Carnegie Mellon University plans to invest $3 billion gift from Citadel CEO in Pittsburgh and new ‘CMU Miami’
Carnegie Mellon announced a $3 billion donation from Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, marking the largest individual donation in higher education history.
PITTSBURGH —
Carnegie Mellon University has received a $3 billion donation from Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, marking the largest individual gift in the history of higher education, with funds allocated to the Pittsburgh campus and a new campus in Miami.
Griffin said his decision to partner with CMU was ultimately cemented by a visit to the university’s School of Computer Science.
“You saw the future. You saw world-class work,” Griffin said on Wednesday.
CMU President Farnam Jahanian described Griffin’s reaction during the visit when they walked down a hallway showcasing undergraduate research projects.
“Ken just stops and starts just reading one project after another. I’m not exaggerating. He took an extra 10 minutes just to walk through that hallway,” Jahanian said.
Griffin added, “What was shown on that wall was the work that is done here. You know, [speaking from] a background in computer science, background in engineering, it doesn’t get any better anywhere in the world. This is the place that I want to be.”
Of the $3 billion, $1 billion will be invested in CMU’s Pittsburgh campus, while $2 billion will fund the creation of CMU Miami.
Jahanian said that the Miami campus will differ from a traditional branch campus, focusing on a new model of education aimed at addressing critical societal challenges, including human health, climate resiliency, energy, national security and cybersecurity.
“These are things that really matter to the future of the country and future of communities, so let’s organize it around that. The faculty members will come from different disciplines. They’ll come from my computer science school. They will come from my engineering college, policy, from the business school. They’ll come together to solve important problems,” Jahanian said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said the investment will cement CMU’s global status as a top research university.
“This investment will enable them to grow their impact — educating more future leaders, developing more groundbreaking technologies and solving more problems here in Pittsburgh, in Miami, and in places in between,” Shapiro said.
“To make an investment of this magnitude, you have to believe in the leadership of the institution,” said Joanna Doven, CEO of AI Strike Team. She added, “What we can do to shine a light on Pittsburgh’s incredible innovation economy as a result of this gift is going to have a dramatic impact on Pittsburgh’s ability to continue to attract and recruit startups, new people that want to be part of a vibrant city that has both, a growing innovation economy, but also a low cost of living.”
Construction on the Miami campus is set to begin in 2027, with plans to enroll students by 2028.