HUB FOR MIGRATION AND MOBILITIES AT STONY BROOK 

The College of Arts and Sciences recently introduced an interdisciplinary Hub for Migration and Mobilities at Stony Brook. This Hub is based on existing faculty interests in the Global Migration of People and Ideas. In our rapidly globalizing world, migration is an ever-present reality, constantly shaping daily lives and experiences across the world in critical ways. By expanding its investment in themes of migration, Stony Brook University will remain relevant, better prepare our students for contributing to the world outside the university, attract and retain skilled faculty and support cutting-edge research, contribute to important policy decisions at the local, state, and national level, open new opportunities for critical engagement with the local community, and also engender multiple broader societal impacts. Increasing Stony Brook’s attention to the global migration of people and ideas offers an important avenue for engaging with and contributing to communities around the University.

Through our process of examining operations across the College and analyzing the existing strengths in CAS, we found that centers need more support to do the essential work they do. There are several centers and institutes in CAS with varying levels of administrative support that touch on cultures across the globe. They have various missions including undergraduate curriculum, research, and community outreach. These centers and institutes will act as spokes from the Hub for Migration and Mobilities. We also need to create a scaffold for our Globalization major that is not within a department but works with departments and that enables better collaboration between centers and the Institute for Globalization Studies. We created the Hub to provide umbrella administrative and technical support that will:

• elevate the Centers’ visibility and their impact
• provide budget, scheduling, development, and communication support 
• provide better coordination between Centers, particularly to support the BA in Globalization Studies and International Relations
• provide a gateway for students and external community to find opportunities in Migration and Mobilities ranging from internships to scholar researchers who can assist with policy development

We recently hired a business manager and are in the process of hiring a development officer and senior staff associate to facilitate the work of the Hub. These three staff members will manage the budgets, facilitate events, increase external and internal communications, coordinate schedules, and support the incredible research, community outreach, and education happening within these centers.  

Centers that are part of the Hub: