Spring 2008

BRIDGE BUILDER

Gift Unites Athletics and Academics

Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny is building a new bridge across the Willamette River. Not with steel and concrete, but with new ideas and programs that underline the “student” in student athlete. And the successful businessman knows that building bridges costs money.

On February 28, UO President Dave Frohnmayer announced that Kilkenny and his wife, Stephanie, are giving $1 million to academic programs in the university. It’s a move that Frohnmayer said will “help unite academics and athletics at the University of Oregon.”

An additional $500,000 will go to academics this year and next because Kilkenny has declined his salary.

“Not only is Pat generous,” said Frohnmayer, “he’s a savvy businessman. Part of the deal when I hired him one year ago was that he would forego his salary, and the money would go back to the university. Half will go to athletics and half to academics. By doing it this way (instead of the university writing him a check and Pat writing us a check), more money goes to the university.”

The $1 million outright gift, the first major contribution to academics from the longtime athletics donor, will create two innovative programs. Both combine sports and academics. It also will support scholarships and UO Libraries.

Because of the salary waiver, $250,000 will be used this year to expand a service learning program for students. The other half of Kilkenny’s deferred salary this year will be dedicated to nonrevenue sports. Next year, the deferred salary will also be equally split between academics and athletics.

Impact of Kilkennys’ Generosity

$1 Million Outright Gift

$500,000: College Sports Research and Executive Education Initiative: The program will be jointly operated by the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center in the Lundquist College of Business, the School of Journalism and Communication, and UO athletic department. This groundbreaking program will give current and aspiring athletic directors the business and communications fundamentals for a career in collegiate athletics. It will support faculty research projects and give students experiential learning opportunities.

$460,000: Competition Not Conflict: The program will be housed in the UO School of Law but it will involve many disciplines. It will promote athletic competition as a proven alternative to conflict and find ways to promote dispute resolution through athletics. It will address youth sports programs, athletics in schools, and the role of sports in social and international issues and will include training programs to teach youth coaches and referees how to promote sportsmanship and mitigate problems.

$27,500: PathwayOregon Scholarship Program: PathwayOregon guarantees that qualified Oregonians from lowerincome families can attend the UO tuition-free. It also provides students with comprehensive academic support and, in some cases, room and board. The Kilkenny gift is the first private donation to the program, the first of its kind at a public university in Oregon.

$12,500: Coaches’ Fund for University of Oregon Libraries: The fund will be used to build library collections and keep up with changing technology. It has drawn 100 percent participation from UO head athletic coaches in its first year and will benefit all students.

Salary Waiver

$250,000: Kilkenny Service and Leadership Fund: This new fund will expand the UO Service Learning Program (SLP). The program gives students opportunities to learn and earn academic credits by helping the Eugene-Springfield community. The fund will support grants of up to $1,000 for student-initiated projects. This is the first time that SLP has offered such a “microgrant” program.

$250,000 for nonrevenue sports: Half of Kilkenny’s foregone salary will support nonrevenue sports, including lights for the softball field.

— Ed Dorsch