Portland State set a new record by raising over $1 million at its Diane Keaton-hosted Simon Benson Awards Dinner, an event held every fall to honor local philanthropists.
More than 1,700 people were in attendance at the Oregon Convention Center on Tuesday, setting another record for the event.
The dinner, now in its 13th year, brought in 20 percent more money than last year and nearly doubled the amount raised two years ago.
Funds raised will benefit the Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund scholarship challenge grant and the Fund for PSU, an organization that supports scholarships, faculty research and new programs throughout the university.
The recipients of this year’s Simon Benson Award were Arlene and Jordan Schnitzer and Irving Levin and Stephanie Fowler. The two families have given millions of dollars to a variety of causes in Portland and elsewhere.
PSU also awarded its first-ever Alumni Achievement Award to Travis Knight, president and CEO of Laika Inc., the animation studio in Hillsboro that has produced films like Coraline and ParaNorman.