March 3, 2023 — Stony Brook University’s Division of Student Affairs is pleased to announce the promotion of Drs. Marisa Bisiani and Marianna Savoca. Both report to Richard Gatteau, Vice President for Student Affairs.
Dr. Marisa Bisiani has been appointed the Associate Vice President for Health, Wellness, and Prevention Services. Bisiani has been a leader in Student Affairs since she began working at Stony Brook in 2017 in the newly-created role as Assistant Vice President for Student Health, Wellness and Prevention Services to address the need for greater investment and focus on the safety, health, and wellness of the student body. Bisiani worked to expand and integrate the holistic services that support the student experience at Stony Brook. This includes the renovation of the Student Health & Counseling Center, the introduction of telehealth and telecounseling services, and the creation of proactive educational, recreational and outreach efforts.
When COVID impacted the campus community almost three years ago, Bisiani was at the helm of the health and safety planning for both students and employees. She worked to respond to aspects of addressing the pandemic, speaking to many audiences and worked to keep the campus safe.
“Throughout this challenging period, Bisiani was a credible communicator of information and ably led a response team of outstanding professionals,” said Gatteau. “The Stony Brook campus was kept safe because of her diligence, sound judgment, and resiliency.”
In this expanded role, Bisiani will continue to oversee the teams in Counseling & Psychological Services, Center for Prevention & Outreach, Recreation & Wellness, Student Accessibility Support Center, and Student Health Services. She will also work closely with the Division of Human Resources, as she has during the pandemic, including Healthier U and the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), supporting broader health and wellness initiatives for West campus employees.
Dr. Bisiani received her Doctor of Nursing Practice, Master of Science/Adult Practitioner and Bachelor’s of Science degree in Nursing from Stony Brook University.
Bisiani is married and is the mother of three children. She lives in Miller Place, New York.
Dr. Marianna Savoca has been appointed the Associate Vice President for Career Readiness and Experiential Education. Since joining Stony Brook in 1997, Savoca has led the integration of career readiness and experiential education into the fabric of the campus in support of student success. Throughout her tenure, she oversaw the creation of on-campus internships, award-winning diversity talent development programs, industry and alumni engagement and established career readiness programs into the academic curriculum through several million dollars in grant funding in collaboration with faculty.
“Marianna has provided exemplary leadership in her role of preparing our students for their career success,” said Gatteau. “She has been at the forefront of innovation in the field, creating a scalable model for our students. She is a national leader, sought-after consultant and speaker.”
Savoca co-authored the book, A Good Job: Campus Employment As A High-Impact Practice, published in 2018, and a chapter, “Student Employment as Learning-Integrated Work” in the 2023 edition of The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration. She recently completed a two-year term as President of the Society for Experiential Education.
In this expanded role, Savoca will continue to oversee the Career Center and the new Center for Service Learning & Community Service, launched this year. She will assume more leadership of divisional initiatives in fundraising, staff development, and academic partnerships. She will also continue her work with the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs and CELT on faculty leadership development initiatives.
Dr. Savoca received her PhD in Higher Education from Colorado State University, Master of Science in Higher Education Student Affairs from Indiana University Bloomington and a Bachelor of Science from Binghamton University.
Savoca resides in Port Jefferson, New York.
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About Stony Brook University
Stony Brook University — New York’s flagship university and No. 1 public university — is going far beyond the expectations of today’s public universities. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 24,000 students, more than 2,800 faculty members, more than 200,000 alumni, a premier academic health center and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked among the top 35 public universities by Forbes and one of the top 80 universities in the nation by the U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 65 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize and the inaugural Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy — one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $7.23 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/) and Twitter(@stonybrooku).
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