May 5, 2025: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

Provost's Initiatives and Updates

Department of Technology, AI & Society

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced last month a $5 million investment over the next three years at Stony Brook to develop a new Department of Technology, AI and Society in our College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The funds, which have the potential to be renewed for subsequent years, will support faculty hiring, graduate and undergraduate research, internships and fellowships, new technology, and other AI-focused efforts. The new Department of Technology, AI and Society will be developed with a new, far-reaching vision that will solidify Stony Brook’s position as a leader in AI and its impact on society. The new department will be built upon and leverage the expertise of our existing Department of Technology and Society and will facilitate interdisciplinary research and thinking among all of our colleges and schools, as well as the new AI Innovation Institute. Three working groups have been charged to develop key aspects of vision and structure of the new department, as well as its future undergraduate and graduate programs.

Dean Reviews

As part of a new process, which started in spring 2023, the Provost’s Office conducts five-year term reviews and mid-term formative feedback processes to review performance of deans who report to the Provost.

Mid-term formative feedback:

The Provost’s Office is conducting a mid-term formative feedback survey of Libraries Dean Karim Boughida. Occurring at the mid-point of a dean’s five-year appointment, this process consists of an anonymous survey that is provided to relevant faculty, staff, students, administrators and other key internal and external constituencies that can evaluate the Dean’s leadership. The process is an opportunity to gather feedback for a dean to use in their leadership development.

Academic Programs

Recently approved programs

No recently approved programs

Request to deactivate a program

The Provost’s Office received a departmental request to formally deactivate the MFA in Theatre, housed in the Lichtenstein Center. Deactivations are internal to SUNY and limited in duration to no more than three years, by which time the programs must be reactivated or discontinued.

Faculty Development

Excellence in Teaching Program

This program features a series of workshops and hands-on activities centered on teaching and learning. Workshops focusing on making powerful assessments more authentic and the power of rubrics took place during April. Participants of this program also attended the Symposium on Teaching Neurodiverse Learners organized by CELT.

Chairs Retreat

The annual chairs retreat will take place on May 12 and will bring academic unit leaders a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of key topics that directly benefit their unit and foster valuable networks and collaborations.

Emerging Leaders

This program provides development opportunities for the next generation of higher education leaders in research, education, and administration. The last workshop for this group of faculty was at the Symposium on Teaching Neurodiverse Learners, organized by CELT which took place on April 11. Emerging leaders from the current cohort will engage in community/university activities early next academic year, where they will represent our academic units.

Generative AI: Tools for teaching and learning

Departmental and Staff Development Workshops

This program features a series of workshops tailored to academic departments to explore the use of Generative AI tools in the classroom and for course preparation. It also includes bootcamps for academic staff focused on how AI can support administrative tasks, streamline processes, and enhance student services. Several offerings took place in April, including hands-on sessions with faculty and staff across disciplines, and additional workshops are planned for the summer and throughout the next academic year to continue building capacity and confidence in this rapidly evolving area.

New Faculty Orientation and Navigating SBU

Planning is underway for the 2025–2026 cohort of new faculty, with New Faculty Orientation scheduled for Tuesday, August 19. This daylong retreat will introduce new faculty to Stony Brook University’s mission, resources, and culture, and will include sessions on effective student mentoring, inclusive teaching practices, and building scholarly community. In parallel, we are preparing the year-round Navigating SBU series, which offers early-career faculty ongoing support and resources to help them thrive in their roles.

Distinctions & Awards

SUNY Distinguished Faculty

Congratulations to the new cohort of SUNY Distinguished Faculty.

