Jen-Hsun Huang, founder and CEO of Nvidia, and his wife Lori Huang donated $75 million as a matching gift to Vanderbilt University to fund the development of its new San Francisco campus and establish the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang College of Art, Architecture and Design as the flagship college [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

The San Francisco campus, opening in 2027, is expected to enroll about 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students supported by a full-time faculty [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The new college will focus on art, architecture, and design integrated with engineering, entrepreneurship, and technology innovation [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

The Huang donation has helped raise more than $100 million in total funding for the campus so far [1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8]. It is a matching gift aimed at encouraging further donations from alumni and donors [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].

Vanderbilt’s campus continues the 120-year legacy of the California College of the Arts (CCA) by establishing the California College of the Arts Institute to preserve CCA’s traditions of experimental innovation and regional cultural engagement [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. CCA had announced its closure in January 2026 due to declining enrollment; Vanderbilt acquired its campus to establish the new San Francisco location [7, 8].

The new college will offer undergraduate and graduate programs integrating technology into art education, supporting San Francisco’s cultural, economic, and creative ecosystem [7, 8]. Vanderbilt is conducting nationwide recruitment for the inaugural dean of the College of Art, Architecture and Design [1, 2, 3, 6].

Jen-Hsun Huang highlighted the relationship between technology and creativity, saying, "Technology expands what humans can create; art and design determine why we create. Together they shape civilization" [6, 7, 8]. Vanderbilt University President Daniel Diermeier said the college would cultivate creative leaders impacting culture, industry, and community locally and globally [1].

The San Francisco campus is scheduled to officially open in 2027, marking the next major step in Vanderbilt’s expansion westward [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].