President’s Report to the University Senate

April 7, 2025

Executive Summary

State Budget Update

• Operating Aid: An increase in operating aid for SUNY remains in the budget
  • $114m increase proposed by the Governor in the Executive Budget
  • Will cover the full costs of contractual salary increases.  
• Productive Visit to Albany: On March 18th, I had a very productive visit to Albany with Chancellor King and the other University Center Presidents.
  • Support for SUNY was overwhelming, including for the research capital request of $800 million for the four University Centers.
  • Uncertainty may prompt lawmakers to appropriate funds at a number closer to the Governor’s recommendation of $200 million.
• State Budget Deadline: The State Budget was due on April 1.
  • The Governor and Legislature have yet to agree on a deal.
  • The Legislature is scheduled to be in Albany through April 11, with anticipated approval before the Passover holiday begins.
  • This timeframe is consistent with Budget approval in the last several years.
• Advocacy Commitment: We remain committed in our advocacy and hope to have a positive update when the Budget is finally enacted.

Federal Government Advocacy

• Federal Advocacy Strategy: As part of a comprehensive and aggressive federal advocacy strategy led by SBU’s Office of Federal Relations in Washington, DC, in close coordination with SUNY’s DC Office, numerous Stony Brook officials have visited Washington DC to advocate for our priorities.
• April Visit: On April 2, I visited members and senior staff of the New York congressional delegation to advocate for Stony Brook University and Stony Brook Medicine federal priorities. Topics discussed included:
  • Providing robust funding for FY26 appropriations.
  • Increasing funding for science research across the board.
  • Preventing the proposed NIH F&A cuts.
  • Protecting federal student financial aid and student loans.
  • Addressing the adverse impact upon research institutions related to the reduction in workforce for the Department of Education and other federal agencies.
  • The immediate need to pass legislative language to amend the new Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) calculation method for hospitals.
  • Providing strong federal support for public safety-net hospitals.
  • SBU federal research grants that have recently been delayed or cancelled.
• Recent Advocacy Efforts: In later SBU biomedical researchers were on the Hill advocating for federal science research funding. Next Wednesday (4/9), SBU Advocacy Corps students will be in DC meeting with congressional members and staff to advocate for science research and student financial aid. Stony Brook University leadership, faculty, students, and staff are providing a strong presence in our nation’s capital to advance SBU federal priorities and raise critical concerns during these unprecedented times when many outcomes remain uncertain.
• Ongoing Efforts: SBU's Office of Federal Relations will continue to work on a daily basis with the New York congressional delegation, federal agencies, and our national higher education and research association partners to advocate for SBU federal priorities.

ADA Advisory Board

• Establishment of New ADA Advisory Board: Stony Brook University is establishing a new ADA Advisory Board, evolving from its previous ADA Advisory Committee formed in 1994.
  • This reconstituted board will have broader representation across the university, East and West Campus, the Hospital, and Long Island State Veterans Home.
  • Members will include students, staff, and faculty to ensure disciplinary breadth and representation from East and West Campus.
  • The board aims to create a unified and comprehensive approach to ensure ongoing ADA compliance and foster a more inclusive campus environment for students, faculty, staff, and patients.
  • While the Board will address all ADA issues, the primary initial focus of the board is to address recent updates to Title II of the ADA, which mandates that all digital platforms be accessible by April 2026.

 

Advancement

• Closed $72.3 million in gifts this fiscal year-to-date, compared to $114.7 million at this time last fiscal year; last year’s gifts included a $50 million gift from Bloomberg Philanthropies to The New York Climate Exchange.
• Since the New York State and Simons Infinity Investment matches were announced in FY23, we have raised a total of $99.9 million in endowment gifts.
• Notable gifts closed since the last update include: 
  1. $1,500,000 endowment pledge to support unrestricted student scholarships. 
  2. $400,000 to support a professorship in Applied Mathematics and Statistics.
  3. $221,617 to support the Department of Mathematics.
  4. $175,000 endowment gift to support undergraduate research.
  5. $151,703 to support the C.N. Yang Institute. 
  6. $150,000 endowment gift to support Biochemistry and Cell Biology.
  7. $138,511 to support the Department of Physics and Astronomy.
  8. $125,000 endowment gift to support student scholarships.
  9. $101,973 gift to the Department of Nutrition. 
  10. $100,000 endowment gift to support The Oliver Schaeffer Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund.
  11. $100,000 endowment gift to support the dental students.
  12. $100,000 endowment gift to support marine research.

