University of Oregon’s new global studies school receives record $25 million gift amid rising US international challenges

University of Oregon’s new global studies school receives record $25 million gift amid rising US international challengesThe University of Oregon has received a record-setting $25 million donation from Jordan Schnitzer and the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, marking the largest private contribution ever made to its College of Arts and Sciences.

The funding will be used to elevate the university’s global studies and languages programs and to prepare students for leadership roles in international affairs.Announced on May 6 at a press conference in Portland, the donation comes at a time of increasing global instability and significant cuts to US international aid programs. As reported by OPB, university officials emphasized that the funding will help expand the university’s global education initiatives, enabling students to develop critical skills for navigating complex global challenges.A transformative gift for global educationAccording to the University of Oregon, this is the largest gift ever dedicated to its College of Arts and Sciences, where about two-thirds of all undergraduate students are enrolled. As part of the announcement, the college’s global studies school will be renamed the “Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages.”The gift is intended to support a wide range of initiatives, including the recruitment and retention of top-tier faculty in global studies and languages.

A new tenure-track scholar will be hired, and the donation will help launch a new undergraduate major focused on international relations. The program is designed to take an interdisciplinary approach to global issues and prepare students for careers in foreign service, NGOs, think tanks, international business, and public service.Positioning the US for future global leadershipSchnitzer expressed his vision during the May 6 press conference, stating that the goal is to equip the next generation with the knowledge and passion to address both local and global challenges.

“If there’s anything that’ll help make a difference down the road, it’s having informed young people that realize they need to wake up every day and have the passion to make the world a better place,” Schnitzer said, as quoted by OPB.This investment arrives at a pivotal time for US global engagement. Portland-based Mercy Corps recently reported that cuts to the US Agency for International Development are forcing the organization to eliminate more than two-thirds of its federally funded programs, as noted by OPB.New initiatives and national significanceThe Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages will also house a newly established Center for Global Futures. According to the University of Oregon’s press release, the center plans to host a lecture series, annual conferences, a scholars-in-residence program, and an annual Harold Schnitzer Scholar Prize to recognize outstanding contributions to global research.University President Karl Scholz described the donation as a critical boost to the university’s mission. “We’re never about teaching our students what to think, but how to think,” he said. “And the Schnitzer School is a wonderful locus for that kind of work to happen,” as reported by OPB.Professor Aneesh Aneesh, who teaches global studies at the university, emphasized the importance of this initiative. “Caught between the forces of globalization and still-resilient communal loyalties, every society is facing contradictory pulls on its social fabric,” he stated.

He added that graduates from the Schnitzer School will help lead the way in a divided world, according to OPB.This historic donation is expected to increase graduate student support, enhance teaching and research efforts, and expand the doctoral student population in global studies—offering a timely investment in the future of US global leadership.