Cornell University received a $371.5 million pledge from alumnus David Duffield, the largest gift in the institution’s history, the university announced. Cornell said the funds will create a $250 million legacy endowment for the engineering college, a $50 million educational excellence fund and a launch fund to support infrastructure and research in AI, quantum engineering and related fields. In a separate state-level boost, Nevada allocated $68 million toward construction of a new Lee Business School at UNLV. The funding is billed as half the project’s need and pushes the school closer to a major capital expansion aimed at serving 4,000 business majors. Both moves underscore continuing donor and state investment in business and engineering programs as universities compete for students and research dollars.
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