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President’s Report to the University Senate

March 3, 2025

Executive Summary

Andrea Goldsmith Named Seventh President of Stony Brook University

I would like the entire Stony Brook community to join me in offering congratulations and a warm welcome to Dr. Andrea Goldsmith, who will serve as Stony Brook’s seventh President, beginning on August 1, 2025. I am delighted she is visiting campus today to meet, greet, listen and learn, including the opportunity to speak to the University Senate during its March meeting.  

Background: Dr. Goldsmith is a distinguished academic who currently serves as the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science at Princeton University. She has held tenured faculty positions at Caltech and Stanford University, where she also served as Chair of the Faculty Senate. Her research focuses on communications, control, and signal processing, with applications in wireless communications and biomedical devices. She founded and served as CTO of Plume WiFi and Quantenna, and serves on the boards of Intel, Medtronic, Crown Castle, and the Marconi Society. Dr. Goldsmith is a member of several prestigious academies and has received numerous awards, including the Marconi Prize and IEEE Dresselhaus Medal. She was the founding Chair of the IEEE Board of Directors Committee on Diversity and Inclusion and has held various leadership roles in IEEE societies. For more details see this news release.

  • Thank You: It is with deep appreciation that I thank the search committee and its Chair, Kevin Law, for their tireless work throughout the search process. I also want to thank Chancellor King and his great team at SUNY as well as Board Chair Meryl Tisch and the entire SUNY Board for recruiting such a talented individual to lead Stony Brook to even greater heights.
  • Transition: Dr. Goldsmith officially starts August 1, 2025, and I am greatly looking forward to working with her during a smooth and effective transition. I am delighted she is visiting campus today to speak to you.

While I have grown to love Stony Brook in a very short time and will deeply miss its students, faculty, and staff, I am certain that Dr. Goldsmith is the right leader to enable the University to reach and exceed its ambitious goals and reach new heights.

The Federal Landscape

The federal landscape remains dynamic if not chaotic. We have seen multiple executive orders and other directives issued, challenged in courts, sometimes rescinded, sometimes halted due to court action. Our government relations team and our entire leadership team are monitoring events in real time, and we are coordinating with SUNY on all strategies as well as communications. By coordinating our responses across the system, we are in a stronger position to continue to carry out our mission.

  • Funding and Research Grants. If you or a member of your team are asked to respond on matters related to compliance with federal law on grants, contracts, and funding proposals, you must seek legal advice from the SUNY Office of General Counsel or the RF General Counsel before responding. The best way to do this is to contact the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, and they will assist with coordination with the legal teams.

  • Immigration and External Law Enforcement. SUNY released protocols for interacting with external law enforcement, and this guidance was distributed through Stony Brook senior leadership to relevant departments and offices.

  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. Concerns have been raised about potential changes to DEI initiatives. Stony Brook remains dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive learning environment. Just as we will continue to create a welcoming environment in which everyone can thrive, we will also continue to fulfill our legal obligations, and we are monitoring these obligations closely in consultation with SUNY. The Chancellor has emphasized there should be “no anticipatory over-compliance” which means we are not going to change things, until we receive specific directions from SUNY. SUNY is preparing updated guidance regarding our obligations under relevant directives, and we will share this guidance with the campus community when it becomes available.

State Budget

Chancellor King testified before the Legislature on Feb 25. He praised the $114 million increase in operating aid and the $750 million in capital investment, including $200 million for laboratories at the University Centers. He very helpfully advocated for the Legislature to find a way to grow the commitment to capital funding to address the $9 billion critical maintenance backlog (Stony Brook accounts for more than a fifth of this).

Employee Engagement Survey

Stony Brook University has partnered with ModernThink to administer a confidential engagement survey of full-time University employees, administered March 24 - April 7. The survey will provide a confidential, structured and effective way for the University to better understand your needs and improve the faculty/staff experience. Gathering your feedback is a key component of the strategic plan’s priority for Reimagining the Way We Work, and I hope you will take the time to respond.

 

Advancement

  • Closed $64.8 million in gifts this fiscal year-to-date, compared to $108.4 million at this time last fiscal year; last year’s gifts included a $50 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies to The New York Climate Exchange.
  • Since the New York State and Simons Infinity Investment matches were announced in FY23, we have raised a total of $95.2 million in endowment gifts.
  • Notable gifts closed since the last update include: 
    • $6,000,000 endowment gift to support Centre ValBio 
    • $1,600,000 endowment gift to support the Staller Center for the Arts 
    • $1,000,000 to support an endowed chair in morphometrics
    • $800,000 to support the Erwin & Freddie Staller Endowed Scholarship Fund
    • $500,000 to support the Bookends Second Chapter Endowment 
    • $320,000 to support an endowed scholarship in musical performance
    • Two $250,000 gifts to establish an endowed distinguished lectureship in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies 

 

Athletics

  • Football had 59 student-athletes named to the 2024 CAA Fall Commissioner's Honor Roll, which honors student-athletes who earn a 3.0 GPA or better. 
  • Swimming and Diving was recognized for its academic success for the Fall 2024 semester, earning College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (CSCAA) Scholar All-America Team distinction by earning a 3.48 team GPA.
  • Women’s Lacrosse, which is currently ranked No. 14 nationally, started the season 3-0 with the team’s latest victory coming against Albany. The win over Albany was the 19th consecutive win over our in-state rival.
  • Men’s Lacrosse defeated No. 19 Rutgers 9-8 to open the season, marking the team’s first win over a ranked team since 2021. 
  • Softball opened the season with a power-conference victory over Iowa State. It was the third straight season that the Seawolves picked off a major-conference opponent (Mississippi State in 2023 and Ohio State in 2024).
  • Baseball alum Travis Jankowski, who spent the last two seasons with the Texas Rangers, signed with the Chicago Cubs for the 2025 season.

