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Knight Reinstates Alma Mater's Princely Allowance

EUGENE, OR-The Nike founder and chief executive is reinstating his support of the university, which stopped amid controversy 18 months ago, ensuring that the ongoing $85 million expansion of Autzen Stadium can be completed without cutbacks.

By Brian K. Miller | Updated on September 27, 2001

EUGENE, OR–The ongoing eight-figure expansion of Autzen Stadium should be completed without cutbacks now that NIKE founder Phil Knight is back in a giving mood, the University of Oregon announced this week. Also this week, Gov. John Kitzhaber signed into law a bill will provide half the cost for a needed $15.2-million expansion of the university’s School of Music building.

After donating some $50 million to the UofO in the years following rise to riches, Knight halted the gifts to his alma mater 18 months ago following its alignment with the Workers Rights Consortium, an organization that monitors workers rights in overseas apparel manufacturing facilities. As a result, the University has scaled back or not begun some portions of the Autzen Stadium expansion, and inflation has increased the ultimate cost of the project from $80 million to $85 million.

With Knight’s renewed support, the size of which is not being disclosed, the university will be able to complete the project as planned, including the addition of some 12,000 new seats which, had he never ceased his support, would have been completed earlier this year. Construction now will begin after the Civil War contest against Oregon State University at Autzen on Dec. 1–the final game of the regular season. The project is slated for completion in summer 2002.

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