2023

In April, Stony Brook University was selected by the Trust for Governors Island to serve as the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange, a first-of-its kind international center for developing and deploying dynamic solutions to our global climate crisis.

“We are honored, excited, and proud to lead this historic center that will cement New York City as the world leader on climate change, the most pressing issue of our time,” said President Maurie McInnis. "As an international leader on climate and as the leading public research institution in New York, Stony Brook University will bring stakeholders together from the academic, government and business communities to make The Exchange the center of research, innovation, education and collaboration to address this global crisis."

The Simons Foundation, together with Simons Foundation International, have pledged a total of $100 million as matching gift support for The Exchange – the largest gift to date under Simons Foundation President David Spergel’s leadership and the second-largest in Stony Brook’s history.

The Simons Foundation, a philanthropy working to advance the frontiers of research in mathematics and the basic sciences, in June announced a historic $500 million endowment gift to Stony Brook University.

This monumental gift — the combined largesse of the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International — is the largest unrestricted donation to an institution of higher education in U.S. history.

The extraordinary gift is also expected to grow by up to $1 billion in contributions for Stony Brook University’s endowment by capitalizing on New York State’s 1:2 endowment matching program and other philanthropy inspired by this gift. The transformative donation cements Stony Brook’s place as New York’s flagship research institution and provide the means to invest in areas most urgent and necessary to help sustain the university’s commitment to educational excellence, research innovation and community support.

Stony Brook University achieved its highest-ever rankings — and the highest rank ever for a SUNY institution — in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 America’s Best Colleges publication in September.

Stony Brook was ranked #58 among national universities, a 19-position jump from #77 in 2022, which had been the university’s previous best ranking. SBU was also #1 among public universities in New York for the second year in a row and #26 among public universities nationwide, a five-spot increase from 2023.

“Stony Brook has long been recognized as a leader supporting the social and economic mobility of our graduates and their families, and the ability to create a dynamic, engaged environment that welcomes ambition has provided us with great forward movement in becoming one of the most prominent public flagship research universities in the nation,” said President Maurie McInnis.

Stony Brook University’s Simons STEM Scholars (SBUSSS) Program celebrated the signing of its first-ever cohort of students on May 5 at the Simons Foundation’s Flatiron Institute in New York City.

The 29 incoming freshmen were selected after a rigorous selection process; roughly 800 applicants were considered in a series of interviews and symposiums to determine the finalists.

Funded by a $56.6 million donation from the Simons Foundation and Simons Foundation International, the SBUSSS Program provides members with full scholarships, housing, research opportunities, internship stipends, advising, mentoring and more to comprehensively ameliorate the STEM career pipeline for underrepresented students. 

“These students came to us with maximum AP credits, high-level research experience, and exceptional test scores,” said SBUSSS Program Executive Director Erwin Cabrera. “But those aren’t the only things that will get them to the finish line. To be an honors student at this university is not just about accolades — it is about who you are and your humanity.” 

The cohort completed a six-week Summer Bridge Program preparing them for the next four years and beyond.

Stony Brook University Distinguished Professor and C.N. Yang/Wei Deng Endowed Chair Alexander Zamolodchikov was named co-recipient of the 2024 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics in September.

Zamolodchikov and co-winner John Cardy of All Souls College, University of Oxford, were cited “for profound contributions to statistical physics and quantum field theory, with diverse and far-reaching applications in different branches of physics and mathematics.” They will share one of the five $3 million prizes announced by the Breakthrough Foundation.

The Breakthrough Prize – popularly known as the “Oscars® of Science” – honors an esteemed group of the world’s most brilliant minds for impactful scientific discoveries, including a subset responsible for substantial progress in the understanding and treatment of major diseases. 

“Distinguished Professor Alexander Zamolodchikov is one of the most accomplished theoretical physicists worldwide,” said George Sterman, director of the C. N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics and Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy.

After 47 years together, the Emerson String Quartet performed their final Stony Brook University concert on October 14. The performance, a celebration of the Quartet’s nearly 25-year-long history as Artists in Residence at Stony Brook, was held on the Staller Center’s Main Stage and was one of their final concerts — after playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on October 20, the Quartet held its “Final Farewell” at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York October 21 and 22.