 

Athletics

• Stony Brook Athletics raised $507,620 from 574 unique donors during the recent Giving Day event on March 26.   
• Women’s Lacrosse is currently ranked No. 19 in the country and remains unbeaten in CAA play with the most recent win coming in a 20-3 victory over William & Mary on March 30. The team has won 82 consecutive conference games, a streak that dates back to 2014 and is the longest in the nation for any sport. 
• Men’s Lacrosse earned its second ranked win of the season, defeating No. 12 Fairfield 17-16 on March 29.
• Softball has won five of its last six CAA games after sweeping a three-game road series against Hampton on March 28-30. 
• Five Stony Brook basketball student-athletes earned CAA postseason recognition. C.J. Luster (Third Team) and Collin O’Connor (All-Rookie) were honored from the men’s team while Zaida Gonzales (Second Team), Breauna Ware (Third Team) and Marla King (Dean Ehlers Leadership Award) were honored from the women’s team.
• Football kicked off its spring practice schedule on March 23 and will wrap up with the annual Spring Showcase on Friday, April 25 at LaValle Stadium at 6 p.m. The team opens the 2025 season on August 28 at San Diego State.

 

Human Resources

• As part of the HR Now Transformation effort, we are continuing to implement embedded HR Business Partners that are fully dedicated to supporting the HR needs for Divisions and Colleges.
• Central HR is also continuing to expand support and services as part of HR Now, including:
  • Bolstering recruiting support by expanding talent acquisition and recruiting services, resources, tools and expertise
  • New training programs and resources, Wolfpack Learning, which include new supervisory and leadership development programs
• This March we will also be launching Stony Brook’s first ever staff and faculty engagement survey, which will be administered by our external partner ModernThink.  This survey will provide us with valuable insights on our work environment, total rewards, and levels of employee satisfaction and engagement, which will be used to help shape future strategies and efforts to retain and support faculty and staff.
• The university is has launched a national search for a permanent VP of HR.

 

Marketing/Communications

• Developed a multichannel communication strategy for Climate Month that will drive awareness of Stony Brook as a leader in the fight against climate change while reinforcing our role in leading the New York Climate Exchange. 
• Executed a targeted digital advertising and marketing campaign to reach legislators with messaging about the value of supporting Stony Brook during budget season. Working closely with Government Relations to craft the most effective messaging and placement and continue to leverage the power of the new Dare To Be Brand positioning.  
• Ongoing management of communications to support campus climate issues as needed including all presidential communications.
• Continuing to collaborate on marketing strategy execution to support Enrollment Management's decision season while beginning to reach prospective students for 25-26 school year.
• Daily content management of all SBU social media channels and daily management of the University website content and infrastructure included the now underway reskinning of the design to align with new brand.
• Daily management of incoming media calls and proactive multichannel story telling.

 

Research

• The federal environment remains very dynamic with daily changes in the landscape of federal grants and contracts. The Office of Research and Innovation continues to provide guidance and support to navigate this challenging time for our faculty and in collaboration with SUNY central and RF. Our university relies heavily on federal grants and contracts to support our research enterprise that creates economic development, develops critical technologies for the security of the US, saves and improves lives, and ensures the US leads the world technologically. Research is also closely related to graduate education which provides the advanced technological workforce for businesses here on LI and throughout NYS. 
• To date we have not seen significant impacts on our federal grants and contracts. We have continued to receive new and renewal awards throughout February and have seen only a very limited number of instances in which awards have been terminated, stopped or paused. This may change of course, and we are coordinating across campus, with SUNY and the RF, and keeping in close contact with our federal delegation. 

 

Student Affairs

• Many educational and cultural events were hosted throughout March to commemorate Women’s History Month, including panel discussions featuring women in various industries, movie screenings, among others. 
  • The Career Center hosted Not All Sheroes Wear Capes, an annual event that connects current students with female leaders in the workplace.
  • The Center for Civic Justice hosted Her Impact: Women Driving Change on March 26, a panel and roundtable discussion featuring a virtual keynote from Tina Tchen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for the Obama Foundation, and three accomplished members of our Stony Brook community.  
• Student Affairs is hosting the second annual “And Still I Rise: Empowering Women of Color in Higher Education” High Tea Conference on April 10, an event that serves as a foundational step in fostering community among mid to senior-level women of color and allies in Higher Education across Long Island and the Metro New York area. 
• WUSB Radio Station was recognized in the top 7 college radio stations nationwide and awarded within the top 5 public service announcements by the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System.
• The Center for Prevention and Outreach has been selected as a recipient of the New York Council on Problem Gambling (NYCPG) College Capacity Building Grant, which will provide funding for one year to assist in gathering student gambling prevalence and perception data among students ages 18-24 and in expanding problem gambling screening efforts on college campuses. 
• The Southampton campus, with help from the Student Accessibility and Support Center and the School of Health Professions, opened its new Sensory Room for students to unwind and relax. 

Events to highlight: 

Brookfest - USG’s annual concert - April 4 
https://stonybrook.campuslabs.com/engage/event/11081893

2025 High Tea Conference and Luncheon - April 10
stonybrook.edu/highteaconference 

Shirley Strum Kenny Arts Festival - April 17  
https://stonybrook.campuslabs.com/engage/event/11214900

Earthstock, A Celebration of Earth Day - April 21-25 
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/earthstock/

7th Annual Spirit of Stony Brook Varsity Band Spring Concert - April 25 
https://stonybrook.campuslabs.com/engage/event/11051825

Roth Regatta - May 2
https://stonybrook.campuslabs.com/engage/event/11118553