Stony Brook University will have an interim president, beginning Aug. 1.
The State University of New York Board of Trustees on Tuesday appointed Richard McCormick to the position.
With four decades in higher education, McCormick most recently served as president emeritus and Board of Governors professor of history and education at Rutgers University. Earlier, he served as president of University of Washington.
“The Board of Trustees is confident that [McCormick’s] extensive experience in higher education will bring stability and continued success to the university during this pivotal time, ensuring a smooth and successful transition,” the board said in a news release announcing McCormick’s appointment. “We look forward to working with him during this academic year."
The appointment comes after Maurie McInnis, the former president of Stony Brook, left in June to serve as Yale University president.
“Stony Brook University is a phenomenal institution that provides a world-class higher education and is well respected for its academic excellence, renowned research capabilities and robust support and resources for our students' success," SUNY Chancellor John King Jr. said in the news release. "Each step we take in this leadership transition is important, and we welcome Dr. McCormick.”
While a national search for Stony Brook’s next permanent president is slated to begin this summer, McCormick is not a candidate for the position, according to the news release.
Meanwhile education and local leaders welcomed McCormick to his role as interim president.
“His vast higher education experience will continue to move this esteemed university forward as the campus conducts a national search for its new president," King said of McCormick.
"Stony Brook University is a world-class institution, moving on an upward trajectory, educating the next generation of leaders and thinkers, and bettering our society through research and economic development,” Kevin Law, Stony Brook Council chair, said in the news release. “I am pleased to welcome Dr. McCormick, whose accomplishments and vision in higher-education leadership are nothing short of extraordinary, as our interim president, and to begin the search for our next permanent president.”
McCormick, in the news release, said that the university “is a leader in innovation, the destination of choice for patient care, and proof that academic excellence can go hand in hand with opportunity and inclusion. It has achieved national stature yet remains fully engaged with its Long Island community, for which it is an economic engine.”
He said that he looks forward to “working alongside Stony Brook's talented leadership team to continue the university's momentum and elevate Stony Brook to even greater heights. My thanks to the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor King, and the Stony Brook Council for this opportunity."
Earlier in his career, McCormick served as executive vice chancellor, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Among his awards and fellowships are an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Rutgers, an Honorary Professorship at Shanghai University and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship.
A published author covering American political history, McCormick is currently writing a book on the history of American political corruption from the 17 th century to the present.
McCormick holds a Ph.D. in history from Yale University and a B.A. in American studies from Amherst College.
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