Richard L. McCormick Appointed Interim President of Stony Brook University
July 16, 2024
Dear Stony Brook Campus Community,
The SUNY Board of Trustees met earlier today and voted to appoint Richard L. McCormick, PhD, to serve as interim president of Stony Brook University effective August 1. The announcement from SUNY is included here. His experienced visionary leadership includes presidencies at Rutgers University and the University of Washington, and service as provost at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Stony Brook is fortunate to have Dr. McCormick join us as we continue to advance our remarkable trajectory and I am grateful for his willingness to serve in this role.
Dr. McCormick’s notable accomplishments as president of Rutgers from 2002 until 2012 included reinvigorating undergraduate education, elevating its standing in the top tier of public research universities, realizing a longstanding goal of returning medical education to the university’s portfolio, and improving and strengthening connections with important partners, including alumni and local communities. He is the ideal leader to help Stony Brook sustain its momentum as New York's flagship university.
Dr. McCormick is president emeritus at Rutgers and most recently held an appointment as the Board of Governors Professor of History and Education at Rutgers where he began his career as a scholar of American political history after completing his PhD in history from Yale University.
As the national search begins to identify Stony Brook’s next president, we are excited to have Dr. McCormick at the helm, working closely with a well-established cohesive leadership team to continue our legacy of excellence. Together with Dr. McCormick, I am confident Stony Brook will be successful in ensuring that this legacy continues uninterrupted.
His arrival is ideally timed with the start of the new academic year, and he is looking forward to meeting faculty, staff, students and other members of the campus and local communities. Please join me in welcoming Dr. McCormick to Stony Brook.
Sincerely,
William Wertheim, MD, MBA
Executive Vice President, Stony Brook Medicine
Officer-in-Charge, Stony Brook University