Oregon has an engineer shortage. A historic $1 billion donation from Nike’s cofounder could help change that

Nike cofounder Phil Knight and his wife Penny have pledged $1 billion to the University of Oregon's Knight College of Engineering, the largest single donation to a public university, according to the school. The historic gift is set to bolster the university's engineering programs and address the state's engineering shortage.

The Knight Campus, established in 2016, became the university's first engineering department. Its laboratories currently accommodate over 500 students and trainees annually. Previous donations by the Knights in 2016 and 2021 totaled $500 million, bringing their total contributions to $2 billion.

The Knight Campus focuses on bioengineering research, biomedical data science, and high-tech workforce training. Executive Director Bob Guldberg states that they collaborate with industry to refine their curriculum and produce talent that attracts more companies to the region. Oregon's semiconductor workforce, the largest in the country, represents nearly 10% of the nation's workforce, but the state trains fewer engineers proportionately than other major semiconductor states.

With a projected 8.1% growth in STEM jobs from 2024-2034 compared to 3.1% for all occupations, the Knights aim to bridge the talent gap and foster Oregon's semiconductor industry. The $1 billion donation will fund a new building, expand laboratory facilities, and hire additional faculty. Guldberg anticipates around 2,500 engineering job openings each year, but local talent shortages are preventing the university from adequately filling these positions.