April 7, 2025: University Senate Report

Office of the Provost

 

Provost’s Initiatives and Updates

FY 25-26 Budget Preparation

The University’s Fiscal Year 25/26 budget cycle and the related Authorization to Recruit (ATR) process have been underway through the spring semester. The Provost’s Office continues to maintain open communication and transparency around the process. The Provost’s Office has sent communications sharing information to all Colleges and Schools, Administrative Units, and Centers and Institutes under the Provost area. In addition, the Provost’s Office updated the Budget section of our website to include all related instructions, an infographic timeline, and required forms and templates needed to navigate the process. Please note that this information is now behind a NetID login screen.

The hiring process builds upon the lessons learned from previous years, which established the framework based on a strategic and all-funds, multi-year budgeting model. The Provost’s Office is committed to transparency and openness with the campus community including clear communication regarding the principles and procedures underlying the ATR process.

Meetings and presentations with the Provost’s Office and academic leaders took place the second week of March. The Provost’s team will present proposed hires to the University SBET in May for final approval.

Based on feedback received from departments regarding the challenge of delayed hiring approvals, and in collaboration with CAPRA, we will for the second year use a new approach on West Campus to authorize hires in multiple tranches to allow for the majority of hires to be authorized earlier than in previous years. More details will be shared in the coming weeks.

 

Academic Programs

Recently approved programs

• Social Work BS (Revision, 03/2025)
• Chemical and Molecular Engineering MS (Revision 03/2025)
• Sociology MA (Revision, 03/2025)

 

Faculty Development

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 will be the Symposium on Teaching Neurodiverse Learners organized by CELT that will take place 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.

Excellence in Teaching Program

This program features a series of workshops and hands-on activities centered on teaching and learning. Workshops focusing on AI and assessment occurred during March. More assessment workshops and the Symposium on Teaching Neurodiverse Learners organized by CELT will round out the program in April for this academic year.

Chairs Networking

A networking event for departmental chairs and center and institute directors took place on March 4, with updates on academic affairs from the Provost. The next event is the retreat on May 12, which 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.

Generative AI-tools for Teaching and Learning - Departmental Workshops

This program features a series of workshops tailored to academic departments to learn about Generative AI tools to be used in the classroom and for course preparation. The most recent workshop was offered to Civil Engineering and took place on February 26. During April, workshop opportunities on this topic for academic staff will be offered.

Conference/Workshop Seed Program

This initiative co-sponsored by the Offices of President, Vice President for Research and Innovation, Provost, and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences, ran for the second time this semester and has just awarded 10 research-focused conferences/workshops initiatives taking place at Stony Brook University.  

 

Academic Affairs

SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors

Congratulations to Gary Sherman, Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business, and Doug Silverman, instructor in the School of Professional Development Human Resources Management Program. They were both named 2025 SUNY Online Teaching Ambassadors for Stony Brook University. 

Registration open for SUNY Civic Education Community of Practice Convening

Registration is open for the in-person one-day SUNY Civic Education Community of Practice Convening on Friday, May 16 in Albany.SUNY faculty and staff are invited to participate in the convening to learn from each other and build a community of practice around the topic of civic education in the SUNY system. There will be opportunities to discuss topics such as curriculum, civic engagement, and student activities. 

CELT Events and News

April 11: CELT Symposium

Last chance to register for CELT’s Learning and Teaching Symposium: A New Era of Inclusivity and Innovation in Higher Education which will be held on Friday, April 11.

 Accessibility of Digital Materials

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. 

Please share your feedback in this 2-3 minute survey about support services needed to make your materials accessible. 

 

Enrollment Management

Office of Financial Aid & Scholarship Services 

New Student Aid Packaging

Financial aid packages for incoming students are being processed on a weekly basis to ensure timely notifications.

Transfer Student Aid

Packaging for transfer students is ongoing, with continued efforts to support a smooth transition for incoming students.

Federal Budget Concerns

There are ongoing concerns regarding potential budget cuts to the U.S. Department of Education. Reductions in funding could impact critical Campus-Based Aid programs, including Federal Work-Study, the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and Federal Student Loans. We continue to monitor these developments and advocate for student financial support.

Office of the Registrar

Academic Calendar

• Monday, April 7 - Advanced Registration: Begins for Summer/Fall according to enrollment appointments.
• Wednesday, April 16 - Graduation Application for Publication: Last day for Spring /Summer 2025 degree candidates to apply for graduation and be included in the commencement publication. Students apply via SOLAR

Undergraduate Admissions

• We are hosting two Admitted Seawolf Days for Fall 2025 first year and transfer students. Across both of these dates we are expecting to host about 7,000 total guests. 
• Off campus and virtual programs for admitted students of all populations are in full gear, with new programs being hosted in select markets out of state. 
• In early March we collaborated with the New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling to host a professional development session on campus focused on the use of AI in higher education and admissions. This opportunity allowed us to engage with school counselors from across Long Island and highlight campus via a campus tour.

