Eugene

[maccoinnich]

Phil and Penny Knight will give $500 million to University of Oregon for science complex



The University of Oregon announced it received a $500 million commitment from Phil and Penny Knight to build a new science complex in Eugene, which it hopes will speed the translation of scientific discoveries into "real world impact."

School officials are expected to formally announce the donation from its most prominent and wealthy alum at a news conference Tuesday morning at the Ford Alumni Center on campus.

In an interview, UO President Michael Schill said the "spectacular" gift from the Knights is the largest donation to a public flagship university in the nation's history.

"This act of philanthropy from Penny and Phil Knight is breathtaking," Schill said in a formal statement. "This is a seminal moment for the University of Oregon, an inflection point that will shape the trajectory of the university and this state for the next century and beyond."

...continues at the Oregonian.