PITTSBURGH (Diya TV) — Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin will give Carnegie Mellon University $3 billion to establish a Miami campus and support its Pittsburgh programs, the university announced Wednesday.
CMU described the donation as the largest individual gift in higher education history and Griffin’s largest philanthropic contribution.
The university will allocate $2 billion to CMU Miami and $1 billion to Pittsburgh. Half of the Pittsburgh funding will support university priorities; the remaining $500 million will go to the School of Computer Science, which CMU will rename the Kenneth C. Griffin School of Computer Science. Griffin will also join the university’s Board of Trustees.
CMU plans to build the Miami campus on more than 35 acres in Wynwood. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. The university expects the campus eventually to accommodate more than 3,500 students, nearly 300 faculty members and more than 600 staff.
Graduate students are expected to begin enrolling in 2028, followed by undergraduates in 2032, Griffin and CMU President Farnam Jahanian told Reuters. They said the Pittsburgh investment would also support priorities such as financial aid and faculty recruitment.
The Miami campus will organize teaching and research around societal challenges rather than traditional academic majors. Its initial focus areas include human health and biological discovery, national security, energy and climate resilience, and advanced manufacturing.
Plans include industry research laboratories and venture studios where students, faculty and outside partners can collaborate. The university said arts, humanities and design will contribute to the interdisciplinary programs.
