The Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing offers concentrations in computer engineering and information technology, among other programs.
Photo Courtesy of USF Newsroom
By Jasmin Parrado
This August, the University of South Florida launched the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. It’s reportedly the first college dedicated to converging AI and cybersecurity disciplines in the state.
The college is currently held on the sixth floor of USF Tampa’s library. Plans are underway to establish an independent facility for the college on the Tampa campus by 2028, to accommodate a substantial influx of students in wake of growing interest in the college.
The college’s academic catalog offers four graduate programs and five undergraduate programs. Additionally, it offers two minors in computer science and information technology.
Sudeep Sarkar, the college’s launch dean, said the college was established to meet a growing demand for career expertise in computer science and AI.
Following a “hub-and-spoke” academic structure, the college’s courses will also engage multiple majors, from global security and criminology to social sciences and medicine. This is per its additional goal to improve the technological outlook of every career field.
“We aim to focus on developing applications that have a meaningful impact on health, security and overall quality of life,” Sarkar said. “Central to all these efforts is a commitment to fostering trust and ensuring the responsible use of technology.”
The college was named after Bellini Capital CEO Arnie Bellini and his wife, Lauren, after they donated $40 million toward the college’s prospective establishment in March. The investment has been the largest one to date in the history of USF.
“We’re investing in the next generation of innovators in America’s security and in our competitive edge in artificial intelligence and cyber security,” Bellini stated in his speech commemorating the donation. “This is how we keep America strong. Not by waiting, but by leading.”
In addition to creating a facility for the college, Sarkar expressed plans to establish dedicated labs and cyber ranges for students to gain hands-on experience and cultivate skills in the use of AI and cybertechnology.
“The Bellini College will use the latest industry platforms so students can jump straight into hands-on cybersecurity challenges,” Sarkar told The Crow’s Nest.
Before its launch, the Bellini College hosted a 10-week research program in summer 2025, where Research-One universities collaborated with institutions lacking access to fundamental opportunities in STEM education.
In the program, students of different disciplines were paired with faculty researchers to learn subjects like prompt engineering and robotics. At the end of the program, they presented their prototypes and research at this year’s OneUSF undergraduate research conference.
The Bellini College’s interdisciplinary research expansion has aligned with USF’s broader goal to help make the Tampa Bay area a hub for cybersecurity, Sarkar explained.
“We aim to position USF, Tampa Bay and Florida as a global leader and economic engine in AI, cybersecurity and computing education and research,” Sarkar said.
Students have expressed a broader trend of interest toward the field, coordinating recent efforts in computing and AI research. USF’s CyberHerd coding team, which debuted in 2023, engages athletes and musicians in the world of hacking and cyber defense mechanisms.
The team won first place at this year’s DEF Con Hacking Conference competition – the largest global hacking and security conference to date.
Additionally, USF has been a central research hub for AI enterprises, integrating its use in disease diagnoses, K-12 education and data aggregates for epidemiological research.
Witnessing these developments, The Bellini College is working to bring these fields together as a “pioneer” in the national effort to innovate cybersecurity and AI research, Sarkar told The Crow’s Nest.
