Cornell announced a $371.5 million pledge from alumnus David Duffield that will become the largest single gift in the university’s history and fund a renamed engineering college. The gift creates a $250 million legacy endowment, a $50 million education excellence fund and a launch fund for facilities and strategic priorities including quantum engineering and AI research. Cornell president Michael I. Kotlikoff and Engineering Dean Lynden Archer confirmed the college will be named the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering; more detailed allocations and project plans will be announced later. Duffield’s multi-year donations now total more than $470 million and come as research universities press donors for strategic capital to upgrade infrastructure and retain faculty amid fiscal pressures. Cornell’s endowment sits near $11.2 billion but is heavily restricted, making large philanthropic gifts critical for discretionary investment in research and facilities. For higher‑education leaders, the pledge is a signal that wealthy alumni remain a decisive lever in sustaining research capacity and program growth.