Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon has upped its ambitious fundraising goals, seeking to bring in another billion dollars over the next several years.
The Register-Guard reported that UO President Michael Schill said half of the money would go to pay for the Knight campus., matching the $500 million coming from Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penny.
The rest of the money would pay for projects and services around the university, including a new 60,000-square-foot classroom building, scholarships for low-income Oregonians, and student advising.
The UO announced the initial campaign in October 2014, and the new fundraising goal raises the target from $2 billion to $3 billion. The school hasn’t set an exact timeline for the campaign.
The UO isn’t alone in its mission to raise billions — other large public research universities in the West have similar goals, according to Inside Higher Ed, an online publication covering college and university topics.
The University of Washington in Seattle launched its campaign in 2016 and intends to raise $5 billion by 2020, according to the publication. It has raised $4.93 billion so far. The money will go toward student aid and faculty support, Inside Higher Ed reports.
The University of Utah in Salt Lake City began its campaign in 2018 and plans to raise $2 billion by 2022, Inside Higher Ed says. So far, the university has brought in $1 billion from donors, with the money planned for improving student experience and biomedical research.
Of the additional $1 billion the UO hopes to raise, about $100 million would go to the PathwayOregon program, Schill said. The program provides financial support for low-income, high-academic students who are Oregon residents. About $60 million would go to a new classroom building, which also would have faculty offices.
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