Distinguished Professors: Dr. Ramana Davuluri, Biomedical Informatics; Dr. Victoriano Roncero-López, Hispanic Languages and Literatures; Dr. Christopher Sellers, History; Dr. Kenneth Shroyer, Pathology; Dr. Wei Zhao, Radiology
Distinguished Teaching Professor: Dr. Thomas Weinacht, Physics
Distinguished Service Professors: Dr. Patricia Coyle, Neurology; Dr. Lori Repetti, Linguistics

SUNY Chancellor’s Horizon Award for Faculty Research and Scholarship

Congratulations to:

Jennifer Cano, Physics and Astronomy

SUNY Chancellor’s Awards

Congratulations to the new cohort of SUNY Chancellor’s Award recipients:

Excellence in Adjunct Teaching: Bryan Horan, Institute for STEM Education; Eric Miller, Honors College
Excellence in Faculty Service: Jeannie Guglielmo, Clinical Laboratory Sciences; Tara Huston, Surgery; Liz Montegary, Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies; Eva Nagase, Asian and Asian American Studies; Jessica Seeliger, Pharmacological Sciences
Excellence in Librarianship: Christine Fena, General Library Public Service; Laurel Scheinfeld, HSC Library
Excellence in Professional Service: Isobel Breheny-Schafer, Student Union and Activities; John M. Fitzgerald, HSC Library; Amanda Flanagan, Mechanical Engineering; Dawn Huether, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics; Tracey Iorio, Academic & Transfer Advising Services; Lobna Kahek, Chemistry; Stefanie Massucci, SoMAS; Jeffrey MiWe, Housing Administration; Lindsi Walker, Office of Global Affairs
Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities: Gábor Balázsi, Laufer Center for Physical and Quantitative Biology; Elizabeth Boon, Chemistry; Marivi Fernández-Serra, Physics and Astronomy; Jason Trelewicz, Materials Science and Chemical Engineering; Katheryn Twiss, Anthropology
Excellence in Teaching: Isaac Carrico, Chemistry; Ahmad Esmaili, Computer Science; Amy Hammock, School of Social Welfare; Karen Lloyd, Art; Rita Nezami, Program in Writing and Rhetoric; Inefta Martin Reid, Physiology & Biophysics; Susan Scheckel, English

Mentoring Awards

Congratulations to the award winners for 2025:

Suparna Rajaram, Psychology
Sierra Washington, OB/GYN
Ken Weitzman, English
Lonnie Wollmuth, Neurobiology and Behavior

Outstanding Lecturer Award

Congratulations to our 2025 award winners:

Elizabeth Bojsza, School of Communication and Journalism
Tara Rider, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

SB Trustees Faculty Awards

In the review process for the 2025 award cycle.

Academic Affairs

CELT News and Events

Federal Accessibility Regulations

Do you have questions about the upcoming Title II Federal Regulation regarding accessibility of digital materials? Reach out to celt@stonybrook.edu if you would like us to come to your department meeting. Also, get your PDFs remediated and check out CELT’s accessibility resources.

Accessibility Survey

Please share your feedback in this 2-3 minute survey about support services needed to make your materials accessible. Please share with your colleagues - survey closes on May 15.

Neuroinclusive Teaching and Learning Community Interest Form

Please fill out this Neuroinclusive Teaching Learning Community Interest Form if you are interested in an in-person summer cohort of our Neuroinclusive Teaching Learning Community. There will be three 1.5-hour meetings in the Faculty Commons, date/time TBD, and you will work with facilitators and each other to discuss classroom scenarios and work on selected course components in order to empower and support all students. Email kimberly.bell@stonybrook.edu with your questions.

Summer Online Teaching Course

Online Teaching Course (OTC) Summer from July 7- August 10

This 5-week Summer Online Teaching Course is an introduction to teaching online. It is designed to give you the experience of an online student while learning about evidence-based strategies for effective and engaging online learning environments. Each training is facilitated by a member of the CELT team and is held in Brightspace. Register by July 1.

