STONY BROOK, N.Y., March 23, 2005—Stony Brook University President Shirley Strum Kenny and Ruth Brandwein, Director of the Social Justice Center, were among those honored by the University’s Hillel Foundation at a dinner last night at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
In addition to Dr. Kenny and Dr. Brandwein, Hillel also honored Hadassah National Board Member Claire Baer. All were honored for displaying exemplary leadership.
Dr. Kenny, who has been President of Stony Brook since 1994, has transformed the University into one of the leading research institutions in the world. During her tenure, Stony Brook has constructed LaValle Stadium, a Center for Molecular Medicine, and the Charles B. Wang Center, an Asian-American cultural center. Due to the efforts of Dr. Kenny, Stony Brook also has been hailed as a leader in providing research opportunities for undergraduates. In addition, research opportunities for students of all ages have flourished.
In 2005 alone, Stony Brook mentored 36 semifinalist in the prestigious Intel Science Competition—10 per cent of the total number—making the university the largest such incubator of Intel talent in the nation. In 2004, Stony Brook was ranked among the 50 best universities in North America and one of the world’s top 200 universities in an education supplement published by the Times of London.
Dr. Brandwein is former Dean of the University’s School of Social Welfare and also former Suffolk County Commissioner of Social Services. As head of the Social Justice Center, she leads the University’s effort to provide a structure to implement the School of Welfare’s mission to work for a just and equitable society.
