SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. Kicks Off Inauguration Week with Inspiring Fireside Chat Supporting Stony Brook University

The inauguration of the seventh president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Andrea Goldsmith, got underway with a strong endorsement from SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr., who praised the university's role as the flagship campus of the nation's largest public higher education system.

In a fireside chat at Stony Brook Southampton on April 11, the chancellor shared SUNY's vision for its 64 campuses, highlighting Stony Brook's contributions to scholarship, diversity, economic impact and workforce development for the system's 395,000 students and for New York State.

Chancellor King also praised Stony Brook's leadership in quantum networking, AI, health sciences, medicine, marine science and climate studies. With a $300 million investment from Governor Kathy Hochul to develop a quantum hub on Stony Brook's main campus, President Goldsmith told the chancellor and the audience that her vision is to establish Long Island as "Silicon Island," inspired by the West Coast's thriving tech industry.

For students in attendance, the fireside chat offered a rare, up-close look at leadership in action.

"This was an incredible look behind the scenes of a major university," said Westbury resident Cosette Bedoya, who is studying for a master's degree in speech-language pathology in Stony Brook's School of Health Professions."I really feel like I'm a part of a major moment in history."

"Not many students get to be part of a presidential inauguration and meet both the president and the chancellor," said Anthony "Rocco" Maner, a marine sciences major in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences from Lowville, New York.

"I'm excited to see where President Goldsmith takes the university next," added Antonia McFarlane, a marketing major from Dix Hills.

In addition to launching a week of inauguration events, the fireside chat is the first in a new series of conversations titled "Southampton Dialogues," which will become a regular forum for highlighting innovation and progress at Stony Brook Southampton.

The opening day of Inauguration Week also included a "Discover Stony Brook Southampton" reception at Chancellors Hall, and in the evening, a special concert by TONEWALL, the a cappella band of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus, at the Avram Theater.

Watch the chancellor and president's fireside chat below: