Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Confirmed As Next University President (video)
By Erin McKinley Dr. Samuel L. Stanley was officially named the next president of Stony Brook University this afternoon. The announcement came at a press conference after a unanimous vote by the SUNY Board of Trustees earlier today. Stanley was announced as the presidential nominee on April 23. With substantial support from Stony Brook University presidential search committee members, the nominee and his family came to the university today for the official vote. In a crowded conference room filled with university staff, SUNY board members, his wife and four children, and members of the press, Stanley addressed the university for the first time, while being broadcast across the campus via webcast. "I am very proud to accept the position of president-elect of Stony Brook University," said Stanley at the press conference. "I have very high aspirations for Stony Brook University and the SUNY system." Stanley will officially become the fifth president of the university on July 1, taking over for outgoing president, Shirley Strum Kenny. Stanley graduated with honors from the University of Chicago in 1976, with a bachelors of arts in biological sciences. He later received his doctorate in 1980 from Harvard University Medical School, and his post-doctoral degree in immunology from the Washington University School of Medicine. A number of speeches made by distinguished members of the SUNY system welcomed Stanley and his family to the Stony Brook community. With the common goal of making Stony Brook a flagship university and taking the school to the next level academically, speakers at the conference explored topics ranging from the university's successful past to its encouraging future. A point made by various speakers throughout the press conference was a desire for Stony Brook to officially be named a flagship school in the SUNY system. Before former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s resignation in March 2008, he had been said to be considering naming Stony Brook and the University at Buffalo to be system flagships. After his resignation, the idea was seemingly scrapped, as it has not been taken up by Gov. Paterson. "We consider ourselves to be the flagship of the [SUNY] system," said Richard T. Nasti, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. As a flagship school Stony Brook would be recognized as a statewide center of higher learning, and would conceivably gain more funding and recognition. Nasti and Stanley made several hints during their speeches that they would like the SUNY Chancellor-Elect Nancy Zimpher to bestow this distinction upon Stony Brook. The AAU (Association of American Universities) was also a topic of discussion at the panel. It is a group of the leading 62 research universities in the United States and Canada. In 2001, Stony Brook University officially became a part of the AAU. At the press conference, it was discussed how this has bolstered Stony Brook’s research efforts, which Stanley will also look to do, he said. Brookhaven National Labs conducts research in physical, biomedical and environmental sciences and is located in Long Island. Recently, Stony Brook has acquired Brookhaven Labs. The university plans to use the research facility to work on university research projects. "We have found a leader to really help move us forward with our current relationships with AAU and Brookhaven labs" said Rich Gelfond, Chair of the Stony Brook Foundation and Vice Chair of the Presidential Search Committee. "Stony Brook University is a bold tradition," said Stanley. "For me, this is a starting point, a baseline." Stanley will be replacing Shirley Strum Kenny, who has been president of the university since 1994. Though at times controversial, Kenny is widely credited with expanding the university’s scope, both through new programs and property acquisitions in the form of land and laboratories. "We all stand on the shoulders of those who go before us," said Zimpher about the legacy the new president has to live up to. As the university's new president, Stanley will receive an annual salary of $400,0000, as well as $150,000 annually from the Stony Brook University Foundation and $100,000 per year from the SUNY Research Foundation. Stanley will also be granted the use of university-owned housing and a car. |
