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.