Maurie McInnis is stepping down after a four-year tenure as Stony Brook University’s president to become Yale University’s next president.
“I have been so proud to lead Stony Brook during this exciting time in its history,” McInnis said in a news release about her departure.
“When I talk with other leaders in higher education, it is clear that they recognize Stony Brook is an institution on an upward trajectory, combining groundbreaking research with expanded opportunities for students from all backgrounds,” she added. “I want to express my appreciation to all the faculty, students, and staff who are achieving great accomplishments. I am confident that Stony Brook’s best years lie ahead.”
McInnis, a Yale graduate and member of its board of trustees, will assume her new position at Yale on July 1. The State University of New York (SUNY) will oversee the leadership transition.
McInnis took the helm as Stony Brook University president in March of 2020, leading the campus through COVID-19. Under her leadership, SBU became a state flagship university under the SUNY system. In 2023, the university was named the anchor institution of The New York Climate Exchange research center on Governors Island. That same year, it was awarded one of the largest gifts to a university in U.S. history with a $500 million unrestricted endowment from the Simons Foundation. The university also achieved its highest ever rankings among U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges listing.
McInnis worked at the center of a leadership coalition committed to growing academic excellence at Stony Brook, providing opportunity to students of all backgrounds, and supporting New York’s economy. This includes SUNY and its board of trustees, the Stony Brook Foundation and Stony Brook Council, the university’s longstanding partners at the Simons Foundation, and its more than 2,900 faculty and staff members, from the office of the provost to campus operations and maintenance.
“We congratulate Maurie on this prestigious appointment, merely the latest in her series of extraordinary professional accomplishments,” SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said in the news release.
“Maurie’s election is a testament to both her exceptional ability and the esteem with which Stony Brook is viewed by its peers,” King added. “I know that we will have superbly talented candidates to choose from as we begin this search for Maurie’s successor to lead one of the nation’s most prestigious public universities and a true engine of research innovation and social mobility.”
Rich Gelfond, chairman of the Stony Brook Foundation and CEO of IMAX Corporation, praised McInnis’s leadership.
“In her four-year tenure, Maurie’s decisive, collaborative leadership brought a number of key strategic initiatives to the finish line culminating in the most transformational period in Stony Brook’s history,” Gelfand said in the news release. “We are grateful for her stewardship and look forward to continuing the incredible progress of this one-of-a-kind institution.”
The 2023-2024 academic year has proven to be a tumultuous time on college campuses, including at both Yale and Stony Brook. In May, Stony Brook faculty senate voted not to censure McInnis in her handling of pro-Palestine protestors on campus that led to 29 arrests. McInnis defended the way the administration diffused the situation. The university had told the protestors that the area in which they gathered were needed for other events.
Kevin Law, chairman of the Stony Brook Council, the group that oversees and supervises the operations and affairs of the institution, credited McInnis for her leadership through challenging times.
“Maurie arrived during the COVID pandemic and more recently has successfully steered the university through a year that has been especially difficult for many university presidents,” Law said in the news release. “She led Stony Brook to new heights, bringing immense positive change and improvement to the university.”
McInnis also contributed to the region by serving on the board of directors of the Long Island Association, the region's largest business group, and leaders there said her presence would be sorely missed.
“Maurie has been a shining light for Long Island, propelling Stony Brook University to even greater heights as a flagship of the SUNY system that is world renowned for its research, innovation, and economic impact as the largest single site employer in our region,” said Matt Cohen, the president and CEO of the LIA.
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