could Mean for Oregon

The University of Oregon describes the campus as a leading research and education hub with the potential to reshape the statewide economy and drive long-term economic development.

By fostering innovation and collaboration, the campus aims to stimulate the creation of new businesses and generate jobs in Eugene, Oregon’s third-largest city.

The UO says the Knight Campus Graduate Internship Program is an applied master’s program, which trains students for success in the fast-paced, collaborative environment typical of industrial or government lab settings.

Campus researchers are advancing bio-engineering and biomedical data science with a focus on transforming human health and accelerating the commercialization of new technologies.

Among its most groundbreaking initiatives is the launch of a start-up company specializing in 3D-printing patient-specific orthopedic implants. This innovation significantly reduces the development timeline for new medical devices, accelerating progress from years to just weeks.

The Knights Have Committed $2 Billion To the University In the Last 10 Years

The Knights donated $500 million in 2016, and another $500 million in 2021 to create and expand the Knight Campus at the UO.

Since the 2016 donation, the Knight Campus has established UO’s first engineering department, produced its first engineering graduates, and expanded to 17 research laboratories that engage more than 500 students and trainees each year.

The funding has bolstered research commercialization, expanded statewide entrepreneurship, and propelled UO students, faculty, and staff into the world.