Pres. Kenny Announces Retirement in June '09
By Rachel Young President Shirley Strum Kenny confirmed late Wednesday night that she plans to retire in June 2009. In a mass e-mail sent to the Stony Brook community, Kenny, 73, who has been the university's president the last 14 years, said she and her husband are ready for a "new chapter" in their lives. Newsday reports that Kenny and her husband plan to move to Washington, D.C., where four of their children live. Kenny said she takes "great satisfaction" in progress the university made during her presidency, including the creation of Stony Brook Southampton, the landscaping program, and new buildings, like Humanities and Heavy Engineering. Kenny said the 2008-9 year will be a busy one. "Finalizing the research alliance between Stony Brook, Brookhaven, and Cold Spring Harbor is high on the list, as is the completion of the Capital Campaign. The academic programs must continue to flourish and our research efforts increase," she said. I am writing to let you know that I have reached the decision to retire in June 2009. My years at Stony Brook have been richly rewarding. I am enormously proud of what we have achieved together and grateful for the opportunity to work with you. Now I have made this decision because I believe it is the right time; my husband and I are ready for a new chapter in our lives. I take great satisfaction in Stony Brook's achievements over these past fourteen years. Stony Brook was elected to AAU, undertook the successful management of Brookhaven National Lab, and expanded the campus to include Stony Brook Manhattan, Stony Brook Southampton, and the new research and development park. New buildings, from the Ambulatory Surgery Center and Cancer Center to the Heavy Engineering and Humanities Buildings to the football stadium have improved our campus facilities, and the landscaping program has transformed the appearance of the campus. Improvements in undergraduate education through research opportunities, the undergraduate colleges, freshman seminars, and other innovations have produced a 33% increase in enrollment accompanied by strikingly increased SAT scores and greater student diversity. Now more students apply to Stony Brook than to any other SUNY campus. But we still have a lot to accomplish during 2008-9. Finalizing the research alliance between Stony Brook, Brookhaven, and Cold Spring Harbor is high on the list, as is the completion of the Capital Campaign. The academic programs must continue to flourish and our research efforts increase. I know all of us will continue to work together for the good of Stony Brook, because the quality of the institution is integrally linked with the future of New York and our nation. Together we must make the State understand the importance of funding Stony Brook to compete with other great state universities. Thank you for all we have done together--and let's make 2008-9 a great, memorable year! |
True, I completely agree that it's time for Kenny to retire. However, everyone should keep in mind that the university president is a political appointee, which means we could get some flunky friend of the current governor who shares his views on the value of SUNY to New York State. If the governor's recent actions are any indication, then we should perhaps brace for someone even worse. Now is the time to put political pressure on all levels of the SUNY systems to push for a quality president. We can't afford another Kenny.
It's about time
WOOHOO! Maybe now we'll get a president that realizes that this university is an academic institution first and foremost.