Stony Brook University expected to name new president

Karla Schuster

Apr. 23, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- A Harvard-educated physician who oversees a half-billion dollar research fund at a top-ranked Midwestern university is expected to be named the next president of Stony Brook University, according to sources familiar with the search.

Dr. Samuel Stanley, 55, vice chancellor for research at Washington University in St. Louis, could be announced as the successor to president Shirley Strum Kenny as soon as Thursday, pending a formal vote by the state university trustees in early May.

His hiring culminates a seven-month national search, and his background signals that Stony Brook is seeking to leverage its strength in the sciences to climb higher in the ranks of national research universities.

Stony Brook and Washington University both are members of the Association of American Universities, a group of top research schools in the United States and Canada. But Washington University, with about 14,000 students, is ranked 12th overall among national research universities by U.S. News and World Report, while Stony Brook, with an enrollment of 24,000, is ranked 96th.

"I think it could bring us to the next level," said Dr. Roy T. Steigbigel, a professor and president of the faculty senate at the School of Medicine. "He is an extremely bright, very organized individual with enormous experience at a first-rate university."

Stanley is an expert on infectious diseases and has run a regional bioterrorism research institute that focuses on global health and emerging diseases since 2003.

For the last three years, he's also served as vice chancellor for research, a job in which he is responsible for managing a $548-million research fund and bringing in new money. He is one of seven vice chancellors who report directly to the school's chancellor.

Stanley could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The university's College Council recommended Stanley to incoming State University Chancellor Nancy Zimpher earlier this week, and she signed off on the appointment after a phone conversation with Stanley, the sources said.

A salary is yet to be finalized, but it is likely that Stanley will be paid substantially more than Kenny, who earned $427,300, including her public salary, private funding and a retirement annuity.

Kenny announced last year that she would retire on June 30, after 15 years as president. A sometimes controversial leader, Kenny is widely credited with helping transform Stony Brook into a nationally recognized school. But she has spent much of her last year fighting state budget cuts that curbed enrollment growth.

"We've got some huge budget problems, so I'm glad it's someone with plenty of experience in research and who can deal with a budget," said Aimee De Chambeau, a librarian for the journalism department. "We are going to need it."

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