# Phil and Penny Knight donation to University of Oregon

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/phil-and-penny-knight-donation-to-university-of-oregon
> Updated: 2026-09-26T17:36:06.000Z. Sources: 11. Developments: 2.

Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, have pledged $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish the Knight College of Engineering. The new college will be located at the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact in Eugene and will focus on high-demand fields such as bioengineering to address regional shortages of engineers.

This contribution marks the third major commitment from the Knights toward the campus, bringing their total donations to the Knight Campus to $2 billion. The investment is expected to more than double the number of faculty and students at the campus. This philanthropic development occurs as the University of Oregon manages a $65 million budget shortfall and faces potential labor strikes from classified employees at Oregon’s public universities.

## Timeline

### 2026-09-26: Phil and Penny Knight pledge $1 billion to University of Oregon

Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny have donated $1 billion to the University of Oregon to establish a new engineering college at the Knight Campus.

7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/phil-and-penny-knight-pledge-1-billion-to-university-of-oregon

### 2026-09-23: Phil Knight and wife donate $1 billion to University of Oregon

Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny have donated $1 billion to the University of Oregon to fund a new engineering college, marking a record-breaking gift to a U.S. public university.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/phil-knight-and-wife-donate-1-billion-to-university-of-oregon

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Cite as: Phil and Penny Knight donation to University of Oregon. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/phil-and-penny-knight-donation-to-university-of-oregon