The University is halfway to raising more money than any other fundraising campaign in Oregon’s history, University President Dave Frohnmayer announced in a press conference Monday.
With a slew of recent multimillion-dollar gifts from current and new donors, Campaign
Oregon, the University’s seven-year fundraising campaign, has reached $300 million, halfway to the most ambitious fundraising goal in state history.
Frohnmayer made the announcement at the University’s newly re-opened Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, which was renovated and expanded with more than $7 million in
private donations.
“The silent part of the University of Oregon’s campaign is no longer silent,” Frohnmayer said. “We are at $300 million and counting higher by the minute.”
Patrick Kilkenny of San Diego, Calif., gave $5 million to support programs in the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics; an anonymous donor gave $4
million for the creation of the
Society of College Scholars; the estate of Laura and James Baker gave $3.6 million to create an
endowment for open use by the University Foundation; and Julie A. and Keith L. Thomson of
Portland gave $2.3 million
for the College of Education building project and for scholarships at the school. Four other donations brought the total of recent donations to just shy of $20 million.
“I think it means a direct
impact on the quality of the
education experience that (students) have here,” Frohnmayer said in an interview after his speech. “It’s about what the University does as a community, and certainly the scholarship component is very big. We want to make sure that we keep
Oregon students home in
Oregon and recognize that they can get a really high-quality
education here. They don’t have to spend more or go farther away to do that.”
The University is exiting the “silent phase” of the fundraising campaign and will kick off the
second half with a Hollywood-style gala on Saturday at the Moshofsky Sports Center. The event, called “Lights, Camera, Oregon!” will
include a dinner, comedy sketches and musical performances. Bryce Zabel, former chairman and
CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and a 1976 University alumnus, will produce
the event. Actors Fred Willard and Tim Matheson will also attend.
Individual tickets for the event cost $200 each, and a table for eight
begins at $5,000.
Frohnmayer said he would wait for the gala to announce “our most exciting gift announcements.” He said he expects the gala to draw more than 1,000 people.
Campaign Oregon — which has helped raise money for the construction of the Lillis Business Complex, expansion of Autzen Stadium and numerous faculty endowments and student scholarships — began in January 2001 and is expected to continue through 2008. The campaign has had at least 39 donors since its inception.
Frohnmayer said the silent phase of Campaign Oregon “established the momentum” needed to propel the University to its goal.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if
we make even greater progress through the course of this week in closing down and completing
gifts that will make the total even, I hope, a little bit bigger than
the $300 million that we reported this morning,” Frohnmayer said. “So, stayed tuned. That’s the
message of the week.”

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