Interim president for Stony Brook University expected by early August
Dr. William Wertheim, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine, has been appointed executive in charge of Stony Brook University until an interim president can take over the university. Credit: Stony Brook Medicine/Jeanne Neville
An interim president for Stony Brook University is expected to begin serving the school in August, officials said Monday, and the SUNY chancellor has appointed a top administrator at Stony Brook Medicine as an “officer in charge” in the meantime.
State University of New York Chancellor John B. King, Jr. has appointed Dr. William Wertheim, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine, to oversee Stony Brook University’s operations and Stony Brook University Hospital's Governing Body effective Monday.
In a note to the campus community, King said he anticipates “that the SUNY Board of Trustees will approve an interim president to begin serving by the beginning of August.” A national search gets underway this month, he said.
Dr. William Wertheim, executive vice president for Stony Brook Medicine, has been appointed executive in charge of Stony Brook University until an interim president can take over the university. Credit: Stony Brook Medicine / Jeanne Neville
The leadership moves are being made after Maurie McInnis, the school’s president since March 2020, announced in late May she was stepping down to lead Yale University. McInnis, a Yale graduate and member of its board of trustees, assumed her new position at Yale on Monday.
Wertheim, who has served the university in various roles for nearly three decades, “is ideally suited to lead us during this brief transition while maintaining his clear vision for the future of Stony Brook Medicine,” said Judith B. Greiman, chief deputy to the president and senior vice president for government and community relations, in a note to the campus community.
She noted that the national search for the university’s next president will be chaired by Stony Brook Council Chairman Kevin Law, in accordance with SUNY’s presidential search process guidelines, and a call for search committee nominations will be shared with the campus.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.