Gifts Roundup: U. of Oregon Lands $50 Million; Michael Jordan Gives $7 Million for Medical Clinics

A roundup of notable gifts compiled by The Chronicle:

University of Oregon

An anonymous donor gave $50 million to establish the Presidential Fund for Excellence, which will give the university’s president the freedom to use the money for any program.

The university plans to use part of the money to hire more faculty for its Presidential Initiative in Data Science; endow nine new professorships; support the Media Center for Science and Technology, a new interdisciplinary research center in the School of Journalism and Communication; pay for a pilot program that will embed faculty from the university’s College of Education in Oregon high schools; and support student programs at the new Black Cultural Center.

St. Norbert College

Patricia Schneider and her family gave $30 million to endow the college. Ms. Schneider is the widow of Donald Schneider, who led the family’s trucking company, Schneider National.

He graduated from the college in 1957 with a business degree and served there as an adjunct instructor in finance and business administration for many years. He died in 2012.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

John Ellison Jr. pledged $10 million to help retain and reward current professors and attract new faculty.

The money will go toward salary supplements and research funds and to attract an additional $10 million from other donors for similar efforts.

Mr. Ellison, a university alumnus, is chairman of Ellison Company, a manufacturer of X-ray and other equipment.

Novant Health

Retired basketball great Michael Jordan donated $7 million to open two new medical clinics, which will be named for him, in Charlotte, N.C.

Mr. Jordan is the chairman and principal owner of the National Basketball Association’s Charlotte Hornets. Before he retired, he played 15 seasons in the NBA, with the Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards.

The clinics are scheduled to open in 2020 and will serve vulnerable and underserved communities.

Medical University of South Carolina

Anita Zucker and her family gave $5 million for the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital.

The money will pay for the Jerry and Anita Zucker Family Atrium, a 3,200-square-foot indoor play area where children and their families can relax, paint, read, and play games.

Ms. Zucker leads InterTech Group, a chemical manufacturer founded by her late husband, Jerry Zucker, who died in 2008. She also co-owns the South Carolina Stingrays ice-hockey team.

Kent State University

Joseph and Frances Stevens donated $3.1 million to endow scholarships in the College of Business Administration.

Mr. Stevens is a retired vice president of Xerox Corporation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Kent State in 1941.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Novelist David Baldacci, and his wife, Michelle, gave $1.1 million to create a scholarship fund for political-science students in the College of Humanities and Sciences and to support experiential-learning programs.

Mr. Baldacci has published dozens popular novels. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the university in 1983.

To learn about other big donations, see our database of gifts of $1 million or more, which is updated throughout the week.