Recommended Naming Resolution: The Hildegarde Kurnol ‘61 Performance Venue

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that the Stony Brook Council approve a newly named performance space for the Department of Music, located in the Fine Arts I building of the Staller Center for the Arts the “Hildegarde Kurnol ‘61 Performance Venue.”

BACKGROUND

WHEREAS, Hildegarde G. Weigel has been a devoted and steadfast supporter of Stony Brook University for more than 40 years, generously contributing her time, talent, and resources to a broad array of campus initiatives, including the First Alumni Scholarship Fund, and in 2021 establishing the Hildegarde Kurnol ’61 Endowed Scholarship to support undergraduate students in mathematics and music;

WHEREAS, Stony Brook University is proud to honor its long and meaningful association with Hildegarde G. Weigel, a distinguished member of the institution’s first graduating class who earned her degree in mathematics in 1961. As a first-generation American and first-generation college student, she deeply values access to higher education and has dedicated her life to championing opportunities for others. A lifelong pianist with a passion for music, she takes great pride in Stony Brook’s evolution from a small college into one of the nation’s leading centers of learning and research, and hopes her philanthropy will inspire others to support future generations of students.

WHEREAS, Hildegarde G. Weigel has generously contributed $1.6M to establish The Hildegarde Kurnol ‘61 Performance Venue Fund and The Hildegarde Kurnol ‘61 Performance Venue Endowed Fund. Her funds will support the remodel of a new named performance space for the Department of Music, located in the Fine Arts I building of the Staller Center for the Arts, creating a new state-of-the-art rehearsal and concert venue, a transformative investment in the future of Stony Brook’s Performance Program within Graduate Study in Music. The endowed fund will provide permanent funding for the long-term maintenance, enhancement, and operational needs of the space.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE STONY BROOK COUNCIL, THAT:

The Stony Brook Local Council authorizes Chair, Kevin Law, to transmit this resolution to the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York.

February 9, 2026