February 5, 2018: University Senate Report 

Office of the Provost

Provost’s Lecture Series Presents Darwin Day Distinguished Lecture

The Provost’s Lecture Series is pleased to co-sponsor, with the Department of Ecology and Evolution, a Darwin Day Distinguished Lecture by Hopi Hoekstra, an internationally-renowned biologist and the Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology at Harvard University. Her lecture, “What Darwin Didn’t Know,” will be held on Friday, February 9, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. in the Earth and Space Sciences Building, Theater 001.

Hoekstra became a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator in 2013 and she was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2016. She is an evolutionary geneticist who studies the molecular basis of adaptation in deer mice. Her research focuses on understanding how variation is generated and maintained in natural populations. In particular, she is interested in understanding both the proximate (molecular, genetic, and developmental mechanisms) and ultimate (timing, strength, and agent of selection) causes of evolutionary change. Thus, much of Hoekstra’s research focuses on identifying and characterizing the molecular changes
responsible for traits that affect fitness of organisms in the wild, in which ecological, developmental, and genomic information may be combined to address questions about the evolution of morphological, behavioral, and reproductive diversity. In this talk, she will
describe her work studying evolution in action, as well as in linking genes to traits and to survival.

Stony Brook University Leadership Academy Fellows Inaugural Workshop

The first of the Leadership Academy Fellows workshops took place on Thursday, February 1. Nineteen mid-career faculty from across the university were nominated by their Chairs and Deans, and selected to participate. Through support by the Provost’s Office and from Fidelity Investments, these workshops, titled Setting the Stage for Successful Leadership at Stony Brook University, are stewarded by the SUNY Strategic, Academic, and Innovative Leadership (SAIL) Institute and coordinated by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Stella Tsirka. Two more workshops are scheduled for March 22 and May 7.

Leadership Academy Fellows are selected each year from a pool of Associate Professors nominated by Departmental Chairs and Deans. All schools and colleges are eligible to submit nominations in early Fall.

Fellows participate in leadership workshops during the Spring semester. Workshops topics include: leadership styles and strengths; ways to promote trust; strategic thinking; leading effective change and maintaining the course; ways to promote teamwork and collaboration; and managing conflict.

Fellows are also requested to develop proposals for ‘leadership practicums’ in their respective areas of interest. The practicums are completed during the summer months under the guidance of a senior leader at the university.

Upon completion of the practicum at the end of July, Fellows attend a closing ceremony at which they discuss their experiences during the training, present the outcomes of their practicum, and provide feedback on the program.

Vice Provost Jun Liu Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant

Dr. Jun Liu, Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Dean of International Academic Programs, has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant through the Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) Seminar Program. The IEA Seminar Program offers fully-funded grants for U.S. higher education administrators to participate in an intensive two-week seminar abroad to learn about other countries’ higher education systems. Seminar participants develop new perspectives and insights for improving internationalization opportunities on their respective campuses. Dr. Liu will travel to India to complete his grant. The Fulbright Program, which aims to increase mutual understanding between people of the United States and people of other countries, is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government.

Stories from The Southampton Review Featured on NPR’s “Selected Shorts” Podcast

Three stories that have appeared in The Southampton Review (TSR) were performed on two recent episodes of National Public Radio’s podcast, Selected Shorts. The January 4 episode, titled “Crossing the Line,” included two TSR stories that were also read at the 2017 Southampton Writers Conference in Avram Theater. Douglas Lawson’s “Love in a Kitchen Garden” was read by actor Richard Kind. The second story, “Brand Values,” was written by MFA student Emily Buckler. The December 28, 2017 episode featured another Roxanna Robinson’s “In Naples,” which was also performed at the 2017 Southampton Writers Conference.

TSR Publishing is the publication arm of the MFA in Creative Writing and Literature at Stony Brook Southampton. Dedicated to publishing fine fiction, nonfiction, plays, screenplays, poetry, literary cartoons, photography and art, The Southampton Review opens its pages to writers from across the globe whose work is compelling.

Center for Hellenic Studies Hosts Lecture featuring Stony Brook Dean Constantia Constantinou

The Center for Hellenic Studies hosted a lecture on January 31 featuring Constantia Constantinou, Dean of University Libraries. The presentation, entitled “Liquid Gold: Symbolic and Spiritual Significance of Olive Oil in Cyprus,” traces the importance of the symbolic
representation and the spiritual significance of the olive tree in the Mediterranean region, with particular emphasis in Cyprus from the 9th millennium BC representing a clear outline of the Cypriot history and religion from the Neolithic period to the present. Dean Constantinou has been invited to present her research at library conferences in the United States and worldwide. Her recent presentations include, “The Olive Oil Chronicles” at the International Conference of Mediterranean Studies, 2017; and the “The Discovery of Karamanlitika: Disappearing Literature, Artifacts and Cultural Heritage” at the Library of Congress, Africa and Middle Eastern Division, 2017.