The Quartet has made more than 30 critically acclaimed recordings and has been honored with nine GRAMMYs® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award.

In the spring of 2016, group members Philip Setzer and Lawrence Dutton, both violinists, received the status of distinguished professor, and part-time faculty members Eugene Drucker, a violinist, and Paul Watkins, a cellist, were conferred the title of honorary distinguished professor.

“Now we are preparing for life and work beyond the Emerson String Quartet, which will afford us the opportunity to continue performing as individuals and to pass along the fruits of our experience to younger generations of musicians, especially through our residency at Stony Brook University, where we curate the Emerson String Quartet Institute,” said Drucker. “It seemed like the right time for each and for all of us to make a transition to life as individual performers and to intensify our focus on our teaching careers.”

Stony Brook University Hospital (SBUH) once again achieved the highest level of national recognition as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals for 2023, according to research released by Healthgrades in January. This placed SBUH in the top one percent of hospitals in the country.

SBUH has steadily increased its rankings — from the top 250 since 2015, to the top 100 since 2019, and now the top 50 — a reflection of its commitment to bring the best in care to its patients.

“The exceptional care found at Stony Brook University Hospital is only possible when a hospital commits to high standards of quality and continuous improvement throughout the organization,” said Carol Gomes, chief executive officer for Stony Brook University Hospital. “I am grateful to our physicians, nurses and all staff for their tireless hard work, dedication and commitment to excellence.”  

Stony Brook hosted the week-long Richard Leakey Memorial Conference “AFRICA: The Human Cradle,” in June. The conference honored a legend who dedicated his life to unraveling the mysteries of our ancient past. Through his extensive research, archeological discoveries and advocacy efforts, Leakey shaped our understanding of human origins and inspired a new generation of scientists.

Louise Leakey, third-generation Kenyan paleoanthropologist and Leakey's daughter, delivered the keynote lecture entitled “Six Decades — The Search for Fossils at Lake Turkana.”

“It is a privilege for Stony Brook to host this conference honoring the life and achievements of Richard Leakey,” President Maurie McInnis said. “I cannot think of a scholar more reverent of life, dedicated as he was both to the understanding of the origins of humans and the conservation of wildlife."

The conference was held on behalf of the Turkana Basin Institute and Stony Brook University, and in partnership with the National Geographic Society. 

The Stony Brook University women’s lacrosse team continued to make history on May 6, winning its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship — and ninth in the program’s history — with a dominant, 19-4 victory over tournament host Towson.

CAA Midfielder of the Year Ellie Masera led the way with five goals, Kailyn Hart scored four goals and Morgan Mitchell recorded a hat trick, her sixth of the season. Jolie Creo and Charlotte Verhulst each added a pair of goals in the win. Hart’s second goal of the day was her 200th career point.

The victory gave the Seawolves their 10th trip to the NCAA Division I tournament, and they defeated Penn State in the opening round, 12-8. Stony Brook fell to Loyola Maryland in the second round, 9-8.

Head coach Joe Spallina earned the CAA Coach of the Year honor. For Spallina, it was his seventh conference Coach of the Year award. Masera was also tabbed to the All-CAA First Team and was joined by Hart and Clare Levy. Mitchell, Verhulst, Jaden Hampel and Haley Dillon all earned All-CAA Second Team honors.

The Stony Brook University community joined together on its fifth-annual Giving Day on March 29 — following the theme of #HoldDoorsOpen —  donating $764,000 to more than 120 different areas and programs.

More than 3,222 gifts helped hold doors open for Seawolves everywhere, making the day an undeniable success, with more than double the amount raised in 2022. 

“It is inspiring to see our community come together in such a big way,” said Justin Fincher, vice president for advancement and executive director of the Stony Brook Foundation. “Once again, our students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends came through for Stony Brook. I am deeply thankful for everyone’s support and incredibly proud to call myself a Seawolf.”

The College of Arts and Sciences led the way with donors, netting more than 557 gifts from 511 donors. But Athletics garnered the most funds of any part of campus, receiving more than $325,000 in contributions from 387 donors.