LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny upon the occa- sion of her retirement as President of Stony Brook University WHEREAS, New York State's commitment to education is unparalleled; its history and stature are secured by the superlative caliber of its educa- tional professionals and the students they inspire; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge the significant milestones in the distinguished careers of those outstanding educational leaders, whose dedication and achievements have been instru- mental in developing character and academic excellence in the young people of New York State; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long- standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny upon the occasion of her retirement as President of Stony Brook University; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny is the first woman and first humanist to serve as President of Stony Brook University; after a distinguished career as a literary scholar, teacher, and academic administrator, she came to Stony Brook as its fourth President in 1994; and WHEREAS, Since then, she has worked to strengthen the core academic and research operations of the University, fostered close links with business and industry, and established new working relationships with the Long Island community; and WHEREAS, Concerned about the state of undergraduate education at major research universities, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny headed a national initi- ative to address the issue; she launched and chaired the Boyer Commis- sion on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University; and WHEREAS, The Commission's report, Reinventing Undergraduate Education: A Blueprint for America's Research Universities (1998), advocated a model of education that would engage students with the resources unique to such institutions and lead them to conduct research themselves; currently, Stony Brook University is reorganizing its undergraduate curriculum along the lines recommended by the Boyer Report; and WHEREAS, Total enrollment at Stony Brook University has increased from 17,500 to more than 23,000 during Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny's presidency; faculty numbers are up eight percent; in 2006, the average SAT score of incoming freshmen was 1215; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has directed major projects of construction and renewal on the campus; the Charles B. Wang Center, celebrating Asian and Asian American cultures, was completed in 2002; an 8,300-seat stadium opened in 2002, the largest such venue in Suffolk County; a facility at 401 Park Avenue South, Stony Brook Manhattan, opened in January 2002; and in 2008, the Simons Foundation donated funds for the construction of the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics on the main campus; and WHEREAS, The center of the campus has been remodeled around an expanded Student Activities Center and landscaped Academic Mall; all student residence halls were rehabilitated, in the largest such program in the nation, and several new residential buildings were added; as part of her focus on student life at the University, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny encouraged the Athletics Program to advance to Division I status in the shortest time allowed by NCAA regulations and oversaw the adoption of the Seawolf as Stony Brook's sporting mascot; and WHEREAS, New buildings for the Life Sciences, Humanities, and Engi- neering were completed, and a new Campus Recreation Center is to be constructed on the main campus; Sunwood, the Melville mansion lost to fire in 1987, has been rebuilt as a presidential home and venue for University functions; and WHEREAS, Stony Brook University Medical Center has completed Phase I of a major modernization project, consisting of a new wing housing the Women and Infants Center, an expanded Emergency Department, and a Surgi- cal Suite; since 2005, new Heart, Cancer, and Pain Management Centers have opened, following the opening of an Ambulatory Surgery Center in 2001; in addition, the Matt and Debra Cody Center for Autism and Devel- opmental Disabilities was completed in 2003; and WHEREAS, The University has continued to expand throughout Long Island under Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny's leadership; in 2006, the University purchased the Stony Brook Southampton campus, offering undergraduate academic programs focusing on sustainability; enrollment at Southampton is expected to reach 2,000 students in the next five years; and WHEREAS, Moreover, construction at the Research and Development Park, a 246-acre property adjacent to the main campus that will contain the Center for Excellence in Wireless and Internet Technology and the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center, was nearing completion in 2008; and WHEREAS, In 2007, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny received the Fulbright Life- time Achievement Medal, honoring Fulbright alumni whose distinguished careers and civic and cultural contributions have sought to expand the boundaries of human wisdom, empathy, and perception; she was a Fulbright Fellow to the United Kingdom in 1957; and WHEREAS, Prior to her tenure at Stony Brook, Dr. Kenny was President of Queens College from 1985 to 1994; and WHEREAS, Currently, she serves on the JPMorgan Chase Metropolitan Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Goodwill Industries of Greater New York, and the Long Island Association; previously, she has served as Vice Chair of the Maryland Humanities Council, Chair of the Folger Shakespeare Library Institute Central Executive Committee, steer- ing committee member of the executive board of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies, board member of the American Handel Society, Chair of the Association for American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), and board member of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has published five books and numerous articles in the field of Restoration and 18th Century British drama, and is a highly regarded literary and textual historian; her editions of the plays of Richard Steele (1971) and the works of George Farquhar (1988) were published by Oxford University Press; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has taught at the University of Texas, Gallaudet University, the Catholic University of America, the University of Delaware, and the University of Maryland; and WHEREAS, She holds Bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Texas, an M.A. from the University of Minnesota, a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, and honorary doctorates from the University of Rochester, and Chonnam National, Dongguk, Konkuk, and Ajou Universities in Korea; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has been honored as Outstanding Woman at the University of Maryland, Outstanding Alumna at the University of Chicago, Outstanding Alumna of the College of Communications at the University of Texas, and Distinguished Alumna at the University of Texas; and WHEREAS, With her throughout have been her husband, Dr. Robert W. Kenny, and their five children, as well as their four grandchildren, all of whom feel privileged to be a part of her life and rejoice in her achievements; and WHEREAS, Educators like Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny provide a tremendous service to the future of our State and Nation, inspiring generations of young people in their educational journeys and ensuring their success in their future years; and WHEREAS, Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny has clearly had an enduring impact on the students of Stony Brook University, as well as on the community-at- large, and accordingly merits recognition and applause for her impres- sive dedication to others; and WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the efforts of those individuals who work to support our proud tradition of education by providing their skills and talents to our schools; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to honor Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny upon the occasion of her retirement as President of Stony Brook University, and for her significant contrib- utions to education in New York State; and to wish her continued success in all her future endeavors; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran- smitted to Dr. Shirley Strum Kenny..