Higher education is becoming the newest playground for billionaires

Griffin has a history of shelling out big to schools. Back in 2023, he gave Harvard University, his alma mater, the school's largest-ever donation. While that gift was "unrestricted," the Carnegie Mellon one has a clear intent: developing talent in his backyard.

In recent years, no one has been a bigger backer of Miami and the broader South Florida region than Griffin, who grew up there. He's relocated the headquarters of his two companies (Citadel and Citadel Securities) there and poured money into initiatives across the city.

Still, the Wall Street South that so many predicted years ago…