Jen Filasky  |  Director of Advancement Events

What’s your favorite Stony Brook tradition? 
Despite being a young institution, Stony Brook has many great traditions, and my favorite is the annual Roth Regatta. For more than 30 years, teams of students, clubs and departments have engineered boats out of cardboard, duct tape and paint, which are then raced across the murky waters of Roth Pond. And while some boats don’t survive more than a few seconds in the water, the creativity and design is still amazing to see. University Advancement even entered one year with a Star Trek-themed vessel dubbed the “Scholar-Ship Enterprise.” Whether you’re participating or spectating, the energy and excitement around the Roth Regatta make it a unique campus tradition not to be missed. 

A.J. Nagaraj  |  Assistant Vice President for Advancement Strategy

What inspired you to join Stony Brook Advancement?
Although my career has spanned both the K-12 and higher education sectors, the common thread has been a focus on equipping students from low-income backgrounds with opportunities to advance into higher income brackets. Stony Brook has a national reputation for both enrolling and graduating students from under-resourced communities, and this was validated by a Stanford study ranking the institution #1 for social mobility among all highly selective universities nationally. Whether it's raising funds for scholarships, fellowships or endowed professorships, I know that our efforts are helping thousands of students achieve the American dream.