National Search for New SBU President to Begin Amidst Unprecedented Period of Growth and Transformation
Stony Brook University — the number-one public university in New York and a state flagship university — has announced that president Maurie McInnis is stepping down after a four-year tenure to become the next president of Yale University.
McInnis, a Yale graduate (BA, ’90, MA ’96, PhD) and member of its Board of Trustees, will assume her new position effective July 1. The State University of New York (SUNY) will oversee the leadership transition.
President since March 2020, McInnis led Stony Brook through the COVID-19 pandemic and helped shepherd its continued rise into a world-class research institution and modern flagship of the SUNY system. Under McInnis’s leadership, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange research center on Governors Island; awarded one of the largest gifts to a university in American history with a $500 million unrestricted endowment from the Simons Foundation; and achieved its highest ever rankings among U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges listing.
In her role, McInnis worked at the center of a broad leadership coalition committed to growing academic excellence at Stony Brook, providing opportunity to students of all backgrounds, and supporting New York’s economy. This includes SUNY and its Board of Trustees, the Stony Brook Foundation and Stony Brook Council, the university’s longstanding partners at the Simons Foundation, and its more than 2,900 world-class faculty and staff members, from the Office of the Provost to Campus Operations and Maintenance.
“We congratulate Maurie on this prestigious appointment, merely the latest in her series of extraordinary professional accomplishments,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “Maurie’s election is a testament to both her exceptional ability and the esteem with which Stony Brook is viewed by its peers. I know that we will have superbly talented candidates to choose from as we begin this search for Maurie’s successor to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious public universities and a true engine of research innovation and social mobility.”
Rich Gelfond, chairman of the Stony Brook Foundation and CEO of IMAX Corporation, praised McInnis’s leadership. “In her four-year tenure, Maurie’s decisive, collaborative leadership brought a number of key strategic initiatives to the finish line — culminating in the most transformational period in Stony Brook’s history. We are grateful for her stewardship and look forward to continuing the incredible progress of this one-of-a-kind institution.”
Kevin Law, chairman of the Stony Brook Council, the group that oversees and supervises the operations and affairs of the institution, praised McInnis for her leadership through challenging times. “Maurie arrived during the Covid pandemic and more recently has successfully steered the university through a year that has been especially difficult for many university presidents,” Law said. “She led Stony Brook to new heights, bringing immense positive change and improvement to the university.”
“I have been so proud to lead Stony Brook during this exciting time in its history,” McInnis said. “When I talk with other leaders in higher education, it is clear that they recognize Stony Brook is an institution on an upward trajectory, combining groundbreaking research with expanded opportunities for students from all backgrounds. I want to express my appreciation to all the faculty, students, and staff who are achieving great accomplishments. I am confident that Stony Brook’s best years lie ahead.”
An interim president will be named shortly to ensure a seamless leadership transition consistent with SUNY processes and protocols. A national search for Stony Brook’s next president will begin immediately.