During her first campus visit as president-elect on March 3, Andrea Goldsmith expressed her excitement about becoming the university’s seventh president, speaking to the tremendously high aspirations and infinite possibilities for Stony Brook University.
In sharing her vision for the future with students, faculty and staff, she noted, “I don’t think there’s any limit to what we can achieve.”
President-elect Goldsmith began a full day of listening and learning at the Undergraduate Student Government meeting before attending the “Kick it with Ric” event with Dean of Students Ric McClendon at the UNITI Cultural Center. Joined by mascot Wolfie and more than two dozen students, McClendon welcomed Goldsmith, who spoke with students individually and as a group.
“Our students are our ambassadors,” said Goldsmith, a longtime professor who taught and mentored students at Caltech, Stanford and Princeton. “When you go out into the world, achieve great things and make a positive impact, you will embody Stony Brook’s mission and inspire the next generation of students.”
Later in the afternoon, Interim President Richard McCormick welcomed Goldsmith to the University Senate meeting in the Charles B. Wang Center Theatre. “I am certain that Dr. Goldsmith is the right leader to enable the university to exceed its ambitious goals and reach new heights,” McCormick said.
Goldsmith noted the high regard she has for public education, having attended public schools and community college — and paying her own way — before receiving her BS in engineering math as well as MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering from U.C. Berkeley.
“There’s never been a more important time to strongly articulate the value of higher education for societal benefit and upward mobility,” she added. “I think Stony Brook can be one of the greatest voices in the country for the value of education, research, service and impact.”
Pointing to the challenges faced by higher education in this country, Goldsmith said she deeply believes in shared governance, and that the way forward is through teamwork, thinking outside the box, and setting high aspirations.
“We have to be prepared to take risks and to embrace change, and that will be essential,” she said. “If we do that, we will shape the future of this extraordinary institution in ways that we can’t even imagine today.”
The president-elect answered questions from faculty, and then capped the day with a reception with university leadership, faculty, staff, and USG students at the Charles B. Wang Center’s Skylight Lobby.
Goldsmith was appointed Stony Brook’s seventh president by the State University of New York Board of Trustees February 19, and will take office on August 1. A renowned educator, engineer and entrepreneur, Goldsmith is currently the Dean of Engineering and Applied Science and the Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University. She was also at Stanford University for 21 years, including 14 in the Senate, which she chaired.
Goldsmith founded and served as chief technical officer of Plume WiFi (formerly Accelera, Inc.) and of Quantenna, Inc., and she serves on the board of directors for Intel, Medtronic, Crown Castle Inc., and the Marconi Society.
View a gallery of photos from President-Elect Goldsmith’s visit by photographers John Griffin and Juliana Thomas:
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