Michael Nelson, chief executive of his family's janitorial supply company, will give $10 million to the University of Portland.

In a departure from many high-profile gifts in the post-secondary education world, Nelson and his wife Arlette, are giving a big chunk of the donation -- $8 million -- to help build a new home for the school's maintenance and grounds keeping staff.

The North Portland private school announced the gift Friday at a Board of Regents meeting. Nelson, who graduated from the university in 1976, is a regent and longtime donor to the school.

Once built, the maintenance facility on the university's 35-acre property along the Willamette River and below the main campus on the bluff in North Portland will be named for Walter E. Nelson, Michael's father and the namesake for the janitorial and paper supply company.

"I am honored to be able to help the University of Portland and to carry on the memory of my father," Nelson said in a statement. "He was a true visionary and a wise, deeply ethical man in both his professional and personal life. The mission of the University of Portland goes hand-in-hand with the beliefs and practices he and our family business have valued for decades."

The university said the gift would also include support for academics and scholarships through the School of Nursing and Pamplin School of Business.

Mike and Arlette Nelson

"Mike and Arlette have generously supported the University over the years in ways that are close both to their hearts and their minds, from an endowed professorship to scholarships and now to our facilities," the Rev. Mark L. Poorman, the university's president, said in a statement. "They continue this tradition of giving back in meaningful ways through this significant gift, which will support not only our nursing and accounting programs, but also the construction of a much-needed new facility for our operations staff."

UP bought the riverfront property in 2009 and plans to eventually build a tennis center, soccer fields, track and field facilities and a boathouse and environmental learning center, a university spokesperson said.

By moving the maintenance facility to the riverfront, the school will free up more space on the bluff for academics.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen