ranked the second in the country<\/a> last year. But the Miami campus will focus primarily on STEM fields. The university is first in the rankings for fields including computer science and AI.<\/p>\n\nGriffin said the university’s dual strengths in humanities and sciences will help the new campus address “the opportunities and challenges that our country faces.”<\/p>\n
\n“The future of America is being built in Pittsburgh,” he said. “That future will be strengthened by what we build in Miami.”<\/p>\n
![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1790934979_681_.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
People applaud as hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin, center, comes to the podium. With him on stage, are, from left: university president Farnam Jahanian, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and City of Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins.<\/p>\n
Local impact<\/p>\n
\nThe new campus will be organized around “challenge areas” like national security and biological discovery, rather than traditional departments or colleges.<\/p>\n
\n“These are fields that clearly are shaping the future of our economy and creating the jobs of tomorrow,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Thursday. “And now, right here in the 305, bringing expertise here that creates an incredible opportunity for our county or region.”<\/p>\n
\nShe pointed out the university will benefit local businesses and entrepreneurs as well as students. And it’ll also build on the strengths of local institutions like Florida International University, University of Miami and Miami-Dade College, she said.<\/p>\n
\nThe area’s existing universities is already raising concerns about how the new school will affect their own interest and enrollment. At a Florida Board of Governors meeting Wednesday, Chair Alan Levine said Carnegie Mellon would be “competing for the best and brightest talent.”<\/p>\n
\nBut he added that he welcomed the challenge. “While we celebrate these investments, we also need to recognize what we have. And that what we have is always under threat from competition,” Levine said.<\/p>\n
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\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0DSC_8061.png\n <\/p>\n
Carnegie Mellon University Miami-branded hats sit on display at an event celebrating the opening of the satellite campus in the Wynwood district. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Miami, Fla.<\/p>\n
Zoey Thomas \/ WLRN News<\/p>\n
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\n \u00a0\u2014\u00a0DSC_8077.png\n <\/p>\n
Staff set up a timeline detailing the history of Carnegie Mellon University in preparation of its satellite campus opening in Miami. Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Miami, Fla.<\/p>\n
Zoey Thomas \/ WLRN News<\/p>\n
With a target enrollment of 3,500 students, the Carnegie Mellon campus will be built on about 35 acres in Wynwood, a once-industrial area that has become a hub for arts and tech. It’ll take over the former Mana Wynwood building, which held music festivals, art shows, expos and other events.<\/p>\n
\nPrevious site owner Moishe Mana revealed he sold 30 acres of his Wynwood portfolio to Griffin for about $1.1 billion. He described it as the largest land assemblage deal in Florida history. At the event Thursday, he said he originally wasn’t interested in selling.<\/p>\n
\n“In the beginning, I didn’t think it’s a good idea \u2026 it’s my baby,” he said. “It took me three days to sleep on it.”<\/p>\n
\nBut Mana eventually understood the development would be good for Miami, he said. Though he wasn’t originally told the name of the university eying the spot, he knew it would be used for educational purposes \u2014 and that, along with the billion-dollar price tag, was enough to convince him.<\/p>\n
\nHe described the purchase as “a great day for Miami and the state of Florida and the whole of America.”<\/p>\n
From CAPTCHA to Roku<\/p>\n
\nThe new campus’ name \u2014 Carnegie Mellon University Miami \u2014 covered the event space at Thursday’s event. It appeared on baseball caps, tote bags, napkins laden with teque\u00f1os and even printed onto the milky foam of made-to-order lattes.<\/p>\n
\nEstablished in 1900, Carnegie Mellon is a selective university with just 7,700 undergraduate students. It admitted just 11% of applicants to its Pittsburgh campus last year. Tuition costs about $70,000 per year.<\/p>\n
\nAcross the event space, a timeline dated from 1900 to 2025 displayed key events in Carnegie Mellon’s history, many of them STEM-related \u2014 the invention of CAPTCHA to a Roku remote, whose development is tied to the university through its industrial design alumni.<\/p>\n
\nThe university also flew in a dozen students, many pursuing degrees in engineering, to sit beside the stage during the event. Emily Wan, a computer science student, and Kate Giang, a biology student, arrived in Miami at about 6 a.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s their first time in the city, but they won’t stay long; they were set to return to Pennsylvania only 12 hours later. They’ve managed to keep the trip secret for about a week and a half.<\/p>\n
\nThe campus will begin construction in 2027, with master planning underway, said Paul Darrah, the chief workplace officer of Citadel, Griffin’s titan hedge fund company. The campus will include residential housing, as well as research and academic units. Its initial class will be about 1,000 students in size.\n<\/p>\n
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