- The University of Wisconsin – Madison is launching a new standalone college that will be known as the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, the university announced Monday. The move represents the first time in 43 years that UW – Madison has established a new academic division, the last time being when the university opened a veterinary school in 1983.
- University officials say they chose the new college’s name to signify how artificial intelligence is “emerging from a subdiscipline into a broad force shaping research, education, and society.”
- The new college is set to open July 1. Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau, a professor of computer sciences and world renowned researcher who currently serves as director of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences, is set to serve as founding dean. The college is being supported with $100 million in philanthropic commitments and $50 million in institutional investments, a portion of which will be used to support 50 new faculty hires, according to the university.
Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau will be the college's founding dean.
The bigger picture:
While more than 300 U.S. institutions of higher education currently offer AI degrees, it’s extremely rare for a college to actually have the words “artificial intelligence” in its name. The University of South established its Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing in 2024 and calls it “the first of its kind in Florida.” The University of Texas at San Antonio launched its College of AI, Cyber and Computing in 2025.
Beyond the name, the move to establish a computing and AI college at UW – Madison is part of a growing trend of universities positioning themselves to play a more meaningful role in the development of AI as it moves from “pilot to scale” in the world of business and work.
“In moments of major change, universities have a responsibility to engage, not stand on the sidelines,” Arpaci-Dusseau said in a statement. Rather, he said, universities must “ask hard questions” about the effects of new technologies and “guide innovation thoughtfully and prepare students to thrive in a changing world.”
