On Jun. 17, 2016, the University of Oregon (UO) announced that Cheryl and Allyn Ford had made a $7 million gift that kick-started renovations of Pacific Hall, the UO’s original science building. Cheryl Ramberg Ford was a UO undergraduate, and one of her most influential experiences was performing research with the mentorship of faculty members.

Opened in 1952, Pacific Hall supported cutting edge research in the natural sciences and provided a top-notch facility for the science of the time. The number of science majors at the UO had grown by 72 percent since 2000.