The Kranzusch way

In 2019, Kevin Kranzusch ’90 helped launch the Department of Computer & Data Sciences at the Case School of Engineering with a $5 million gift. This fall, he doubled down on that bet with a second $5 million gift.

The encore commitment will endow professorships and help the department recruit top graduate students, to be known as Kranzusch fellows. It will also help to foster collaboration between the new department and other schools and disciplines at CWRU. That’s the Kranzusch way.

“The thing that attracted me to Case was the collaboration that happens across the university,” Kranzusch told The Daily, the university’s online newsroom, which announced his second gift in October. “And when you talk about the things we wanted to introduce to the computer sciences department—things like AI and machine learning and big data—those elements are perfectly lined up for cross pollination.”

Kranzusch earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at the Case School of Engineering and soon after joined NVIDIA, a startup focused on computer gaming. Today, the Santa Clara, California-based tech firm is the world’s largest maker of video game chips. As Vice President of System Software, Kranzusch leads software teams working on autonomous vehicles, robotics and gaming devices—teams that often collaborate.

His latest gift creates the CDS Initiative Fund, which is designed to encourage collaboration and innovation across university schools and departments. The ultimate goal, Kranzusch said, is to lend students insight into how advances in technology can impact many fields, including medicine, law and social sciences.

Department Chair Vipin Chaudhary sees an alumnus who is leading the department to new heights.

“He has shown repeatedly that he has an uncanny ability to see the correct areas of growth and catalyze them,” Chaudhary told The Daily. “His close and continuing involvement with the department is truly appreciated.”