SUNY board names Richard McCormick Stony Brook University's interim president
Richard L. McCormick, the incoming interim president at Stony Brook University. Credit: State University of New York System
The former president of Rutgers University will serve as the interim leader at Stony Brook University as a national search remains underway for a new top administrator at the school.
Richard L. McCormick, who served as Rutgers University's 19th president from 2002 to 2012, will step into the interim role at Stony Brook on Aug. 1. He also served as the president of the University of Washington prior to Rutgers. Before that, he was executive vice chancellor, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
His appointment was announced Tuesday at a meeting of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. The leadership change is being made after Maurie McInnis, the school’s president since March 2020, announced in late May she was stepping down to lead Yale University.
SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said Tuesday that a permanent president should be in place by the 2025-26 academic year.
McCormick "is an experienced higher education leader with an incredible record of academic excellence," King said. McCormick is not a candidate for the permanent position, he added.
SUNY officials noted that McCormick earned several awards and fellowships, including an honorary doctor of laws degree from Rutgers University, an honorary professorship at Shanghai University and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. He returned to teaching history at Rutgers after his tenure as president.
He has authored numerous books and articles in the field of American political history, beginning with his first book on New York State politics in the Progressive Era. Currently McCormick is writing a book on the history of American political corruption from the 17th century to the present. He holds a PhD in history from Yale University and a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Amherst College.
The national search for the university’s next president will be chaired by Stony Brook Council chairman Kevin Law, who attended Tuesday's meeting. "We have met and spoken several times," Law said. "He's a terrific person with a tremendous amount of academic experience, including running a large public research university. "
McCormick said Tuesday that he looks forward to stepping into the interim role to guide the college over the next year.
"This is a great university and it must and will continue to move forward," he said.
Joie Tyrrell is a Long Island native and covers education for Newsday, where she has worked since 1998.
