News and Announcements

February 13, 2009

Dear Colleague:

I am pleased to report that over the past several months, the search committee has been extremely busy, actively recruiting top candidates for the presidency of Stony Brook University. In conjunction with the search firm Russell Reynolds, the search committee has reviewed the resumes of many of the top people in academia at some of the most prestigious universities in the country. The response to this recruitment effort has been outstanding and is a testament to the reputation of Stony Brook.

To date, the committee has interviewed a subset of the nominated candidates, further reviewing and discussing their credentials with a view toward narrowing the candidates down to a smaller group. I am pleased to report that we have begun the process of inviting certain candidates back for a second round of interviews. It is important to note, however, that at no point will the committee close the door to superb candidates.

As I indicated in a prior email, the search committee does not select the president of the university. The role of the search committee is to recommend qualified candidates to the Stony Brook Council, the local governing body of the University. Thereafter, the Council must forward three candidates to the SUNY Board of Trustees for its consideration. It is the SUNY Board that appoints the president of the University. The search committee’s goal is to be in a position to forward names to the Council some time in March or April. Of course, this is a goal and is subject to candidate schedules and other considerations.

I would be remiss if I did not mention how rewarding it has been to hear so many of the nation’s leading academics speaking glowingly of Stony Brook’s reputation, and express so much optimism about our future, notwithstanding the economic challenges that lie ahead. Again, I want to again thank the members of the search committee for their many hours and weekends of service to Stony Brook. Each member has been terrific and deserves a debt of gratitude from the Stony Brook community.

Richard Nasti '78 Chair, Presidential Search Committee

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