University of Oregon Receives $74.5 Million Donation

Since 1990, Lorry I. Lokey has contributed more than $400 million to charity, with 98 percent going to universities and high schools.

(EUGENE, Ore. ) - A $74.5 million gift from philanthropist Lorry I. Lokey -- the largest single academic donation in University of Oregon history -- will dramatically transform science teaching and research at the UO. The gift will also benefit a wide range of other programs on campus, UO President Dave Frohnmayer announced Tuesday.

"This most recent contribution from Lorry is what we call a catalytic gift," Frohnmayer said. "Catalytic gifts create a rising tide of expectation and achievement. They form a basis for securing additional gifts and competitive grants. They create an esprit de corps. They make the difference between good programs and great ones. But most of all, catalytic gifts have the potential to change the world as we know it.

"This extraordinary contribution from this extraordinary man -- combined with donations of others -- will help secure the University of Oregon's future as a major international force in scientific research and education and as Oregon's flagship institution in the liberal arts and professional education." The gift announced today brings Lokey's total giving to the University of Oregon to $132 million over just the past four years. Lokey grew up in Portland and is a 1949 graduate of Stanford University.

Lokey is the founder of Business Wire, the world's leading international news release wire service, with 30 offices throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific. Last year, Business Wire, founded in 1961, was sold to Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. CEO Cathy Baron Tamraz heads up the Business Wire global operation.

Since 1990, Lokey has contributed more than $400 million to charity, with 98 percent going to universities and high schools. The largest amount has gone to the University of Oregon.

For fiscal year 2006, Lokey was listed by the Chronicle of Philanthropy as one of the top ten most generous donors in the country.

"With the help of its many supporters, the University of Oregon's influence is reaching far beyond Oregon's borders, and it is my hope that we soon will see its national recognition grow even stronger as a major center of learning as well as a major center for scientific research," Lokey said.

The $74.5 million gift is the largest gift ever received by the university for academic purposes and the second largest single gift in UO history.

"What Lorry Lokey has done to help the University of Oregon transform lives, and to help Oregon students achieve their dreams, is beyond imagination," said Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. "His philanthropy touches everyone who cares about the human condition."

Lokey's forward-looking support of graduate education will enhance the university's ability to recruit and retain world-class faculty in the sciences and educate the next generation of scientists.

The bulk of the $74.5 million gift, about $50 million, will go toward the Lorry I. Lokey Science Advancement and Graduate Education Initiative, which features $20 million for endowed faculty support, $10 million for a quasi-endowment for additional faculty support, $10 million for endowed support for graduate students and a $10 million quasi-endowment for program support.

Acording to Richard Linton, vice president for research and graduate studies, the science initiative reflects Lokey's passion for supporting research advances in nanoscience and bioscience.

As a part of the university's broader initiatives on research excellence and graduate education, the Lokey funds will initially target areas of UO interdisciplinary scientific research aimed at improving the quality of human life, including:

Fundamental genetic/molecular biology studies that advance our understanding of cellular processes related to a wide range of diseases such as cancer.

Neuroscience programs that emphasize the study of cognition, behavior, and brain adaptations to optimize the use of artificial limbs, as well as rehabilitative approaches for learning disabilities and stress disorders.

Human physiology programs that will advance human performance, from the training of world-class athletes to the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.

Green nanotechnologies such as engineered nanoparticles that will serve a multitude of applications including new approaches to diagnosing and treating disease.

In recognition of this gift, the university will dedicate the Lorry I. Lokey Science Complex, which will encompass the 10 existing science buildings and the two new facilities that Lokey has helped fund. The names of the individual buildings in the complex will remain.

The gift also includes $2 million for a new endowed chair in chemistry for materials science research, $5 million support of the UO Science Library, $3 million for an endowment supporting work at the intersection of the humanities and social sciences with the natural sciences, $2 million for an endowed scholarship program in the School of Journalism and Communication, $2 million the new UO Alumni Center, $5.5 for the President's Special Projects Fund and $1 million a year for the next five years to jumpstart these initiatives.

"Lorry Lokey's extraordinary gift to the University of Oregon will inspire new discoveries, further enable us to compete for world-class faculty, and grow the next generation of scientists," said UO Provost Linda Brady. "Mr. Lokey's generosity across the breadth of the UO's academic mission will shape the future of this university and will sustain our commitment to academic excellence for years to come."

"The Lokey gift will be a powerful tool in supporting UO scientific innovation, from basic research to applications directly benefiting society," said Linton. "The investments will help elevate the UO's standing and performance among the premier research universities, most notably the public institutions within the Association of American Universities."

"This is a great day for the future of the university and its research programs," said Jim Hutchison, professor of chemistry and a national leader in nanoscience and green chemistry. "Lorry's gift challenges us to excel while providing us the essential investment to make it happen. It not only supports, but amplifies our efforts to recruit and retain outstanding faculty, support the best graduate student talent, and provide state-of-the-art facilities to accelerate research projects."

The gift will help develop new generations of scientists, said Lallie McKenzie, a doctoral candidate in chemistry who works with Hutchison on developing greener methods for producing nanomaterials.

"I appreciate Lorry Lokey's investment in my research, and even more importantly, in my development as a scientist," McKenzie said. "Access to cutting-edge instrumentation will contribute both high-quality data and training that will directly advance my career in nanoscience research."

Lokey's previous gifts to the UO include $25 million for the two-phase Integrative Science Complex, $12.5 million for the College of Education's expansion project, $10.4 million for a new program of faculty excellence awards, $4.5 million for the new George S. Turnbull Journalism Center in Portland, and $5 million for the renovation and expansion of the MarAbel B. Frohnmayer Music Building.

All of Lokey's gifts count toward Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, the UO's $600 million fundraising campaign.

With Lokey's most recent gift and the Knights' $100 million gift, the campaign has shot past the goal and now stands at $717.5 million.

Frohnmayer says the campaign will continue until its scheduled end in 2008 so the university can achieve all the priorities set at the beginning of the fundraising effort.