 

Undergraduate Education

2025 SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence

Congratulations to our 14 Stony Brook recipients:

• Rachel Alexandre, Globalization Studies & International Relations, Political Science
• Cailey Bobadilla, Applied Mathematics and Statistics
• Laci Burton, English
• Brianna Chavez, Mass Communication, Sociology
• Anood Cheema, Economics
• Peter Gillespie, Biology
• Peter Joyce, History, Political Science
• Anushri Kulkarni, Biomedical Engineering
• Avi Nessim, Biology, Psychology
• Aman Rahman, Health Sciences, English
• Daniel Razgonyaev, Chemical & Molecular Engineering
• Aryan Sharma, Biology, Psychology
• Hailee Shehu, Mechanical Engineering
• Zain Zaidi, Chemistry

Spring 2025 Progress Reports

The progress report campaign concluded on March 26. Thanks to all faculty who submitted reports. Academic advisors are currently following up with students to offer resources and support.

 

Graduate School

Graduate Student Appreciation Week

We are hosting a Graduate Student Appreciation Week from April 7-11. Please encourage your graduate students to visit our website to RSVP for daily events.

3MT & Postdoc Spotlight

The Graduate School held its annual Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) competition on Friday. This year, 3MT also featured a Postdoc Spotlight round to showcase the innovative research done by SBU postdocs. Twelve graduate students and nine postdocs competed for titles, and the results are below.

3MT

• • 1st Place & People's Choice: Sai Abasolo, Biomedical Engineering, "Growing Bones: Body Not Included" (Advisor: Donghui Zhu)
  • 2nd Place: Maryam Azmi, Genetics, "Shrinking Brain's Superheroes!" (Advisor: Holly Colognato)
  • 3rd Place: Chenyu Zhang, Civil Engineering, "From Scribbles to Safety: Drones and AI for Smarter Bridge Inspections" (Advisor: Ruwen Qin)

Postdoc Spotlight

• • • 1st Place: Antonio Novaes, Medicine, "Turning Off Kidney Damage, Turning On Hope"
    • 2nd Place: Lissa Fortes Soares, Public Health, "How to be Stronger in Older Age"
    • 3rd Place: Jonathan Plessis-Belair, Neurobiology & Behavior, "Brain Aging on Trial"

Fellowship Fever

Encourage graduate students to visit our website to learn about fellowship information sessions and coaching opportunities.

 

Global Affairs

International Student Information Sessions

The Office of Global Affairs, in collaboration with Enrollment Management and the Graduate School, hosted international student information sessions in Delhi, India and Shanghai, China. The Provost and other university representatives presented to approximately 400 guests between the two events.

 

Institutional and Educational Effectiveness

2024-2025 General Education Assessment Guided Conversations

Thank you to all of the faculty who participated in the Spring 2025 General Education Assessment. A report, including assessment data as well as insights from faculty and student focus groups, will be made available in Fall 2025.

Assessment Recognition

The Office of the Provost, in collaboration with the SBU Assessment Council and the Office of Educational Effectiveness, will be hosting the third annual Assessment Recognition event on April 30. This event celebrates faculty and staff who have received the Excellence in Educational Effectiveness (EEE) Award. Established in 2022, the EEE Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to best practices in academic assessment and use assessment results to drive programmatic excellence. Invitations for this event will be sent out in the near future.

Request a Consultation or Specialized Workshop

The Office of Educational Effectiveness offers tailored support to programs and departments through one-on-one or small group meetings, as well as large group presentations and workshops. If you are interested, please click here to complete the request form

 

Continuing, Professional, and Executive Education

Pre-College Summer Program

The Pre-College Summer Program in partnership with academic departments from across the university will be offering more than 20 unique academic courses this summer from July 6 - August 1. This is the second year of operation for this residential summer program designed for rising high school juniors and seniors. While the program is primarily designed to be residential, a number of the academic course areas will also be offering non-residential options for local and regional students. PCS is a non-credit program designed to provide high school students with an opportunity to gain a realistic preview of academic life on a university campus and to explore major academic areas of interest. Students who attend the PCS program who then subsequently apply, get accepted, and enroll at Stony Brook University will be eligible to receive either a $1,000 scholarship (NYS resident students) or $2,000 scholarship  (out-of-state students). Applications close May 30. 

 

Climate & Sustainability Programming

All-Hands Workshop: Climate & Sustainability Structures Scoping Committee

T​he Climate & Sustainability Structures Scoping Committee,​ in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, is hosting an all-hands workshop ​on April 11 to address how Stony Brook University can organize and structure our academic, research, and external engagement activities connected to climate, energy, and sustainability.  The committee has brainstormed some ideas, and this forum will allow faculty and staff members to get together for a lively and focused discussion. Register here.

April 23-24: Climate Solutions Summit

On April 23 and 24, the New York Climate Exchange will host the inaugural Climate Solutions Summit NYC on Governors Island. The Summit will focus on research in coastal urban environments and will offer opportunities for attendees to explore emerging research, build relationships, and develop collaborations with other Exchange partners.

April 24: C4E Environmental Debate

The Collaborative for the Earth will host the second annual environmental debate on Governors Island on Thursday, April 24. In keeping with this year’s nuclear theme, the debate will host a panel of experts in nuclear energy and engineering from Stony Brook University and other institutions. The debate will tackle "The Role of Nuclear Energy in Meeting Our Climate Change Targets." Register here.

April 29: Field Trip to Governors Island

On Tuesday, April 29, the Collaborative for the Earthis hosting a field trip to Governors Island. This is an all-day visit to introduce students, staff, and faculty to current programs and to give them an opportunity to explore and consider future research about climate solutions and the New York Climate Exchange. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please email c4e@stonybrook.edu.