News and Announcements

July 21, 2008

To All Faculty, Staff and Students

Dear Colleague:

As you know, after fourteen years as leader of our great University, President Shirley Kenny has announced her plans to retire and move on to other challenges. Under Dr. Kenny's stewardship, and with the hard work and support of the entire campus community, Stony Brook University has ascended to the ranks of the top ranked universities in the world. Stony Brook has earned a national and international reputation, achieving admission into the prestigious 62 member Association of American Universities and boasting some of the best undergraduate and graduate programs in the nation.

As Chairman of the Stony Brook Council, the 10-person oversight and advisory body of the University, I will serve as Chair of the Presidential Search Committee to select our next leader. As a 1978 graduate of Stony Brook, Chair of the Stony Brook Council, and Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, I am committed to a transparent, inclusive process which will include all of the stakeholders of the University. In the near future, the members of the Presidential Search Committee will be announced, and the Committee will start its work in September.

The State University Guidelines charge the Search Committee with recommending presidential candidates to the Stony Brook Council which then must forward no fewer than three candidates to the Chancellor and SUNY Board of Trustees. The SUNY Board of Trustees then makes the official appointment of President from the recommendations by the Stony Brook Council.

A Presidential Search Committee website will be established which will provide information on the search. One of the first tasks of the Search Committee will be an institutional analysis which will help it ascertain those job elements against which to measure the applicants. Toward that end, a questionnaire will be made available to the campus community to receive its input. There will also be other opportunities to provide your thoughts on this critical matter.

Dr. Kenny has had a remarkable presidency, but perhaps her most important achievement has been to elevate the stature of Stony Brook University to the point where we fully anticipate a group of world-class applicants to lead Stony Brook. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at PresSearch@stonybrook.edu.

Thank you and enjoy the balance of the summer.

Sincerely,

Richard T. Nasti

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