TOP
A woman wearing a graduation gown and cap is speaking at a podium during a graduation ceremony. She is smiling and gesturing with her hands, with an American flag and other flags in the background.
Feature

Soaring Aspirations

By
9.88k

Stony Brook celebrates the inauguration of Andrea Goldsmith, ushering in a new era of infinite possibilities

 

This past April, Seawolves gathered from Manhattan to Southampton for a week of lectures, performances, research demonstrations, art exhibits and conversations that reflected the university’s momentum, mission and boundless potential. Below are some highlights from a celebration defined by connection, discovery and a shared vision for the future. For more photos and links to videos from all filmed events, visit stonybrook.edu/inauguration.

Image Slide 3
previous arrow
next arrow
Shadow

ASPIRE 2035
During her inaugural address on April 18, President Andrea Goldsmith shared that the university’s new strategic plan will be built around these six key goals:

  • Accelerating discovery to solve humanity’s greatest challenges
  • Setting a new standard for educational excellence access and student success
  • Propelling SBU to a position of visionary global leadership
  • Igniting regional prosperity by expanding SBU’s footprint from Manhattan to Montauk and beyond
  • Reimagining medicine, health and wellness for all with accessible, affordable and compassionate healthcare
  • Enabling the foundations of our success

“We’re at a defining moment in history, and how Stony Brook responds will allow us to not only continue serving as an engine of opportunity, innovation and societal good, but will also propel us as a thought and action leader in higher education for our country and the world.”
— ANDREA GOLDSMITH

 

divider line

In Conversation with John L. Hennessy

 

Two individuals posing for a photograph. One man, wearing a suit and tie, holds a book titled "Leading Matters". The woman beside him, dressed in a red blazer, smiles while standing with her hand on the book. The background is a neutral color.

On Friday, April 17, President Andrea Goldsmith was joined by her friend and mentor, John L. Hennessy, MS ’75, PhD ’77, former president of Stanford University, for a conversation on leadership, mentorship and the future of higher education. Hennessy has been on the faculty of Stanford since 1977, was dean of the School of Engineering, and later was its president for 16 years. It was Hennessy who hired Goldsmith to join the Stanford faculty 27 years ago, and now he has returned to his alma mater to participate in her inauguration for a full-circle moment.

During the conversation, Hennessy shared many pearls of wisdom about leadership.
“Humility is critical because you want to be able to say, ’I need help. I don’t have all the answers.’ And if you have humility, it’s easy to say, ’I’m not the expert on this. Somebody else on the team should come in and help me.’ It also creates a participatory method of governance so that everybody is contributing. If you act like the smartest person in the room all the time, what will happen is no one will challenge you. And now you’re setting yourself up for disaster. I wanted people to challenge me all the time.”

Later, Hennessy noted the importance of innovation. “My predecessor at Stanford used to say that every day in a university should be a new day. It’s about innovation. Innovation in a startup. Innovation in an old company because if that company fails to innovate, they are writing the recipe for the end of that company. And it’s about innovation in universities. Yes, we are the guardians and conservers of the past, but we also are the places that look to the future. So that willingness to be able to try things and bet on new activities and new directions is absolutely crucial.”

Watch the entire conversation here.

Share: