The President of Stony Brook University serves as the university's chief executive officer. Stony Brook's President, in addition to his or her duties to the university's many academic programs, also oversees the Stony Brook University Hospital with its five health science programs and 120 community-based service centers. The President additionally plays an integral role in the economic development of Long Island, New York through Stony Brook's capacity as co-manager of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. [1]
What will be required is a new attitude toward public higher education, a new state of mind, a new desire to put some real meaning into the motto inscribed in the seal of the State University of New York which says “Let each become all he is capable of being."
— Henry T. Heald, Chairman of the Committee on Higher Education , Meeting the Increased Demand for Higher Education in New York State: A Report to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller and the Board of Regents, [2]
The duties of the President are tied to a broader governance structure of the State University of New York system, including its Chancellor, Board of Trustees, University Faculty Senate and Student Assembly. Furthermore, the President receives oversight and advice from the Stony Brook Council, presently chaired by Kevin S. Law, President and CEO of the Long Island Association. [3] [4]
The current Interim President is Richard L. McCormick. On July 1, 2020, Maurie D. McInnis assumed office as the 6th President of Stony Brook, the second woman in the university's history appointed to that position. Andrea Goldsmith was appointed as the 7th President of Stony Brook in February 2025. [5]
Dean | Term of office | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Leonard K. Olson (1914 - 2002) [6] | 1957 - 1961 (Four years) | Oversaw the managing of the Oyster Bay campus while organizing and planning for the Stony Brook campus. He recruited top faculty from elite institutions such as Oxford University, Columbia University, University of Chicago, and Yale University. Olsen was considered a strong leader and champion for student rights, a beloved figure within the Oyster Bay community. [7] |
Several persons have led Stony Brook University since 1961: [8] [9] [10]
No. | President | Term start | Term end | Refs. | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | John Francis Lee | January 1, 1961 | November 9, 1961 [a] | [11] [12] [13] [14] | |
Acting [b] | Thomas H. Hamilton [b] | November 9, 1961 | August 31, 1962 | [14] | |
Acting [c] | Karl D. Hartzell [c] | September 1, 1962 | August 31, 1965 | [15] | |
2 | John S. Toll | September 1, 1965 | June 30, 1978 | [16] [17] [18] | |
Acting | T. Alexander Pond | July 1, 1978 | May 31, 1979 | [19] | |
Acting | Richard Schmidt | June 1, 1979 | June 30, 1980 | [20] | |
3 | ![]() | John H. Marburger III | July 1, 1980 | August 31, 1994 | [21] [22] |
4 | ![]() | Shirley Strum Kenny | September 1, 1994 | June 30, 2009 | [23] [24] |
5 | ![]() | Samuel L. Stanley Jr. | July 1, 2009 | July 31, 2019 | [25] [26] [27] |
Interim | ![]() | Michael A. Bernstein | August 1, 2019 | June 30, 2020 | [28] |
6 | ![]() | Maurie D. McInnis | July 1, 2020 | June 30, 2024 | [29] [30] |
Interim | ![]() | Richard L. McCormick | August 1, 2024 | Present | [31] |
7 | ![]() | Andrea Goldsmith | President elect. Will take office on August 1, 2025. | [32] | |
Table notes:
No. | Provost [34] | Term of office |
---|---|---|
1 | H. Bentley Glass | 1965–1971 (6 years) |
2 | Sidney Gelber | 1971–1981 (10 years) |
3 | Homer A. Neal | 1981–1986 (5 years) |
4 | Jerry R. Schubel | 1986–1989 (3 years) |
5 | Tilden G. Edelstein | 1989–1994 (5 years) |
6 | R. Bryce Hool | 1994–1995 (1 year) |
7 | Rollin C. Richmond | 1996–1999 (3 years) |
8 | Robert L. McGrath | 1999–2007 (8 years) |
9 | Eric W. Kaler | 2007–2011 (4 years) |