Online Teaching Course Refresher

Online Teaching Course Refresher (OTC-R)

Have you completed the Online Teaching Course (OTC) three or more years ago? It’s time for a refresh! This self-paced OTC Refresher is designed to help you revisit best practices, refresh your skills, and explore updates in online teaching and learning. This is a fully self-paced course, meaning you can move through the content on your own schedule. You will earn a CELT badge with an 85% or better overall score on the module. Google Registration Form OTC-R

Project EDGE

Project EDGE provides faculty members and departments with financial and in-kind support to design and implement new courses for the Stony Brook Curriculum. The recipients are:

Brooke Belisle & Isak Berbic (Department of Art), Imaging from Camera to Computer
Kristen Brock-Petroshius (School of Social Welfare), Democracy, Inequality, and Social Change
Yizhi Meng & Stefano Nitodas (Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering), Introduction to STEM Communication
Ahmad Pratama (University Libraries), Critical Data and AI Literacies in the Real World

Enrollment Management

Office of Financial Aid & Scholarship Services

Faculty members are required to confirm student attendance in their courses as part of federal and institutional financial aid compliance. At this time, we still have a few instructors who have not yet submitted attendance confirmations. This may affect the financial aid eligibility for impacted students, so we encourage all faculty to complete this process as soon as possible to avoid any delays or disruptions to student aid.

Our office is conducting proactive outreach to current and potential students that need to complete their FAFSA. We are ahead of year over year completion numbers.

Office of the Registrar

Spring 2025

Fri, May 9

LOA/Term Withdrawal: Last day to take a leave of absence or withdraw from the University. Students can process via SOLAR
Graduation Application: Last day for Spring/Summer degree candidates to apply for graduation via SOLAR. Applications submitted after 4/16/25 will not appear in the commencement publication

Sat, May 10

Classes End: Last day of classes

Mon, May 12

Reading Day

Tues, May 13 to Fri, May 16

Finals

Sat, May 17

Final Exams for Saturday Classes/Reading Day

Mon, May 19 - Wed, May 21

Finals

Wed, May 21

Semester End: Official End of Spring Semester

Fri, May 23

Commencement/Official degree conferral date for Spring 2025

Summer 2025

Mon, May 26

Memorial Day - University Closed

Tues, May 27

Classes begin for Summer Session I, Summer Session I Extended, and Graduate Online Session

Undergraduate Admissions

Programs for Admitted Students

Programs for admitted students have wrapped up. At our two on-campus Admitted Seawolf Days, we hosted just over 5,500 guests, including 2,100 admitted students. In collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences, we introduced new programs for students arriving the evening prior, which offered direct connections to faculty members and department chairs. Off campus, we piloted new programs in multiple cities across the U.S. and abroad.

Enrollment Deadline

The enrollment deposit deadline for new first-year students was May 1. Class estimates are based on a number of factors and we expect to have an initial estimate in the coming days.

Updated Joint Admission Agreements

Updated Joint Admission Agreements are in progress with both Suffolk County Community College and Nassau Community College and are expected to launch for students for the fall 2025 semester.

High School Counselor Programs

Programs focused on engagement with high school counselors are planned for April 25 (Advisory Board), May 1 (International Visit), and June 1-3 (Out of State).

Graduate School

SBU 3MT Winner Advances to Nationals

The Graduate School is delighted to share that the winner of the 2025 Stony Brook University Three Minute Thesis competition, Sai Abasolo, won second place in the 2025 NAGS 3MT Regional Competition and will advance to the CGS national 3MT in July. During the NAGS virtual competition on Friday, April 25, Abasolo presented her research on tissue engineering in her three-minute talk titled, "Growing Bones: Body Not Included.” Sai's thesis advisor is Donghui Zhu in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Research Mentor Training

The Graduate School has two upcoming opportunities for research mentor training for graduate students and faculty. The spring dates for these training sessions are as follows:

Optimizing Research Mentoring for Faculty: May 2 & 9 (in person) | Register
Research Mentor Training for Graduate Students: May 16 & 23 (virtual) | Register

