The inauguration of Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis will take place on Saturday, October 23, at 11 am in Island Federal Arena, preceded by a week’s worth of events and celebrations honoring the university’s sixth president.
McInnis began her tenure as president on July 1, 2020, taking the reins as the university and the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. She led the campus through uncharted territory to forge ahead with educating students and keeping Long Island at the forefront of innovation, with the health and well-being of the Stony Brook community her highest priority. As chief executive for Stony Brook — one of America’s leading public universities and an internationally recognized research institution — she also oversees Stony Brook Medicine, Long Island’s premier academic medical center.
To help ensure a successful future for the university during a time of extraordinary economic challenges, McInnis and initiated a universitywide Strategic Budget Initiative shortly after taking office, overseeing a partnership of roughly 400 faculty and staff across five task forces and multiple working groups.
McInnis previously served four years as executive vice president and provost at the University of Texas at Austin, and spent nearly 20 years at the University of Virginia as vice provost for academic affairs, associate dean for undergraduate academic programs in the College of Arts and Sciences, director of American studies, and professor of art history.
Inauguration Week events include:
Opening Reception
Monday, October 18, 2 pm
Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery in the Staller Center
As part of the inauguration celebration, the Zuccaire Gallery presents its first Faculty Artist Spotlight featuring internationally acclaimed artist Howardena Pindell, a distinguished professor of art who has taught at SBU since 1979.
Pindell’s powerful work has been exhibited extensively, including a major museum solo traveling exhibition entitled Howardena Pindell: What Remains to be Seen. She often employs lengthy, metaphorical processes of destruction/reconstruction, and gridded, serialized imagery, along with surface texture, appears throughout her oeuvre. Even in her later, more politically charged work, Pindell reverts to these thematic focuses to address social issues of homelessness, AIDs, war, genocide, sexism, xenophobia and apartheid.
The Zuccaire Gallery also features the exhibition Dos Mundos: (Re)Constructing Narratives, a SUNY traveling exhibition that continues through Oct. 30, featuring 12 artists that center stories at the fringe of public attention: hidden sanctuaries, subcultures, painful identities, far-away homes, spirituality, transcendence, broken promises, and all too easily ignored social ecologies.
Health Education and Healthcare Disparities: A Critical Look at an Interdisciplinary Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Tuesday, October 19, 1 pm
MART Auditorium (East Campus)
This mini-symposium — presented as an interdisciplinary and collaborative effort from several schools within the Health Sciences Center — will discuss efforts to reduce disparities that adversely affect underrepresented groups (including but not limited to, race/ethnicity, physical ability, LGBTQIA+, age, geographic location, etc.)
University Senate Inaugural Presidential Lecture
“The Shadow of Slavery in American Public Life”
Wednesday, October 20, 3 pm
Charles B. Wang Center Theatre
President McInnis is a renowned cultural historian of the 19th century American South. In this lecture, she will discuss two research projects (one focused on Virginia’s role in the American Slave Trade and one focused on slavery at the University of Virginia) and the public engagement that helped make visible the shadows of slavery that had long been hidden.
The lecture will be immediately followed by a viewing of the “To Be Sold” exhibit, with a Club Red reception in the Charles B. Wang Center’s Theatre Lobby. The exhibit will run through December 10.
Tackling Inequality in Higher Education: Past & Present
Friday, October 22, 3 pm
Simons Center, Della Pietra Family Auditorium
This symposium honors President McInnis’ accomplishments as a national leader in higher education and as a historian, including as author/editor of Educated in Tyranny: Slavery at Thomas Jefferson’s University. The event will illuminate the historical context and lasting impacts of inequities in students’ preparedness, resources, and access to college and graduate school.
The Inauguration of Maurie McInnis, PhD, Sixth President of Stony Brook University
Saturday, October 23, 11 am
Island Federal Arena
Doors will open at 9:30 am, and the inauguration ceremony is open to the public. Attendees are asked to please RSVP before October 15. A reception will follow at noon in Pritchard Gym.
Other Inauguration Day Activities
Homecoming BBQ & Seawolves Town, 12:30 pm
Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Parking Lot
No ticket is required to join in the fun at Homecoming, which will include rides and games for all ages, mini-golf, axe throwing, carnival booths, live music and more! Tickets are required for the barbecue as well as the football game at 3:30 pm between the Seawolves and the Richmond Spiders. Visit the Homecoming website for more information
Art Crawl: Free Guided Tours of University Galleries, 1 pm
The tour will start in the Wang Center/Skylight Gallery, but participants may join in at any point of the tour. Galleries include the Charles B. Wang Center, Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery (Staller Center), Lawrence Alloway Memorial Gallery (Melville Library), North Reading Room (Melville Library), and the Simons Center Gallery. The full schedule is available on the Art Crawl website. Registration is not required.
UNITI Cultural Center Ribbon Cutting, 2 pm
Stony Brook Union, First Floor
The UCC moved to its new, 3,500 square-foot space in the Stony Brook Union this year. It promotes cultural diversity, inclusion, and equity, offering students in-person and virtual cultural programs and opportunities to engage with their peers, faculty, and staff on a variety of contemporary issues. RSVP at the Office of Multicultural Affairs website.
Alan Cumming Is Not Acting His Age, at 8 pm
Staller Center for the Arts
The Inauguration Day celebrations conclude at the Staller Center for the Arts, which will host the American premiere of Alan Cumming’s new cabaret show. The Tony award winning, Scottish star of stage and screen delivers a funny and personable performance with a combination of songs and stories that will provide a wonderful evening filled with laughs, giddiness and even some tears. Tickets are available at the Staller Center website.
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