Vanderbilt University's College of Connected Computing has received a transformational $25 million commitment from trustee John Arnold, BA'96, and his wife, Laura Arnold, to provide foundational support for the college's faculty leadership, teaching and initiatives that fuel real-world impact.
The Arnolds' milestone gift to the College of Connected Computing represents the resounding enthusiasm of the Vanderbilt community as the university prepares to launch its first new college in 40 years. Their visionary support is leading the way in advancing Vanderbilt's commitment to innovation and strengthening the university's position as a leader in shaping the future of computing education and research.
"Vanderbilt's College of Connected Computing will be an empowering resource for students and faculty in all disciplines-enabling them to take their work in new directions and crucially advance some of society's most influential and promising fields," Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. "John and Laura Arnold's generous commitment holds tremendous impact for our community and exemplifies the bold vision and historic momentum of our university's dare to grow era."
The gift will establish an endowed chair for the college's dean and three chairs to support distinguished faculty leaders. It will provide current-use funding for the founding dean to implement the university's ambitious vision for the college in advancing breakthrough discoveries and strengthening computing education and research for every Vanderbilt student through a "computing for all" approach.
The College of Connected Computing will welcome its first students in the 2026-27 academic year. The college will prepare students to lead in a digital world through interdisciplinary learning experiences in computing, AI, data science and more. Harnessing the power of computing in collaborations across fields, students and faculty will unlock innovative research methods that enhance discovery, transform industries and create more efficient, impactful solutions to the complex challenges facing modern society.
"John and Laura Arnold's visionary support of the College of Connected Computing underscores their unwavering commitment to advancing discovery and education at Vanderbilt," said C. Cybele Raver, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. "Their extraordinary gift will not only attract and support world-class faculty, but also empower groundbreaking research and interdisciplinary collaboration that will define the future of computing. This transformative investment ensures that Vanderbilt students will have unparalleled opportunities to lead and innovate in a rapidly evolving digital landscape."
The search for an inaugural dean was launched in fall 2024, and finalists are scheduled to visit campus this spring. Currently, cognitive scientist and Vice Provost for Special Initiatives Duane Watson is leading efforts to shape the college's strategic direction. Watson also holds the Frank W. Mayborn Chair in Psychology and Human Development.
John and Laura Arnold are among the world's foremost philanthropic leaders and are long-standing supporters of the university. A graduate of the College of Arts and Science, John served on the Board of Trust from 2010 to 2014 and was reelected to the board in 2023. Laura earned her bachelor of the arts from Harvard College and has a law degree from Yale University.
The Arnolds' steadfast philanthropic impact at Vanderbilt also includes support for the Arnold Family Scholarship, which provides need-based aid to students at the College of Arts and Science, and the companion Arnold Scholars Program, which is designed to foster recipients' leadership development and commitment to service. Arnold Scholars give back to underserved communities, volunteer as admissions ambassadors to prospective students, and have the opportunity to apply for a one-time educational stipend to pursue an enriching summer immersion experience. The Arnolds also established the Laura and John Arnold Fund to support the Public Policy Studies and Quantitative Analytics in Social Sciences program in the College of Arts and Science. Their extraordinary generosity to Vanderbilt totals more than $34.5 million.
"We are honored to support Vanderbilt's visionary efforts to foster a deep understanding of what it means to learn and prosper in an interconnected, interdisciplinary world," John Arnold said. "This investment reinforces our commitment to the core principles that underlie the Dare to Grow campaign."
As signatories of the Giving Pledge, a charitable campaign founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the Arnolds have committed to giving away most of their wealth during their lives.
In 2008, they co-founded Arnold Ventures, a philanthropic organization that supports research to understand the root causes of America's most persistent and pressing problems, as well as evidence-based solutions to address them. As co-chairs, their philanthropic focus includes such areas as education, criminal justice, health, infrastructure and public finance, advocating for bipartisan policy reforms that will lead to lasting, scalable change. Since its founding, Arnold Ventures has become one of the foremost results-oriented philanthropies in the United States.
In addition to his work with Arnold Ventures, John Arnold is co-founder and chairman of Grid United, a developer of interregional, high-voltage transmission projects with a mission to make America's power grid more reliable, resilient and efficient. He serves on the boards of Meta, The City Fund and Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy. He also chaired the bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the city of Houston, which is scheduled to host seven Central Region matches.
Laura Arnold, an attorney and former oil company executive, serves on the board at Rice University and is a founding partner of the REFORM Alliance, a national criminal justice advocacy organization. She previously served on the board for Teach for America, chaired the Civil Service Commission of the City of Houston, and served as a trustee of the Baylor College of Medicine and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Dare to Grow
The Arnolds' trailblazing investment in the College of Connected Computing fuels the extraordinary momentum of Vanderbilt's historic Dare to Grow campaign, which surpassed its initial goal last fall and continues to push the boundaries for what's possible to make an impact that resonates across campus and around the world. Support for the Dare to Grow campaign catalyzes some of the university's most groundbreaking initiatives, including the Institute of National Security, Vandy United, Vanderbilt's enhanced presences in New York City and West Palm Beach, signature programs like Opportunity Vanderbilt, Residential Colleges and many more.
