USC Names Computing And AI School After Mark And Mary Stevens Following $200 Million Gift

The University of Southern California (USC) has officially named its computing and artificial intelligence school the USC Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence. The name honors Mark and Mary Stevens for giving the university $200 million, one of the largest gifts in USC's history.

USC celebrated the new name at an event on October 20 at Epstein Plaza. The school's new name was revealed on Olin Hall. The $200 million gift is meant to help USC attract researchers and speed up work in artificial intelligence (AI) and computing across fields such as health, medicine, business, security, the arts, and other areas.

The Stevens School opened in 2024. It is designed to bring computing and AI skills and resources to different parts of the university instead of working as a separate academic unit. It works with 22 other USC schools in fields such as medicine, business, law, social work, and the arts.

USC currently has more than 30 programs related to computing and AI, with thousands of students enrolled. In the fall 2026 semester, the university also welcomed its first group of students into a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence program.

Mark Stevens graduated from USC, serves as a university trustee, and was previously a partner at Sequoia Capital. During his investment career, he backed companies at an early stage, including Google, Yahoo, YouTube, and NVIDIA. Stevens said the fast growth of AI gives USC a chance to become a leader not only in AI research but also in using the technology across many different fields.

The $200 million gift adds to Mark and Mary Stevens' earlier donations to USC projects involving innovation, brain imaging, orthobiologics, and sports.

USC's work in computing began more than 50 years ago. The university created its Information Sciences Institute in 1972 and its Department of Computer Science in 1976. In 1983, USC researchers Paul Mockapetris and Jon Postel helped develop the Domain Name System (DNS), which helps computers find websites by their domain names. USC professor Leonard Adleman also helped create the field of DNA computing. In 2011, USC became the first academic institution to operate a commercial quantum computing system.

The university said the Stevens School will build on this history through an approach that brings different fields together. It aims to advance AI research while making sure the technology is used responsibly and in ways that put people first.

KEY QUOTES:

“Hopefully our gift will propel us to be a leader, not just in AI research, but in how AI is applied to many fields.”

Mark Stevens, USC Trustee And Alumnus

“It’s not just about pushing frontiers. It’s about making sure our progress is responsible, ethical and human-centered.”

Beong-Soo Kim, President Of USC

“The Stevens School may be new, but its story at USC is not. Trojans have been building the future of computing for more than 50 years.”

Gaurav Sukhatme, Dean (Interim) Of The USC Viterbi School Of Engineering And Inaugural Director Of The USC Stevens School