We Can Do It Together: Interim President McCormick Delivers State of the University Address

Stony Brook University Interim President Richard McCormick delivered the State of the University Address to an audience of students, faculty, staff and community members September 25 on the Staller Center Main Stage. Photos by John Griffin.

Stony Brook University Interim President Richard McCormick delivered his first Stony Brook State of the University address on September 25, sharing how the university will meet the challenges it faces while continuing to excel as the flagship university of New York.

McCormick - who previously served as president at Rutgers University and the University of Washington - officially joined Stony Brook on August 1 and formally introduced himself to the university community with the address, sharing his extensive experience and life-long commitment working in higher education. McCormick, who holds a PhD in history, provided "a brief history lesson" on the importance of higher education, highlightinghow Stony Brook represents the most important developments in American higher education, including:

• Stony Brook has been attracting a growing and highly diverse student body with half who are from economically disadvantaged families
• Stony Brook has a large and expanding research enterprise that is fueled by more than $300 million annually, mostly from the federal government
• Stony Brook graduates and research have a profound impact on the economies of Long Island, New York, the nation and the world

McCormick touted the university's historic enrollment increase of first-year students this fall saying, "Their presence testifies to our university's reputation as a top choice for talented, diverse, and ambitious students from all backgrounds across New York State, the nation, and the world."

He added that over 40 percent of Stony Brook undergraduates receive federal Pell grants, "which means they come from [financially qualifying] families. And, by the way, our Pell students graduate at a rate that is slightly higher than that of the rest of the student body."

Praising the university's philanthropic efforts - including securing $655 million dollars in contributions this year - McCormick also acknowledged the passing of Jim Simons, who with his wife, Marilyn Simons, has impacted Stony Brook University with their visionary generosity for generations to come.

McCormick recognized Stony Brook Medicine for greatly contributing to the health and wellness of the Long Island community. "They do so through the proud stewardship of the Long Island State Veterans Home, and a myriad of other health care programs that are carried on at Stony Brook University Hospital, our Children's and East End hospitals, and in more than two hundred ambulatory care facilities," he said. "Stony Brook University Hospital is one of the first eight hospitals in the United States to attain Health Care Equity Certification from The Joint Commission. It is Long Island's only institution to achieve this level of certification and demonstrates Stony Brook's commitment to embracing diversity, addressing health disparities, and providing equitable, patient-centered care."

After thanking members of the SBU community who shared in the "wet and tiring work" of recovering from the flooding on campus in the first week of the fall semester, McCormick recalled thanking Governor Kathy Hochul for naming Stony Brook a flagship university of New York State.

"That designation is a point of pride, but it must also be our North Star," he said. "It sends a clear message that we are being entrusted to attract outstanding students from all backgrounds, to recruit the most accomplished faculty, and to win even more highly competitive federal research funding."

While celebrating the university's momentum, McCormick identified institutional challenges, including the need to:

• expand and encourage more interdisciplinary research;
• Invest in the university's facilities to support the needs of a true flagship university; and
• make strategic decisions about increasing our enrollment as a first-choice destination for both undergraduate and graduate students

McCormick announced that this year, Stony Brook will launch a new Shared Resources Organization to design and develop high-performance computing, establish a $10 million Stony Brook Venture Fund, create an Angel Network, and begin to make translational grants so that researchers have what they need "to propel their discoveries beyond the campus, into business or health care or anywhere their findings can advance the solution to human problems."

With a goal of deepening initiatives in both research and teaching that bring together the medical and health science programs with the rest of the university's academic programs, McCormick said he will soon appoint a faculty task force on such cooperation. It will be co-chaired by Bill Wertheim, MD, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine, and Brenda Anderson, professor of integrative neuroscience.

Noting that Stony Brook faces a staggering $2 billion in deferred maintenance, McCormick said a comprehensive facilities master planning process has begun in order to improve the facilities on campus. "I promise to use my time and influence as president doing everything I can to persuade state leaders to meet our need for new and better facilities," he said. "The state cannot have the flagship university it wants in the buildings we now have."

Pointing to Stony Brook's 90 percent retention rate and growing enrollment, McCormick said the university must take steps to support all students, including improved housing. "My administration is hard at work developing solutions that will meet our student housing needs for the future, and I pledge vigorouslyto seek the outside help we must have to achieve this goal," he said.

McCormick also announced the establishment of a Stony Brook Future Scholars Program that would identify a hundred or more rising eighth graders who are enrolled in disadvantaged local school districts.

"We would promise to mentor them through their high school years and encourage them to take the courses that will prepare them for higher education," McCormick said. "We would bring the Stony Brook Future Scholars onto our campus frequently, both during the academic year and the summer, for programs enabling them to begin to experience college life and learning. Those who graduate from high school - and we would make sure they all do - and who earn admission to Stony Brook on their merits will attend here with free tuition."

In closing, McCormick challenged a university community that believes in creating new knowledge and inspiring the next generation of students. "Let's take our university to the next level. Let's be a true flagship. We can do it together."

The address was delivered at the Staller Center for the Arts main stage, attended bystudents, faculty, staff, healthcare workers, elected representatives and local community members.It was also livestreamed to hundreds of viewers online. A reception followed the address at Staller Plaza.

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