Michael Dell, Intel co-founder Gordon Moore’s funds among 8 largest university gifts

Citadel founder Ken Griffin recently pledged a record-breaking $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University – a gift that comfortably surpasses previous landmark contributions by billionaire philanthropists such as Michael and Susan Dell, Gordon and Betty Moore foundation (by Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore), Michael Bloomberg, John Doerr, and Phil and Penny Knight. Griffin’s $3 billion commitment allocates $2 billion to construct a new 35-acre interdisciplinary university campus in Miami. The remaining $1 billion will be divided between Carnegie Mellon’s renowned School of Computer Science in Pittsburgh and other university-wide strategic initiatives.The pledge stands as the single largest individual donation in the history of higher education. It also sets a personal record for Griffin, whose previous lifetime charitable giving totaled an estimated $2.5 billion, directed largely toward education and medical research.