Alex Trebek increasing donation to University of Ottawa to hit $10M total

ENTERTAINMENT

Alex Trebek increasing donation to University of Ottawa to hit $10M total

Lauren M. Johnson CNN
Published Thursday, November 14, 2019 4:57PM EST

Alex Trebek speaks with 麻豆影视 in this file photo from October 2019.

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The University of Ottawa will take donations for $10 million, Alex.

Just a month after beloved 'Jeopardy!' host Alex Trebek donated $1.2 million to the university, his alma mater, Trebek decided to "round up the number" to make his overall contribution a cool $10 million.

The school said half of Trebek's most recent gift will go to his Alex Trebek Innovation and Challenge Fund, and the other part will go towards his Distinguished Lecture Series.

The $1.2 million was made during a homecoming visit in October, which had raised his overall financial contribution to $9.5 million, That total includes previous gifts made in 2015 and 2017.

The school thanked the one-time philosophy major in a statement.

"We are extremely grateful for Alex's generosity, but also for his friendship," said Jacques Frémont, University of Ottawa President and Vice-Chancellor in "His new gift will benefit more students, and that is at the heart of our mission."

Over the years, Trebek's contributions have helped establish several academic resources. Ottawa established the Alex Trebek Alumni Hall and the Alex Trebek Distinguished Lecture Series in 2015, and the Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue in 2017.