Accelerating Excellence and Impact: President Andrea Goldsmith Delivers State of the University Address

Andrea Goldsmith, president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, delivered her first State of the University Address on the Staller Center Main Stage 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.

Undergraduate Student Government President Sarah Elbaroudy introduced Goldsmith to an audience of students, faculty, staff, healthcare workers, elected representatives and local guests.

Goldsmith began her address by promising to work alongside the Stony Brook community to "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."

She said that as an academic, innovator and leader, her professional journey has been defined by three key principles - believing in herself, forging new paths and embracing high-reward risks. "In so many ways, I see Stony Brook has the same entrepreneurial spirit that I do- one that is ambitious, optimistic and bold."

Goldsmith, who officially joined the university in August, recalled her interview process and noted that while her children cautioned her to not get too excited about potentially becoming Stony Brook's president, "It was too late - I was already hooked."

"With every conversation I had and each story I read about Stony Brook's drive to excel, to innovate, and to elevate every person associated with this university, these characteristics resonated deeply with me," she said. "It was clear this was the place I wanted to lead."

Goldsmith shared her background, including that her own education had been exclusively in public schools, from kindergarten through graduate school.

"I am so grateful for the outstanding public education I have received at a price I could afford, which served as the bedrock for all my future successes," said Goldsmith, who also spoke of her previous roles in higher education and as a technology entrepreneur, with two start-up wireless communications businesses. "Serving as your president is an opportunity for me to give back to public education."

Goldsmith described her interactions with Stony Brook students as rewarding. "Not only are they highly aspirational and extremely talented, but they are also truly grateful to be here," she said. "They have told me that they so appreciate that they are getting an excellent, affordable education at a place where they feel they belong, and where they can thrive."

Goldsmith noted that many of the university's students are first generation college attendees, with over 40 percent of undergraduates coming from economically disadvantaged families who receive federal Pell Grants, and that Stony Brook is only one of three AAU institutions to be designated an opportunity university in the new Carnegie classifications.

She added that four-year graduation rates have increased by 21 percentage points since 2014, meaning that an additional 5,500 students have graduated within four years with a combined economic benefit estimated at $430 million - $75 million in tuition and fees the students didn't have to pay for a fifth year of college, and an additional $350 million in earnings.

"What these statistics reaffirm is 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," Goldsmith said.

The president also discussed increasing the university's impact and presence in the region. "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," she said. "We have a desire to ignite our Southampton campus with expanded educational and cultural programming and by building a new hospital there. In New York City on Governors Island, we are leading the New York Climate Exchange and its bold aspirations to unlock solutions for mitigating climate change at speed and scale to address this existential threat to humanity. And we expect to expand our presence in New York City to increase our reach and influence. And as we do, we will accelerate Stony Brook's access, impact and excellence from Manhattan to Montauk."

Goldsmith identified current momentum happening at the university, including the Quantum Research and Innovation Hub announced by Governor Kathy Hochul; Stony Brook Children's Hospital being named the number one pediatric hospital in New York State and the seventh best in the nation; and the public-private partnership with Empire State Development and onsemi, the global leader in semiconductors, that will result in a leading-edge research and development facility on the campus.

Goldsmith then shared the key pillars of her strategic vision that she developed to help define the acceleration of Stony Brook's success in the future, captured through the ABCs:

• A - Accelerate Stony University's excellence in research, education, healthcare and service to our community and beyond
• B - Build new facilities to support our research and educational mission; build our faculty and student populations to educate more New Yorkers and to advance the frontiers of knowledge in more dimensions; and build on Stony Brook's successes to further elevate our excellence and impact.
• C - Catalyze by leveraging the university's research excellence and remarkable people to ignite innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, from Manhattan to Montauk and throughout New York.

The president also addressed the university's role in advancing local and state economic development efforts, explaining how Stony Brook drives research in collaboration with industry partners: "There's so much opportunity for Stony Brook to bring big companies, startups and every in-between size of company to New York State, increasing our ties to industry, from major established companies to new start-ups, including those launched right here at Stony Brook, which will allow us to leverage our research and education as a public good that fuels economic growth, prosperity, security and our well-being."

Goldsmith closed by asking the audience to envision Stony Brook in 2035, with help from Stony Brook's favorite mascot, Wolfie.

"I want Stony Brook to signal excellence and impact across every discipline for everyone in the United States and around the world," she said. "But to achieve our bold vision requires all of you to be all in. And we're going to start right now."

Goldsmith asked the audience to project their own headlines about Stony Brook, and then look back from a future we are building together.

"Help shape it, help build it and help lead it," she said. "I look forward to working with all of you to set the highest aspirations for excellence and impact and to achieve them together."

The event concluded with Goldsmith attending a reception with members of the SBU community on Staller Plaza.