Message from President Maurie McInnis

Graduates, it is a true pleasure and honor to finally be celebrating your in-person commencement.

As the first class to persevere through and graduate into the pandemic year, you set the precedent for how we could succeed through such a challenging period: with grit, accountability, positivity, and an open mind.

Although I wasn’t President at the time of your virtual commencement in spring of 2020, I have been inspired by your tenacity throughout this past year and have so looked forward to welcoming you back to campus to celebrate your accomplishments in person. I am proud to be your President, and have no doubt that this incredibly unique group will go on to achieve great things with the knowledge, wisdom, and motivation that has been ascribed specifically to the Class of 2020.

You are now a part of over 200,000 Stony Brook alumni all over the world. It is my hope that you have already had the chance to see just how much a Stony Brook degree means, and just how powerful our impact is on the society around us. Your presence here today demonstrates your commitment to your education and to this University. And we are equally committed to you.

As we navigate this new era—an era of great change, profound questions, and immense possibility—we understand how much of our collective journey starts with you: the Class of 2020, full of individuals who will be remembered in history for their strength, resilience, and creativity, and who are already writing an exciting history of their own.  

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Sincerely,
Maurie McInnis
President