USF receives $2.3M for cybersecurity college

The University of South Florida announced Tuesday that it has received $2.3 million in private donations for its newest college, the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing.

The announcement came during the university’s inaugural CyberBay conference — a three-day event that aims to bring together leaders in the technology, academic, government and military sectors for conversations on cybersecurity, national security and artificial intelligence. 

USF President Rhea Law opened the conference by announcing that she has made a personal donation of $1 million to the new Bellini College, which was matched by her friends and fellow philanthropists Kate Tiedemann and Ellen Cotton. 

In addition to that $2 million gift, tech entrepreneur Arnie Bellini and his wife, Lauren Bellini, are donating $300,000 to the college that bears their name, specifically for its students, faculty and staff to conduct cybersecurity research and provide recommendations on how to better protect government computer systems in Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. 

Arnie Bellini is the founder and CEO of Bellini Capital and founder of ConnectWise, a business management software company based in Tampa. He is also a USF alum, having completed his MBA in Finance at the university in 1981.

“AI and cybersecurity not only safeguard our data and infrastructure, they also drive innovation and are key to the future success of our university and the Tampa Bay region,” Law says in the statement. “We are at a pivotal moment in history and thanks to partners and friends like the Bellinis, we are investing in the next generation of leaders — those who will shape the future of cybersecurity, technology and our global economy.”

In March, the Bellinis set a new record for the university by donating $40 million to fund the new college, named in their honor. At the same time, the couple also launched the “Bellini Challenge” by agreeing to match every additional dollar donated to the college up to $5 million. 

The $2 million in gifts announced Tuesday qualify toward that effort, the university says in a statement. 

In addition to making the largest single financial gift in USF’s 69 year history, the Bellini’s gave the university $11 million in 2022 to establish the Bellini Center for Talent Development at USF’s Muma College of Business. 

Tiedemann and Cotton, of St. Petersburg, are also long-time supporters of USF. 

The Bellini College opened this fall with more than 3,000 students and is the first named college in the nation devoted to both the study of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. The college’s mission is three-fold: to deliver high-demand academic programs, advance excellence in research and promote ethical use of AI and cybersecurity to foster social good.