10 | Dennis Assanis | 2011–2016 (5 years) |
Charles Taber (interim) | 2016 (Jun-Oct) | |
11 | Michael A. Bernstein | 2016–2019 (3 years) |
Minghua Zhang [35] (interim) | 2019–2020 (1 year) | |
Michael A. Bernstein | 2020 (3 months) | |
Fotis Sotiropoulos [36] (interim) | 2020–2021 (6 months) | |
13 | Paul Goldbart | 2021–2022 (10 months) |
Mónica Bugallo [37] (interim) | 2022 (5 months) | |
14 | Carl Lejuez | 2022–present (2 years, 10 months) |
Term | President |
---|---|
1975 | Max Dresden |
1976 | Norman Goodman |
1977 | Bill Jim Layton |
1978-1979 | Gary Thomas |
1980-1981 | Fred Goldhaber |
1981-1983 | Ron Douglas |
1984 | Joel Rosenthal |
1985 | Lawrence Slobodkin |
1986 | Benjamin Walcott |
1987 | Donald Petrey |
1988 | Andrea Tyree |
1989 | William Van Der Kloot |
1990 | Norman Goodman |
1991 | Barbara Elling |
1992 | Richard Porter |
1993 | Bernard Dudock |
1994 | Egon Neuberger |
1995 | Aldustus Jordan |
1996-1997 | Jolyon Jesty |
1997-1999 | Robert Kerber |
1999-2001 | Bill Godfrey |
2001-2002 | Benjamin Walcott |
2002-2006 | W. Brent Lindquist |
2006-2009 | Bernard Lane |
2009-2010 | Michael Schwartz |
2010-2014 | Frederick Walter |
2014-2018 | Edward Feldman |
2018-2020 | Nancy Tomes |
2020-2024 | Richard Larson |
2024- | Brenda Anderson |
Board of trustees of State University's Long Island Center here has named Prof. John F. Lee, an engineering department head from North Carolina State College, to serve as the first president of the science-oriented institution. The 42-year-old appointee, who is presently head of the department of mechanical engineering at North Carolina, takes office here next Jan. 1.
John F. Lee was fired yesterday as president of the State University-Long Island Center, a school that has known little but trouble since it opened its doors four vears ago. Lee's immediate dismissal was ordered by the State Univeristy trustees just one day after Lee asked Gov. Rockefeller to investigate the university for permitting what he called "incompetence, corruption and cynical politics" to continue at the Oyster Bay school... Hamilton was ordered to take over as chief administrator until Lee's successor is chosen. There was not indication of when a successor would be named.
Dr. Thomas H. Hamilton, president of the State University of New York, yesterday announced the appointment of Dr. Karl D. Hartzell as an executive dean of the university. Hartzell, a former dean of Bucknell University, will serve temporarily as chief administrative officer at the Stony Brook campus. In the administrative assignment, Hartzell will relieve Dr. Harry Porter, who will return to Albany to resume his duties as provost of the state university.
He will officially take over his duties Sept. 1. The selection of Toll as president of the Dr. John S. Toll campus at Stony Brook ends a search that began soon after the unit's president, John F. Lee, was ousted from his post October, 1961, after a faculty revolt and a boycott were held in protest over his educational policies.
In other action, the trustees, as expected, appointed Alexander T. Pond to serve as acting president of the State University at Stony Brook. Trustees are not expected to select a new president for about a year. President John S. Toll leaves July 1 to become president of the University of Maryland. Pond is now executive vice president.
Dr. Richard Schmidt, a neurologist who becomes acting president of the State University at Stony Brook on June 1, ended his first official visit there yesterday and said he would work to eliminate the campus "atmosphere of divisiveness..." Last week, the trustees decided to install Schmidt as acting president after refusing for the second time to approve the council's nomination of Pond as permanent president.
Marburger, 39, was picked yesterday to become Stony Brook's president on July 1 by a unanimous vote of the SUNY Board of Trustees here.