Newswise — Stony Brook, NY— May 29, 2024 — Stony Brook University — the number-one public university in New York and a state flagship university — today 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 (’90, M.A., ’93 M.Phil., ’96, Ph.D.) 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,” said Maurie McInnis. “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.”

About Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University — New York’s flagship university and No. 1 public university — is going far beyond the expectations of today’s public universities. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With nearly 26,000 students, more than 2,900 faculty members, more than 220,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #58 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy — one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $7.23 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X @stonybrooku.