The official portrait of Stony Brook University’s fifth president, Samuel L. Stanley Jr., was unveiled April 14 in the Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library Atrium.
Painted by artist Ying-He Liu, the portrait hangs in the atrium along with portraits of other Stony Brook University presidents.
“Sam spent an important decade here as president, and he had a huge role in building this institution into the powerhouse of innovation and creativity that it is today,” said President Maurie McInnis, who thanked Stanley for providing Stony Brook with a “decade of commitment and innovation.”
McInnis said that the Campaign for Stony Brook that Stanley oversaw helped raise more than $630 million over a seven-year period; pointed to the establishment of SUNY Korea, the Global Health Institute and the Turkana Basin Institute as examples of Stony Brook’s increased global reach; noted that endowed faculty positions increased from 9 to 59 under Stanley’s watch; and credited him with helping Stony Brook become one of the best universities in the country for catalyzing upward social mobility for its economically disadvantaged students.
Liu is a Stony Brook University alumna who received her BA in fine arts in 1983 before making her mark in the world of art and illustration. A highly sought-after portrait artist, Liu’s subjects include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, numerous politicians and judges, and several university leaders, including the presidents of Princeton, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Dartmouth, Bryn Mawr and Hamilton. Liu also painted the official portrait of Stony Brook’s fourth president, Shirley Strum Kenny.
Joining Stanley at the portrait unveiling were his wife, Dr. Ellen Li, and their son, Sam. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Jim and Marilyn Simons, Stony Brook Council members Kevin Law and James Morgo, New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright, U.S. Ambassador Designate to Greece George Tsunis, former New York State Senator Kenneth LaValle and his wife Penny, and former New York State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan.
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