ABCs of SBU
President Andrea Goldsmith shares her vision to “Accelerate, Build and Catalyze” Stony Brook’s impact
Andrea Goldsmith delivered her first State of the University Address on September 29, reflecting on the journey that led her to become Stony Brook’s seventh president, while articulating her vision of the university’s future.
“There is no more important time to serve as a university president, and no better place for this entrepreneur at heart to do so than right here…at Stony Brook…alongside each of you,” she said. “Together, we will accelerate Stony Brook’s excellence and impact across all dimensions of education, research, healthcare and service to our community, the great state of New York, the country and the world.”
After thanking the crowd for the warm welcome they gave her upon her arrival to SBU, Goldsmith shared details about her background, including that her own education had been exclusively in public schools. She also spoke of her previous roles in higher education and as a technology entrepreneur, drawing parallels between her journey — for example, starting two wireless communications businesses — and the one Stony Brook is on.
“In so many ways, I see Stony Brook has the same entrepreneurial spirit that I do: one that is ambitious…optimistic…and bold. Being bold, setting high aspirations and taking risks to achieve them are essential for accelerating excellence and impact. Even in times of great disruption, we have the resilience to navigate challenges, and to thrive. We’ll do this by setting a bold vision and clearly defining the steps to achieve our highest aspirations.
Goldsmith then shared her foundational pillars — represented by three simple letters, A, B, C — that will be the blueprint for Stony Brook to reach greater heights during the course of next decade.
A Is for Accelerate
Accelerating Stony University’s excellence in research, education, healthcare and service to our community and beyond is the first step. “We must prepare our students not simply for their first jobs but for lifelong professional and personal success. That includes education in the liberal arts, which cultivates curiosity and perspective. We must ensure our students get a broad education that will serve them well in all their future endeavors. In particular, in an era of AI, our graduates will thrive because we will teach them to think critically and broadly, to adapt, and to lead. Thus, AI won’t replace our students, it will amplify them,” Goldsmith explained.
One example of how Stony Brook would be accelerating research happened earlier in September, when Governor Kathy Hochul visited campus to announce a $300 million investment in Stony Brook’s Quantum Research and Innovation Hub. This transformative initiative positions Stony Brook, The State University of New York flagship, to become one of the world’s premier centers for quantum information science and technology.
“I envision a greater presence across our region than we have today. Just think what would be possible if we execute our strategic vision for Stony Brook from the heart of New York City, the greatest city in the world, to the eastern tip of Long Island.”
— Andrea Goldsmith
B Is for Build
The university has to build so it can grow. “We must build new education, research and clinical facilities as well as upgrade our existing ones across science, technology, medicine, social sciences, humanities and the arts to support our state-of-the-art education, research and healthcare, elevate our prestige, and enhance our ability to recruit the very best faculty and students,” she continued. “And we must elevate the beauty of our campus by creating inspiring spaces and facades for our students, faculty, staff and visitors to inhabit. Finally, we need to build facilities outside of Stony Brook, like the New York Climate Exchange and a new hospital in Southampton, to expand our reach.”
Goldsmith stressed that it is critical to “build our student body to expand access to high-quality, affordable education for more New Yorkers. And we will support this growth by building places to house those students here on our campus or through other creative solutions to meet our housing needs.”
C Is for Catalyze
Catalyze is about leveraging the university’s research excellence and remarkable people to ignite innovation, entrepreneurship and economic growth. “By catalyze, we mean the use of groundbreaking research to accelerate solutions to important challenging problems. To achieve this, we will build an ecosystem where research translates into real-world impact, in technology and medicine and other disciplines,” she said. “By fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among our students and faculty, we will create a culture not just for companies and nonprofits to start here…but also to thrive and stay here.”
Goldsmith added that Stony Brook has many of the ingredients essential to growing a hub of innovation. “Our research and development park is already incubating new startups in technology areas spanning wireless, biotech, renewable energy and others. Brookhaven National Laboratory, one of the nation’s top research facilities, is a long-term, close partner,” she said. “We are particularly proud of our role in managing the lab for the Department of Energy as well as the many collaborations we have with the lab that have contributed to our leadership in quantum networking and in other areas such as nuclear physics, energy storage and nanotechnology.”
“I want our university to be the gold standard for higher education where people come together to learn from each other, to have respectful discussion, and to be compassionate and empathetic to people that they don’t agree with, because those conversations are the very essence of university life and learning.”
— Andrea Goldsmith
Be Bold
Goldsmith had only one request from the audience as she asked them to think about where they would like to see Stony Brook in 2035.
“Please be bold,” she said. “If we want to continue attracting the brightest minds, inspire elected officials and engage donors, we must show them what Stony Brook can be. And then we must build it together. Together we can make Stony Brook one of the best universities in the country and the world.”
With the foundational ABCs guiding the way, the next step for Goldsmith is to listen. “Throughout the fall and into the spring, I will continue my deep engagement and conversations about what we should aspire to be with members of our university and the broader community…Much like the inquisitive nature that has propelled me as an entrepreneur, an academic and a citizen of the world, I want these discussions to be about thoughtful discourse, provocative questions and testing of ideas. Your input through these exchanges will be instrumental in helping shape our shared vision for Stony Brook’s future.”
2025 HIGHLIGHTS
“All of these statistics reaffirm what a powerful role Stony Brook has, in partnership with The State University of New York, in making excellent, affordable education accessible to students from every single background.”
— President Goldsmith
71,000
Most undergraduate applications ever and most in the SUNY system
Opportunity University
SBU was one of only three Association of American Universities recognized by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as an institution that can serve as a model for studying how campuses can foster student success.
21%
Four-year graduation rates have increased by 21 percentage points since 2014.
Class of 2029
For the first time ever, more than 53 percent of entering first-year students earned a high school grade point average of 95 or above.
#1
Stony Brook University Hospital was named No. 1 in New York State for pediatric care by Money magazine.
$340 million
A record of research expenditures this year