Last updated on 05/19/2015
I’m trying to compile a list of UO’s academic and athletic donors – work in progress, these are mostly guesses, please post corrections in the comments.
ACADEMICS:
- Lorry Lokey: See below for a long list. Total = $140M.
- Phil Knight: ~$10M towards $27M Knight Library renovation,~$15M towards $36M Knight Law School, ~$30M towards $60M Knight Professorships. Total = ~$55M.
- Connie Ballmer: $25M for PathwayOregon scholarships for low SES Oregonians, $20M for obesity prevention research. Total = $45M.
- Chuck and Gwen Lillis: $14M towards Lillis business school building (OUS here.)
- Don Tykeson: $10M towards $34M CAS building.
- Phyllis and Andrew Berwick: $7.25M to Oregon Bach Festival in 2014, $1.7M in earlier OBF gifts. $10M total.
- Jordan Schnitzer: ~$3M towards $14M art museum renovation, ?$M for endowment.
- Hope Anstett: $5 million towards Lillis business school building.
- Tim Boyle: $5 million for business case competition and architecture programs.
- Ronald & Patricia Peterson: $4 million towards Lillis business school building.
- Jean Pedersen; $2.5M for Natural History Museum, 2012.
- James & Shirley Rippey: $1 million for Lillis + funding for new professorship.
ATHLETICS:
- Phil Knight: ?M for Autzen expansion, $40M Jaqua jock box, $160M Football operations building, $100M Athletics Legacy Fund, $5M for 2010 soccer field etc., +$5M for 2013 Autzen zen garden.
- Robert and Jane Sanders: $10M towards $16.5M softball stadium in 2014, followed by $6M in 2015.
- Pat Kilkenny: $3M for old locker room renovation, $5M towards PK Park, $1M for the Matt Court floor.
- Robin Jaqua: $5M endowment to help athletics pay the jock box electric bill.
- Alan and Jean Pedersen; $2.5M for Football operations, 2012.
This was motivated by this Around the 0 report on Lorry Lokey: Taken together, Lokey’s support for academic programs at the University of Oregon alone totals nearly $140 million. Currently, the Allan Price Science Commons and Research Library is under construction thanks to a lead gift made by Lokey in memory of Price, his friend and a former UO vice president for advancement. In 2007, the UO named its entire science complex for Lokey in appreciation for his transformational gift of $74.6 million to advance teaching and research in several disciplines, especially the sciences. Lokey also established the UO Fund for Faculty Excellence and provided significant support toward the total renovation of the historic education quad, expansion of the music building and creation of the UO’s state-of-the-art underground nanoscience research facility, the Lorry I. Lokey Laboratories.
How can you ever figure this out with such a large percentage of anonymous donations received ? Do we even know what percentage of the gifts are anonymous ?
The Pape family has likely donated more toward athletics than Lokey has donated toward academics.
Got any details?
You made a mistake. Phil’s donation for the Jaqua Center for kids who can’t read good is managed on the academic side. It’s intent is to serve as an equal but different location as the academic advising office for undeclared students.
Also, don’t forget that Kilkenny donated some money to get Skybox built. I think the donation goes in the athletic column.
Maybe UO should merge your Econ dept with the B-school.
A few generous donors not named Lillis who helped establish Lillis:
Hope Anstett—$5 million
Ronald & Patricia Peterson—$4 million
James & Shirley Rippey—$1 million for Lillis + funding for new professorship
Other fun fact:
Over 90% of Lillis funding came from private gifts
https://business.uoregon.edu/lillis-complex
Other names from google:
Tim Boyle—$5 million for business case competition and architecture programs https://storify.com/suprememas790/columbia-sportswear-tim-boyle-wife-donate-dollar-5
Thanks, very helpful list.
Econ departments tend to do better when outside of b-schools, but don’t tell my brother I said that.
Only $5 mil to scrape Gilbert’s name off the wall?
Lokey is really quite remarkable. He also gave a huge gift to the HEDCO building project fund and the remodeled old Education buildings are now named after him as well. He’s not even an alum, from what I remember.
Also, don’t forget that the President donates a quarter mil annually to athletics for their football tickets.
Comment of the week. Contact our AVP for Comments for your U of Nike coffee cup.
didn’t Lokey give money to the music school too?
And Lokey I think gave money to the Knight Library, for the special collections classroom. Or am I thinking of someone else? Others gave to the music school too but names escape me…
I believe so: https://uonews.uoregon.edu/archive/news-release/2009/3/newly-expanded-music-building-opens-march-6 (One of many great contributions!)
$800,000 from Jeffrey Grayson between 1997 and 2001 (roughly $1.1 million today, adjusted for inflation).
http://www.dailyemerald.com/2001/07/26/uo-may-return-graysons-donation/
Grayson money was returned and his name was removed from the building now known as McKenzie Hall.
A beautiful story – but why did Frohnmayer sell the naming rights for so little?
Anyone see the signs on the quad proclaiming a day of thanksgiving for the money given for Knight Library….in 1993?
Compare with similar universities during the same time period.
UO advancement can easily answer your question.
Good idea, I just sent them an email.
#2 athletics should be “Sanders”
Ballmer combined gifts totaled $50 million according to news sources.
I’m leaving out the $5M for branding. Not academic.
The Rippeys have also given money for innovative teaching awards for FIG faculty.
I’d assume the Jaqua family would have to be on the academic list- weren’t they instrumental in getting the law school funded (John E. Jaqua Library…).
Powell plaza at Hayward was created with a 1.25 million dollar gift- some of which was from Peter Powell.
Pat Kilkenny donated 1.5 mil for the creation of the Farkas Report which was a planning document that helped move the UO arena project and related Skybox/ Courtside development forward.