Art Meets Innovation: Miami Welcome Features CMU Students and Pop-Up Museum
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Carnegie Mellon University celebrated a bold new model of higher education on Thursday, brought to life by students who traveled to Miami and an immersive pop-up museum showcasing CMU's history of innovation. The event brought together leaders from government, industry and academia to mark the launch of the new CMU Miami campus, made possible by the historic $3 billion investment — the largest individual donation in higher education history — from Citadel founder and CEO and founder of Griffin Catalyst Ken Griffin.
"What Carnegie Mellon Miami means to me is that students in this city and state will now enjoy in Miami an opportunity to go to one of the most extraordinary institutions of higher education in the world.”
— Ken Griffin, Citadel founder and CEO and founder of Griffin Catalyst
At CMU Miami, education and research will not be organized around traditional disciplinary silos or departments and colleges, but around complex societal challenges, namely human health and biological discovery; national security and strategic capabilities; energy and climate resilience; and advanced manufacturing and industrial transformation.
"CMU has long been known for making bold bets just at the right moment. Ken’s historic $3 billion investment will enable us to further strengthen our foundation in Pittsburgh while taking one of the boldest steps in our history with the creation of Carnegie Mellon University in Miami.”
— Farnam Jahanian, president of CMU
"This is really, I think, the tip of the spear on what technology can do to make lives better for people, to build an economic base and ultimately to help with the defense of our country."
— Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida
“I am confident that through this partnership with CMU, Ken Griffin and our entire community, we will turn this investment into inclusive and lasting prosperity.”
— Daniela Levine Cava, mayor of Miami-Dade County
"No one has ever done this before, and that is exactly why it belongs in Miami. Every generation of newcomers brought new ideas to Miami, and this city made room for all of them. That's our magic. We say yes, we adapt, and we make it work."
— Eileen Higgins, mayor of Miami
Griffin, who acknowledged his mother in the audience as being the biggest proponent of education he had in his life, said he feels blessed to have grown up in a family that placed such an importance on education.
"The number of extraordinary jobs that will be created by the faculty and alumni of CMU Miami will mean that every child in this city will have a far greater chance to realize their dreams and their potentials in their careers working for companies located here in our great city."
— Ken Griffin
"I am so happy that we can unite the two cities, Miami and Pittsburgh, and I am excited that we are going to change education forever." — Alan Kleiman, fourth year student, business and statistics.
