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Yale University names Stony Brook's Maurie McInnis as new president

Stony Brook University's Maurie McInnis named president of Yale
Stony Brook University's Maurie McInnis named president of Yale 00:27

NEW YORK - Yale University announced its new president Wednesday. 

Maurie McInnis, a Yale graduate, will become Yale's new president on July 1. 

"A compelling leader, distinguished scholar, and devoted educator, she brings to the role a deep understanding of higher education and an unwavering commitment to our mission and academic priorities. Her experience and accomplishments over the past three decades have prepared her to lead Yale in the years ahead," Yale trustee and chair of the presidential search committee wrote in a message to the Yale community on behalf of the Board of Trustees. "In her current role as the president of Stony Brook University, she is responsible for the academics, research, and operations of a flagship university for the State of New York and Long Island's premier medical center, which provides care for the entire region. She also shares responsibility for the oversight of Brookhaven National Laboratory, a U.S. Department of Energy facility for particle physics and nuclear, energy, data, and quantum information sciences. In addition, as the inaugural chair of the board of the New York Climate Exchange, she led the establishment of an international climate change solutions center in New York City. By working with universities, non-profits organizations, businesses, and community leaders, she has helped create a vibrant center that will improve the environment in New York City and provide solutions to the climate crisis that cities around the world can adopt. "

McInnis, 58, is stepping down as president of Stony Brook University to take the position at Yale. She's succeeding Peter Salovy, who is retiring and taking a faculty position at Yale. She's a Yale graduate, and a member of its Board of Trustees. 

McInnis been president of Stony Brook University for the past four years. Stony Brook lauded her achievements as president there, saying that among those achievements was the university being awarded a $500 million unrestricted endowment from the Simons Foundation, as well as the university reaching its highest rankings to date in the U.S. News and World Reports Best Colleges list. 

"We congratulate Maurie on this prestigious appointment, merely the latest in her series of extraordinary professional accomplishments," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King. Jr. "Maurie's election is a testament to both her exceptional ability and the esteem with which Stony Brook is viewed by its peers. I know that we will have superbly talented candidates to choose from as we begin this search for Maurie's successor to lead one of the nation's most prestigious public universities and a true engine of research innovation and social mobility." 

A new president of Stony Brook University has not yet been named. 

McInnis is taking the reins at a challenging time on college campuses across the country, which have seen numerous pro-Palestinian protests. Dozens of arrests were made at Yale during a protest in April, and one Jewish student there claimed she was assaulted during the protests. 

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