OFFICE OF THE PROVOST AND
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
TO: University Senate
FROM: Nancy K. Squires, Interim Provost
DATE: September 12, 2011
REPORT TO THE UNIVERSITY SENATE
DR. MINGHUA ZHANG APPOINTED DEAN OF SoMAS
I am pleased to announce that Dr. Minghua Zhang has agreed to serve as Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, effective on or about September 1, 2011. Minghua's long and distinguished history with Stony Brook University began in 1988 when he came here as a Postdoctoral Visiting Scientist. He then assumed an Assistant Professorship with SoMAS (then MSRC) in 1990. Minghua has served as Professor and the Director of the Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres since 2001, and Associate Dean with SoMAS since 2003.
Minghua, who has dedicated over 20 years of academic and professional service to SoMAS, is also the author of over 70 papers and a book on climate science. Additionally, Minghua was one of the four distinguished atmospheric scientists from Stony Brook who served on the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Former Vice President, Albert A. Gore. In addition, Minghua's service as Associate Dean provides him with valuable perspective on the administrative workings of the university.
FALL 2011 NEW FACULTY HIRES
We are proud to welcome 65 new faculty members to Stony Brook this fall. On Wednesday, September 21, 2011, immediately following the University Convocation, President Stanley and Interim Provost Squires will co-host a New Faculty Reception to welcome our new faculty and to provide them with an opportunity to meet our campus senior administrators is an informal forum.
This year, the university also held a comprehensive New Faculty Orientation on Friday, August 26, 2011 to help new faculty navigate and make the most of our large university. Faculty members also received Human Resources and Technology training at the Orientation, and were provided with valuable information and resources for themselves and for their students. Additionally, our new faculty received advice from experienced SBU faculty mentors on how to achieve an effective balance between their teaching, research and service responsibilities.
STONY BROOK CARES CAMPAIGN KICKED OFF ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2011
The Provost’s Office has again agreed to Chair the Stony Brook Cares campaign this year. The Stony Brook Cares annual fundraising effort supports a network of local, national and international community services all year long. With our university support, affiliated agencies feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, nurture the sick, care for the elderly, counsel troubled youth, protect the environment and make an overall difference in so many lives.
All members of the University community can obtain donation forms, information on how to give, and view the SEFA or United Way list of charities by visiting the SB Cares web site at http://www.stonybrook.edu/sb/stonybrookcares/. This year’s campaign runs from September 1 through December 31, 2011.
SEPTEMBER 2011 PROVOST’S LECTURE SERIES
Our Fall 2011 Provost’s Lecture Series begins September 26, 2011 as we host Jo Handelsman, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University. Handelsman will present her lecture entitled “Scientific Teaching: Launching a Revolution in Science Education” on Monday, September 26, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. in SAC Ballroom A.
SIMONS SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM SYMPOSIUM
On Friday, August 12, 2011, we held our Simons Summer Research Program Symposium to celebrate the outstanding academic achievements of the 35 Simons Fellows we hosted on campus this summer. The Simons Summer Research program is a very successful outreach effort that began 27 years ago through an arrangement with the Simons Foundation and Stony Brook University to engage exceptional high school students in supervised research in a science or engineering discipline.
SUNY KOREA
We expect academic programs at SUNY Korea to begin in March 2012 with a target enrollment of 200 students in the first year. Pending Middle States Accreditation and facility readiness, enrollment applications to SUNY Korea will be available this fall. SUNY Korea will offer graduate degrees - with a strong focus on research – in Computer Science, Information Systems and Technology Systems Management. Faculty in Songdo will comprise a combination of faculty that reside in Korea and faculty from Stony Brook University.
SUNY Korea is a very natural next step in fostering Stony Brook's academic relationship with Korea. We currently partner with 15 Korean universities to offer our students a broad selection of international exchange programs; we have established CEWIT Korea; and now, the graduate degrees in Engineering and Technology & Society that will be offered at SUNY Korea will enable Stony Brook to advance even further this highly successful international academic partnership.