Institutional and Educational Effectiveness

New Carnegie Classifications

Stony Brook was classified as an Opportunity University in the newly released 2025 Carnegie Classifications. 479 institutions (about 16%) have been identified as Opportunity Colleges and Universities, in which access is high and graduate earnings are high. AAU members in this designation:

Arizona State University
Stony Brook University
University of California Irvine

SUNY institutions in this designation:

Stony Brook University
SUNY at Fredonia
SUNY College of Technology at Alfred
SUNY Cortland
SUNY Oneonta
SUNY Polytechnic Institute

Stony Brook’s R1 designation was reaffirmed in February.

Assessment Recognition Luncheon

The Assessment Recognition event, held on April 30, celebrated the achievements of faculty and staff recognized through the Excellence in Educational Effectiveness (EEE) Award. The EEE Award is a Provost’s Office award developed in collaboration with the SBU Assessment Council and the Office of Educational Effectiveness. Established in 2022, the EEE Award honors members of the Stony Brook community who demonstrate a strong commitment to academic assessment and use results to enhance educational programs. More than 70 members of the campus community registered to attend this year’s celebration.

Congratulations to the 2025 EEE Award recipients:

Faculty:

Ahmad Esmaili (College of Engineering and Applied Sciences),
Susan Miale (School of Health Professions),
Jeanette Lukas (School of Social Welfare),
Catherine Messina (Renaissance School of Medicine)

Staff:

Stefanie Ambrosio-Mullady (School of Communication and Journalism),
Tiffanie Vlack (School of Professional Development)

Assessment Coordinator Retreat

The Office of Educational Effectiveness is hosting an Assessment Coordinator Retreat on May 7, focused on strengthening Program Learning Objectives (PLOs) across academic programs. The retreat will feature "Student Voices in Assessment," where current SBU students share what PLOs mean to them, and "Career Center Insights," highlighting how effective PLOs help students showcase skills in a resume-ready format. Participants will also engage in hands-on activities using generative AI prompts to brainstorm revisions and improvements to their PLOs.

We welcome all faculty and staff involved in assessment to join this lunchtime retreat and encourage participants to bring a colleague. Those interested in attending can contact the Office of Educational Effectiveness at educationaleffectiveness@stonybrook.edu for more information.

Continuing, Professional, and Executive Education

New ACE Director

The Accelerated College Experience (ACE) program is excited to announce the hiring of Laura McMullen as its new Director. Laura completed her PhD in Curriculum, Instruction, and the Science of Learning at the University of Buffalo, and her dissertation explored perceptions of student access to concurrent enrollment. Laura has more than a decade of experience with dual/concurrent enrollment programs. Laura’s most recent position was Executive Director of College-High School programs at SUNY Farmingdale. She has a deep commitment to student success and outcomes assessment, and successfully led SUNY Farmingdale’s effort to secure program accreditation through the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Programs (NACEP). Laura starts her new role with ACE at SBU on May 8.

Institute for Creative Problem Solving relocating to SBU

We are excited to share with the SBU community news that the Institute for Creative Problem Solving (ICPS) will be coming to SBU effective July 1, after almost 30 years at SUNY Old Westbury. ICPS exists to provide middle and high school highly proficient math students with enrichment opportunities through innovative and engaging teaching and curriculum. We will be scheduling a welcoming event to introduce ICPS to interested stakeholders at SBU. For more information, contact peter.diplock@stonybrook.edu.

Climate & Sustainability Programming

2025-2026 theme: Earth in the Emergency Room

The Collaborative for the Earth is excited to announce the 2025-2026 theme, Earth in the Emergency Room: Extreme Conservation Efforts. Topics that will be addressed include de-extinction, predator management, genetically modifying mosquitoes, geoengineering, translocation, and managed retreat of coastlines. The C4E team will work collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and external partners to create a dynamic series of workshops, lectures, debates, and much more designed to inspire dialogue and action across campus.