Shuttered San Francisco arts school will become college co-named for Nvidia founder Jensen Huang

Vanderbilt University has announced plans to launch a new college in San Francisco following the closure of the California College of the Arts. The site will be home to the Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang College of Art, Architecture and Design, supported by a 75 million dollar donation from the Nvidia founder and his wife.

The initiative aims to keep arts education active in Northern California. Vanderbilt plans to establish the California College of the Arts Institute at this location to manage the archives and exhibition spaces previously associated with the school. The university intends to hire a founding dean to lead the new college, which is scheduled to open in 2027.

Jensen Huang stated that technology and art work together to shape civilization. This partnership is designed to keep San Francisco a hub for creative innovation. In addition to the lead donation, Vanderbilt has secured 25 million dollars in further commitments to support academic programming on the new campus.

This project represents a broader expansion for the Tennessee-based university. Vanderbilt is also opening an undergraduate campus in New York City this year and planning new graduate facilities in Florida and Tennessee. The San Francisco transition follows the closure of the CCA, which struggled with enrollment declines and budget deficits in recent years.