Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

USC Renames Computing School After $200 Million Stevens Gift to Drive Campuswide AI

The gift positions USC to compete for AI leadership across research and teaching.

Mark Stevens just made one of the largest donations ever to USC.
Image

Overview

  • USC announced Tuesday a $200 million donation from Mark and Mary Stevens that renames its School of Advanced Computing as the USC Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence.
  • The funds back a universitywide AI push that will recruit new faculty and apply the technology to health, security, business, and the arts.
  • USC plans new programs tied to the gift, including a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence starting this fall and guidance from an AI committee on classroom use, academic integrity, and ethics.
  • Some faculty urge caution about AI in teaching, warning that tools like ChatGPT can erode student critical thinking and calling for course-by-course policies.
  • The move comes as big donors fuel an arms race in academic AI, with recent nine-figure commitments to UT Austin and UW–Madison signaling intense competition for talent and leadership.