More than $520 million in contributions from David A. Duffield ’62, MBA ’64 – including a new pledge of $371.5 million and a 2025 commitment of $100 million, combined with previous gifts – will establish the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering. His newest pledge is the largest single gift in Cornell history.

Duffield’s cumulative giving across Cornell’s colleges now totals $550 million, placing him among the university’s leading all-time donors.

“I welcome the opportunity to help advance technological research, innovation and leadership at Cornell,” said Duffield. “I’ve worked closely with many Cornellians over the years, and they consistently demonstrate exceptional leadership, creativity and problem-solving abilities. It’s a privilege to give back to my alma mater in ways that strengthen the university’s commitment to excellence.”

Credit: Cornell University File Photo

In a career spanning more than 60 years, Duffield has founded six enterprise software companies, including his most recent venture, Ridgeline, which provides a modern technology platform for the investment management industry. He is one of only two company founder CEOs in U.S. history to lead two businesses – PeopleSoft and Workday – to an initial public offering at a valuation of $1 billion or higher. His latest gift serves as a capstone to Cornell’s capital campaign, “To Do the Greatest Good,” helping to close its final year with a flourish.

“Many Cornell graduates have gone on to make incredible contributions to society through their innovations,” President Michael I. Kotlikoff said. “Among this esteemed group, Dave Duffield stands out for his transformational accomplishments and his determination to do the greatest good. We are tremendously grateful for Dave’s generous previous support of the College of Engineering and the Veterinary College. And Dave’s new gift and naming of the College of Engineering will impact Cornellians for generations and is an extraordinary tribute to the college and to Cornell.”

Duffield’s past support has enabled and named multiple spaces and programs on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. Prominent among these is Duffield Hall, which was initially completed in 2004 and houses one of the country’s most sophisticated research and teaching facilities for nanoscale science and engineering. In March 2025, Cornell announced plans to update and expand Duffield Hall, further extending its capacity as one of the university’s core research and teaching facilities. The project, which is underway, is being entirely funded by Duffield’s recent gift of $100 million – at the time, the largest gift ever received by the college that will now bear his name.

“We are immensely proud to carry David Duffield’s name as we shape the future of this great college,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. “A supporter and friend like Dave, who is so deeply committed to our mission to develop the people and knowledge needed to forge a better future, comes along once in a college’s history. His foresight and generosity will achieve untold good, and will do so in perpetuity.”

Duffield’s latest history-making gift will consist primarily of endowment funds, establishing a $250 million Duffield Legacy Fund that will provide the college with ongoing support to pursue strategic opportunities, as well as an additional $50 million to be dedicated to key priorities related to educational excellence.

The remainder of the gift will create the Duffield Launch Fund, to address immediate priorities through targeted investments that update the college’s physical infrastructure, strengthen its research facilities, support its faculty and students, and advance research excellence in domains such as quantum engineering science and technology, engineering human health, and artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making.

“I am consistently in awe of the capacity of our college, for nearly 160 years and counting, to evolve to meet the needs of the moment. Strategic and thoughtful use of the Duffield Launch Fund and Duffield Legacy Fund will enable us to remain nimble, proactive and financially responsible as we advance our values and mission,” Archer said. “We look forward to announcing specific plans for these funds in the future.”

Duffield credits William L. Maxwell, professor emeritus of operations research and information engineering, and the late Professor Emeritus Richard “Dick” Conway ’54, Ph.D. ’58, one of the founders of Cornell’s Department of Computer Science, with helping to set him on his academic path.

Credit: Jason Koski/Cornell University

“Their enthusiasm for early mainframes and programming languages shaped my interest in engineering and computing,” Duffield said. “They developed a report writer program called ASAP for Cornell, and I was able to partner with them and the university to deploy it at my first two companies. To this day, I consider both of them key mentors in my career.”

Duffield also points to his parents, Albert and Mary Duffield, as essential to shaping his interest in giving back to Cornell. Neither had the opportunity to benefit from a four-year college degree, yet they were determined that their sons would attend an outstanding university, he said. His mother was an elementary school teacher, and his father a Bell Labs project manager who served as president of the local school board. He and his younger brother, Al Duffield ’65, both graduated from Cornell.  

“Education was part of our family values,” Duffield said. “They were especially proud when Al and I were admitted to Cornell, and my support for Cornell is a testament to their parenting.”

Beyond his professional endeavors, Duffield and his wife, Cheryl, are advocates and supporters of military veterans, companion animals and public service institutions. Their Cornell philanthropy extends to the College of Veterinary Medicine, where they have funded and named the Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program and the Duffield Institute for Animal Behavior. The Duffield Institute partners closely with the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation’s Liberty Dogs initiative – a Reno, Nevada-based service dog training and placement program for U.S. military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2018, Duffield was the inaugural recipient of the engineering college’s Distinguished Alumni Award, its highest alumni honor. He was also named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996.

“We look forward to welcoming Dave back to campus to celebrate the creation of Duffield Engineering,” Archer said. “There is already a lot of exciting progress to show him, and because of his support, so much more to come.”

Reeve Hamilton is assistant dean for marketing and communications at the Cornell David A. Duffield College of Engineering.