Across The State University of New York, we are celebrating the landmark achievement of Professor M. Stanley Whittingham, who on October 9, was one of three scientists to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Dr. Whittingham joins 15 other SUNY faculty members who have received this momentous honor. It has us reflecting on the global reach of our work, our students’ exposure to knowledge creation of this magnitude, and our commitment to making good on the public’s investment in SUNY.
It is hard to overstate the implications of Dr. Whittingham’s work on the lithium-ion battery. These batteries have revolutionized wireless electronics – powering everything from the smart phone in your hand to the power tools in your shed to the solar panels on your roof. With their capacity to store energy generated by the sun and the wind, these batteries will help us create a fossil fuel-free world.
Research and innovation on this scale is far from an aberration. Every day, people on our campuses are altering the way we treat our sick, grow our food, solve crimes, get our information, and teach our kids. This is work that reshapes entire fields. It changes lives – and in some cases – it even stands to save them.
Take healthcare research. At Stony Brook University, Dr. Jingfang Ju is creating a more effective treatment for fighting chemotherapy-resistant cancers. Downstate Medical University received $16 million to study the long-term effects of HIV. University of Buffalo epidemiologist John Violanti was awarded more than $830,000 from the Department of Justice to study the negative health effects experienced by Buffalo Police Officers. And Dr. Sha Jin of Binghamton University secured $1.2 million in federal grants as she searches for a cure to diabetes.
High-tech start-ups working out of business incubators on our campuses are developing concepts with the capability of improving everything from crime scene investigation to farming.
With the effects of climate change poised to produce more cases of extreme weather, this fall, SUNY and CUNY are bringing university leaders from around the country together at the University at Albany. They will discuss ways that higher education institutions can strengthen global disaster prevention and response strategies.
And it’s not just our research universities and medical colleges. At SUNY Canton, Dr. Kambiz Ghazinour just received a nearly $2.5 million grant to study movement and efficiency in level one trauma rooms, where mere seconds can make the difference between life and death.
As a publicly-funded university system, we are harnessing our collective power to devise solutions to some of the world’s most complex and pressing problems. This is part of our return on the taxpayers’ investment in us.
It is also a return on our students’ investment. It is proof that if you invest in SUNY, you are getting more than affordability. You are also getting quality of the highest level. And you don’t have to take our word for it.
Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report, which compiles its list of “best colleges” based on factors like graduation rates and social mobility – ranked Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Stony Brook, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry among the best institutions in the nation. Eleven other SUNY colleges were ranked among their best regional universities, including Geneseo, SUNY Poly, Oneonta, Oswego, Fredonia and Cortland.
We also pride ourselves on connecting as many people as possible to that excellence. In 2018, 16 of our institutions were ranked among the top 200 schools in CollegeNet’s National Social Mobility Index. SUNY Maritime, Alfred State, Binghamton, Stony Brook, and Albany made the top 50. The University of Buffalo – just one school – serves as many students from low-to-moderate income families as the entire Ivy League – all eight schools – combined. It’s proof that you can build nationally renowned programs with world-leading scholars, while being accessible to everyone.
And that is our mission at SUNY, to serve everyone with an affordable, high-quality education that places students alongside some of the world’s preeminent researchers, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs. We are talking about esteemed faculty with the intellectual might to challenge conventional wisdom, take on the big problems, and transform the way we live our lives. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?
Kristina Johnson is the 13th Chancellor of the State University of New York, the nation’s largest comprehensive system of higher education.
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