Join us as we build a stronger future as a climate leader
January 6, 2025
Dear Colleagues,
As a state flagship institution and the anchor of the New York Climate Exchange, Stony Brook is committed to educating the next generation of scholars and professionals to address climate, environmental, and energy challenges.
This work is by necessity a collaborative effort, drawing expertise and perspectives from across a diverse range of fields and academic disciplines. And we must examine how we, as a university, are optimizing our potential for national leadership in climate and the environment.
Today, I am proud to announce a university-wide strategic effort, led by Kevin Reed, Associate Provost for Climate and Sustainability Programming, and Heather Lynch, Director of the Collaborative for the Earth and IACS Endowed Chair for Ecology and Evolution, to discuss and determine how we can optimize our efforts in support of this critical work.
I am asking interested full-time faculty and staff to join a scoping committee charged with engaging relevant stakeholders and conceiving of potential ways to organize and structure our academic, research, and external engagement activities related to climate. This committee’s work represents an essential step in this area. Its members will have an important role to play in shaping our future as a national leader.
Nominations are due Wednesday, January 15. You may nominate yourself or a colleague.
The committee will build upon the community town halls, hosted by the Collaborative for the Earth in the fall semester, focused on bringing together our community of climate and environment researchers. The committee’s goal will be to develop potential scenarios for community feedback, and ultimately, to submit a report to the Provost’s Office on what our scholarly community believes will be effective ways to organize or structure our work around climate and the environment.
Broadly, the goal is to empower collaboration and further solidify Stony Brook’s leadership in climate, environment, and energy.
I anticipate this process will continue through the spring.
Thank you for your support and participation in this process. I am confident we will emerge from these conversations in an even stronger position to help our society address some of its most pressing challenges.
Sincerely,
Carl W. Lejuez, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President