Rutgers President Emeritus Richard L. McCormick was selected to serve as the interim president of Stony Brook University for the next academic year, the State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees announced this week.
McCormick, who served as Rutgers’ 19th president from December 1, 2002, to June 30, 2012, will begin his interim role on Aug. 1. He will take a leave of absence from his position as University Professor at Rutgers that coincides with his term as interim president during the search for a new Stony Brook president.
“Each step we take in this leadership transition is important, and we welcome Dr. McCormick,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. “His vast higher education experience will continue to move this esteemed university forward as the campus conducts a national search for its new president.”
McCormick is an experienced higher education leader with presidential roles at both Rutgers University and the University of Washington. Prior to his presidencies, he served as executive vice chancellor, provost, and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“Stony Brook University is a renowned institution with a stellar reputation for its academic programs, innovative research and vast student offerings. I have long admired Stony Brook, and I look forward to leading the university during this period of transition,’’ McCormick said. “My thanks to the SUNY Board of Trustees, Chancellor King and the Stony Brook University College Council for this opportunity.”
A scholar of American political history who began his academic career on the Rutgers faculty, McCormick’s roots at Rutgers are strong. His mother, the late Katheryne Levis McCormick, was a longtime Rutgers administrator, and his father, the late Richard P. McCormick, was a Rutgers alumnus and a highly regarded member of the Rutgers history faculty, university historian and champion of New Jersey historical scholarship.
McCormick, who is also a Board of Governors Professor of History and Education at Rutgers, has earned several awards and fellowships and has authored numerous books and articles in the field of American political history. He is currently writing a book on the history of American political corruption from the 17th century to the present. He holds a doctoral degree in history from Yale University and a bachelor’s degree in American studies from Amherst College.
“Richard McCormick will bring his deep experience as a leader in higher education to Stony Brook along with his impressive record for being unafraid to tackle difficult issues – key traits that are profoundly needed in this moment,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway. “Stony Brook is fortunate to have his stewardship in the pivotal year ahead."
Stony Brook has more than 25,000 students and is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, which, in total, serves about 1.4 million students through its portfolio of credit and noncredit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education and community outreach programs.
Stony Brook’s announcement of McCormick’s appointment noted the search for the next leader of the university following President Maurie McInnis’s departure last month to serve as president of Yale University will begin this summer. As an interim president, McCormick will not be a candidate to be Stony Brook’s next permanent president.
“Dr. McCormick brings to Stony Brook a diverse set of experiences that will bode well for the university,” said Rev. M. William Howard Jr., who served on the Rutgers Board of Governors for 10 years and chaired the board from 2007 to 2010. “At Rutgers, I witnessed firsthand his considerable strengths as an academic leader.”
