UW–Madison names Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau founding dean of College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, announces major investment in college’s launch

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has named Remzi Arpaci-Dusseau founding dean of the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, marking a major step forward as the university prepares to launch the new college on July 1, 2026.

Approved in December 2025 by the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents, the college is the first academic division created at UW-Madison in more than 40 years. Its launch builds on the university's longstanding strengths in computer sciences, data science, statistics, library science and information science while advancing UW-Madison's leadership in artificial intelligence. It positions the university to help address fundamental questions about how AI should be developed, governed and used. This includes examining issues of trust, fairness, privacy, environmental sustainability and the future of work.

The launch is also supported by $100 million in philanthropic commitments from the Catalyst Collective - a group of alumni, industry leaders and corporate partners investing in the college's early success - alongside more than $50 million in annual institutional investment. The new college will also hire 50 new faculty members, many with anticipated joint appointments across the university.

"The College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence is intended to be a hub and resource for the rest of campus, while also building core strength in the disciplines at its foundation," says UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin. "Helping society navigate a changing landscape, including AI's ethical questions and implications for the workforce, will require collaboration across disciplines, and Remzi brings needed strong and capable leadership to this critical endeavor."

Founding dean named for new college

Arpaci-Dusseau is a professor of computer sciences, internationally recognized researcher, award-winning educator and a longtime leader at UW-Madison. He currently serves as director of the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences and special advisor to the provost for computing. Since 2024, Arpaci-Dusseau has led the effort to create the college, shaping its vision, building support and securing the philanthropic commitments that will help launch the new college.

Arpaci-Dusseau's research in computer systems, conducted with longtime collaborator Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau, has advanced the field's understanding of storage systems, operating systems and distributed computing, and driven innovations that have influenced both academia and industry. He is a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A recipient of numerous teaching awards, Arpaci-Dusseau is also widely known for his commitment to undergraduate and graduate education. The free online textbook he co-authored with Andrea Arpaci-Dusseau is used by students and institutions around the world.

As founding dean, he will guide the new college's launch and oversee its growth and academic direction. His appointment is effective July 1.

"Remzi is the right leader at the right time to ensure the successful launch of the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence," says Provost John Zumbrunnen. "He has been an integral part of the leadership team that has helped make CDIS strong since its inception in 2019, and I have every confidence he will bring vision and strong leadership as the founding dean of the new college."

A university's role in the AI moment

The college will include UW-Madison's existing programs in computer science, data science, statistics, library science and information science. It will also create new courses, certificates, majors and degree programs that reflect the growing importance of AI as a technology reshaping research, education and work across industries.

"I'm honored to lead the college at such an important moment; AI is already reshaping society," says Arpaci-Dusseau. "In moments of major change, universities have a responsibility to engage, not stand on the sidelines. Universities have long helped develop technologies, and that work must continue. But we also have a responsibility to ask hard questions about their impacts, guide innovation thoughtfully and prepare students to thrive in a changing world."

For Arpaci-Dusseau, AI should serve as a tool that amplifies human work, helping researchers, students and professionals expand what they can accomplish.

The new college will connect people with deep AI understanding to experts across other disciplines, from philosophers and ethicists to experts in business, medicine and engineering. An imperative of the new college is to accelerate discovery and expand learning opportunities while helping to foster pragmatic and ethical ways to apply new technology to meet society's needs.

In the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, the college will also emphasize translation: moving discoveries from research into practice so they can benefit people, communities and industries across Wisconsin and beyond.

This work is already taking shape across campus through new collaborations and efforts to expand foundational AI learning opportunities for students, faculty and staff at UW-Madison.

Catalyst Collective commits $100 million

With the commitment from the Catalyst Collective, the college will be able to move quickly to recruit and support its faculty, expand research capacity, and build programs and infrastructure.

The group includes alumnus Andy Konwinski, alumni and long-time UW-Madison supporters John and Tashia Morgridge, alumna Signe Ostby and Scott Cook, and alumnus Jeff Tangney, along with Epic, a leader in healthcare technology. Together, they bring experience across AI, enterprise software, digital health, healthcare technology and entrepreneurship.

"I am tremendously grateful to the donors who have come forward to ensure the College of Computing and Artificial Intelligence - the university's first academic division since 1983 - launches on the strongest possible footing," Mnookin says.

Campus investment supports growth

While philanthropic support is helping accelerate the college's launch, UW-Madison's annual institutional investment provides the long-term foundation for its continued growth.

Fifty new faculty positions in the college, some with joint appointments across campus, will add to the university's previous RISE-AI hiring initiative, bringing the new AI-related faculty hires to more than 100. That expanded faculty presence will further strengthen UW-Madison's leadership in AI and related fields. These faculty will collaborate across campus to advance research and discovery and bolster the university's expertise to engage with the complexities of AI, including issues of trust, fairness, privacy and sustainability.

The combined investments, along with new revenue-generating programs in the new college, will support several key priorities, including key faculty recruiting efforts in core AI and related fields; advancing research capacity; building advanced computing infrastructure to support research and education; expanding student access and developing new academic programs; and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurship and partnerships across campus and industry.

"The launch of this college is both exciting and daunting," says Arpaci-Dusseau. "Exciting because we can build on UW-Madison's extraordinary strengths to create new possibilities for students and research. Daunting because we feel the responsibility to help shape a future where technology, including AI, benefits all people, not just a few. If we do that well, we can serve the campus, advance discovery and prepare students for the workforce."

Additional details about the college's academic programs, partnerships and initiatives will be announced in the coming months. Visit the CAI website to learn more and explore the future of the new college.