 

Human Resources

  • As part of the HR Now Transformation effort, we are continuing to implement embedded HR Business Partners that are fully dedicated to supporting the HR needs for Divisions and Colleges
  • Central HR is also continuing to expand support and services as part of HR Now, including:
    • Bolstering recruiting support by expanding talent acquisition and recruiting services, resources, tools and expertise
    • New training programs and resources, Wolfpack Learning, which include new supervisory and leadership development programs
  • This March we will also be launching Stony Brook’s first ever staff and faculty engagement survey, which will be administered by our external partner ModernThink.  This survey will provide us with valuable insights on our work environment, total rewards, and levels of employee satisfaction and engagement, which will be used to help shape future strategies and efforts to retain and support faculty and staff  
  • The university is also getting ready to launch the national search for a permanent VP of HR

 

Marketing/Communications

  • Ongoing management of communications to support campus climate issues as needed including all presidential communications.
  • Continued roll out of brand including targeted campaigns targeting prospective students, legislators and peers with the goal of advancing reputation, budget support and rankings
  • Daily content management of all SBU social media channels and daily management of the University website content and infrastructure included the now underway reskinning of the design to align with new brand
  • Daily management of incoming media calls and proactive multichannel story telling

 

Stony Brook Medicine: Academic

  • RSOM hosted the second annual Black Men in White Coats Youth Summit at SBU on November 14 for more than 500 students from grades 3 to 12, along with educators, parents, chaperones and community leaders from Suffolk, Nassau and New York City. 
  • The Center for Interprofessional Innovation is advancing interprofessional education through faculty development workshops, summer courses on telehealth, and new student microcredentials.
  • The SHP launched a new Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Doctorate (OTD) Program, to prepare students to become licensed occupational therapists. 
  • We also have a new Climate Solutions and Health concentration in the MPH program, the first in the SUNY system, while we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our Program in Public Health
  • The School of Dental Medicine’s new Dive into Dental Sciences summer program welcomed pre-college students who are considering a career in dentistry to experience it firsthand.

 

Stony Brook Medicine: Clinical

  • Both Stony Brook University Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital earned an 'A' grade in the Leapfrog Group's Fall 2024 Hospital Safety Ratings.  This recognition is particularly meaningful for Southampton Hospital, which earned its second consecutive 'A' grade this year, placing it among only 17 hospitals in New York State to achieve this distinction. 
  • An institutional priority is achieving National Cancer Institute (NCI) designation, which would solidify Stony Brook Cancer Center as a premier destination for cancer care and research.  To support this goal, we are actively seeking a director with previous leadership experience in an NCI-designated cancer center to guide us toward this ambitious milestone.
  • The second phase of Stony Brook Medicine's Advanced Specialty Care facility at Lake Grove was completed in October 2024. This state-of-the-art, 170,000-square-foot facility consolidates multiple specialties under one roof, making care more accessible and convenient for our patients. 
  • On the East End: The East Hampton Emergency Department will open in Spring 2025. At Eastern Long Island Hospital, we’re on track to achieve Primary Stroke Center certification this year, thanks to investments in TeleStroke services, additional CT scanners and 24/7 pharmacist support.

 

Student Affairs

  • Student Life hosted its second annual Siblings Weekend, hosting over 165 students, siblings and families, a 100% increase compared to last year. Students and their siblings participated in this fun event, which featured various activities such as a Lego tournament, laser tag games, teaching kitchen, and movie night. 
  • Many educational and cultural events were hosted throughout February to celebrate Black History Month and recognize the culture and historical contributions of the Pan-African community, such as the Black History Month Student Union Take Over, the Spoken Word Open Mic Night, movie screenings and discussions, and many others.   
  • A new Sensory Room opened in the Southampton campus with the help of the Student Accessibility and Support Center and in collaboration with the School of Health Professions. Students on the Southampton campus can now relax and unwind in this space by having access to sensory seating options, sensory artwork and lighting, fidget toys, sound machines and more.  
  • On Thursday, January 16, the Division of Student Affairs hosted Dr. Joel Pérez, author of Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility. The day was filled with insightful discussions and learning opportunities and provided an opportunity for every team member to engage in a meaningful conversation about Dr. Pérez’s book and its application to student affairs work.
  • Currently in its fourth iteration, the DoSA Fellowship is a pathways program offering paid internships, mentorship, and networking opportunities for undergraduates interested in pursuing a career in the Higher Education and Student Affairs professions. Junior-year undergraduate students are eligible to apply. The application deadline Fall 2025 is March 6. For more information, visit https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/studentaffairs/stu/dosa_fellowship.php 

Events to highlight: 

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