By GREGORY ZELLER //
Stony Brook University has joined The University at Buffalo to split a rare distinction: They now share the mantle as New York State Flagship Public Universities.
On Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the formal Flagship University designation for both SBU and UB, which was previously listed as New York’s only Flagship University.
The honor reflects “the preeminent role [the two universities] play statewide, nationally and internationally as models of research and academic excellence,” according to a joint statement released by SBU and UB.
The two State University of New York institutions – which boast a combined economic impact exceeding $8.9 billion annually and enroll nearly 59,000 between them – are each a cornerstone of regional socioeconomics. Stony Brook is a key scientific component of Long Island’s burgeoning biotech corridor and the center of its own thriving healthcare system; the University at Buffalo is a focal point of nanotechnology, medical study and public research.
As Flagship Universities, the schools join a pantheon of national institutions that are vital cogs in advancing their home state’s public higher-education mission. Usually invited members of the Association of American Universities – both SBU and UB check that box – the flagships are bastions of research and graduate education, each presenting a comprehensive array of professional schools and degree programs.
Maurie McInnis: Mission driven.
They are also proven economic catalysts – certainly the case at SBU, according to Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis, who made no bones about her university’s mission to “grow our combined annual research expenditures to bring jobs, innovation and renown to New York State.”
“We are nationally recognized for our ability to produce cutting-edge research at the same time as we offer a world-class education to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds,” McInnis added, noting this in turn gives the students “unmatched social and economic mobility.”
University at Buffalo President Satish Tripathi said the shared New York State designation “recogniz[es] both our vital leadership in public higher education and our steadfast commitment to bring the benefits of our research, clinical care and education to the region, state, nation and world.”
“The excellence and reputation of a public Flagship University … elevat[es] the educational experience as a whole,” Tripathi added, noting the distinction “bring[s] an influx of national and global talent to the region and state, securing federal investments in academic research … and catalyzing growth and innovation across business and industry.”
Including the University of the District of Columbia, there are now 52 state-designated Flagship Universities across the United States. New York is the only state to split the honor between two separate institutions.
