Cornell will rename its engineering college after alumnus David A. Duffield, who has pledged $371.5 million, the largest single gift in the university’s history.
The new donation, combined with his $100 million commitment in 2025 and other previous gifts, brings Duffield’s total contributions to more than $520 million.
The engineering school will become the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering.
Duffield was ranked as the 170th-richest person in the world by Forbes in 2025, with a net worth of $13.9 billion. He graduated from Cornell in 1962 and earned his MBA there in 1964.
He has founded six enterprise software companies, including PeopleSoft and Workday, during a career spanning more than 60 years.
David Duffield’s name already appears on multiple spaces and programs on Cornell’s Ithaca campus, including Duffield Hall.Cornell University
The gift will consist primarily of endowment funds, establishing a $250 million Duffield Legacy Fund to provide ongoing support for strategic opportunities. An additional $50 million will be dedicated to educational excellence priorities.
The remainder will create the Duffield Launch Fund to address immediate needs through targeted investments in physical infrastructure, research facilities, faculty and student support, and research in quantum engineering science and technology, engineering human health and artificial intelligence.
