Stony Brook University to Present His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew with The Stony Brook Council University Medal

Leader of Eastern Orthodox Church to be Honored for His Work in Climate Action, Saturday, September 20 at Stony Brook Southampton

STONY BROOK, NY - September 18, 2025 - Stony Brook University will present the Stony Brook Council University Medal to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church, on Saturday, September 20 at the Stony Brook Southampton Campus. This is in recognition of his efforts on behalf of climate action, faith-based environmentalism and helping to foster interfaith dialogue. The presentation of the Stony Brook Council University Medal is the highest form of recognition awarded by Stony Brook and it is reserved for individuals who have had a significant and lasting impact on the university and community.

His All-Holiness will receive the award at a ceremony at the Avram Theater and will tour the Shinnecock Bay Hope Spot. The designation of this spot was the work of over a decade of restorative and scientific research co-led by Professors Ellen Pikitch, PhD, Christopher Gobler, PhD and Bradley Peterson, PhD from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and the Shinnecock Bay Restoration Program (ShiRP). There will also be a tour of the SoMAS wet labs, presentations about the research being conducted in Shinnecock Bay and related environmenta

l initiatives and a meet and greet with university students who will share their research in the areas of sea life and shellfish.

"I am so happy that His All Holiness will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the vital contribution that Stony Brook University offers to keeping our waters clean and our world less polluted through the great work of the Southampton Marine Science Center," said Stony Brook Council member Father Alexander Karloutsos who also serves as pastor of Kimisis Tis Theotokou Greek Orthodox Church of the Hamptons and the Orthodox Chaplain for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "And I am honored to be part of our Council that chose to honor one of the greatest religious servants/leaders in the history of the Orthodox Christian Church."

Previously, His-All Holiness has also been recognized internationally for his dedication to the environment including by United States Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush as well as by the United Nations and the John Templeton Foundation for which he was the 2025 recipient of the $1 million Templeton Prize for efforts at the intersection of faith and science. His All-Holiness' travels to the United States is timed with the Orthodox Church's Day of the Environment on September 1 and the awarding of the 2025 Templeton Prize.

"We are honored to welcome Green Patriarch Bartholomew to Stony Brook Southampton, where our 84-acre campus overlooking Shinnecock Bay and the Atlantic Ocean inspires a deep commitment to environmental stewardship," said Wendy Pearson, executive director of Stony Brook Southampton and vice president of Strategic Initiatives for Stony Brook University. "Through national initiatives like the FoodLab, the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and Semester by the Sea - and our collaborations with Shinnecock Nation and Mission Blue - we unite research, education and community partnerships to protect natural resources and build long-term sustainability. This occasion reflects our shared vision for a future where science, innovation, and community protect our land and sea."

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About His All-Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is the 270th successor to the Apostle Andrew and spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. Since ascending the Ecumenical Throne on November 2nd, 1991, he has tirelessly pursued the vision of his enthronement message spiritual revival, Orthodox unity, Christian reconciliation, interfaith tolerance and coexistence, protection of the environment and a world united in peace, justice, solidarity and love. Known in Europe as the "Green Patriarch," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has taken

the lead among all religious leaders in his concern for the environment. His All-Holiness has initiated seminars and dialogues to discuss the need for the mobilization of moral and spiritual forces to achieve harmony between humanity and nature.

About Stony Brook Southampton

Stony Brook Southampton, on Long Island's East End, is home to the Avram Theater and Avram Family Art Gallery, the Lichtenstein Center in the College of Arts and Sciences (MFA programs and Southampton Writers Conference), the FoodLab, the School of Health Professions (graduate programs), and the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (Marine Sciences Center and the Semester by the Sea program).

About Stony Brook University

The State University of New York at Stony Brook is New York's flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 26,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 225,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system 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 as the #58 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's 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 71 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, Fields Medal and Breakthrough Prizes in Mathematics and Physics. 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. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.