Samuel Stanley brings impressive resume to Stony Brook
The new president of Stony Brook University is just what the doctor ordered: an eminent medical researcher who has the smarts and the drive to lead Stony Brook to even higher scientific eminence. The better its research, the better Long Island's chances of having a high-tech economic future. On President Shirley Strum Kenny's watch, Stony Brook got into the exclusive, 62-member Association of American Universities. The university's new leader, Dr. Samuel L. Stanley Jr., is now vice chancellor for research at Washington University in St. Louis - an AAU member with a longer history and a higher research ranking. His goal should be to move Stony Brook up that ladder. It's also vital to Long Island that the university, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory develop as a research alliance. They've identified biomedical research in such fields as cancer and neuroscience as areas of emphasis. Stanley's expertise is in infectious diseases, but his passion for funding all biomedical research will help the alliance get the seed money it needs. The only question is how well Stanley, coming from a private university, will handle zany New York and SUNY politics. But he did launch and still runs a major regional research center of excellence in biodefense and emerging infectious diseases, which required considerable political acumen. And he'll have the help of new SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, who has plenty of political savvy herself. By all accounts, Stanley has a down-to-earth, consensus- building style as well as a golden resume. Since our success as a region is tied to his success at Stony Brook, we look forward to his arrival as a pivotal new Long Island leader. hN
