Statement from Chancellor King and the SUNY Board of Trustees on the Passing of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny
September 5, 2026
"Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny, who was the first woman to serve as president of the State University of New York at Stony Brook when she was appointed in 1994. Dr. Kenny transformed Stony Brook into a premier research institution, which resulted in the university's membership in the Association of American Universities in 2001, and solidified partnerships with Brookhaven National Laboratory and others to provide research opportunities for students and faculty. She knew the power of an excellent higher education for students, and she led a campaign that secured nearly $360 million in gifts and pledges, the largest at that time across SUNY, for the campus. SUNY and Stony Brook are grateful for Dr. Kenny's dedication to the many students, faculty, and staff who benefited from her leadership, and we are saddened to hear of her passing."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state's only college of optometry, 12 Educational Opportunity Centers, over 30 ATTAIN digital literacy labs, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.7 million students across its portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2025, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and annually one in three New Yorkers who earn a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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