Stony Brook University Professor Brenda Anderson, PhD has been elected as the new University Senate President effective on July 1, 2024. The University Senate is the primary campus-wide academic governance body at Stony Brook and is made up of a senate, and standing committees that collaborate with administration to discuss issues that impact the university as a whole. The University Senate meets regularly and is a major force for institutional-policy making at the university. Professor Anderson will succeed previous University Senate President Richard Larson.
The Executive Committee of the University Senate is composed of the University Senate President, three Vice-Presidents, the Secretary and Treasurer of the Senate, the Co-Chairs of the Professional Employees Governing Board, the President of the Undergraduate Student Government or designee and the President of the Graduate Student Organization or designee. In addition, the Stony Brook representatives on the SUNY Faculty Senate choose one of their members to represent them as a voting member of the University Senate Executive Committee.
The Committee acts for and to further the activities of the University Senate. The University Senate also has a Coordinating Council which facilitates the sharing of information and the coordination of activities among the Standing Committees of the University Senate. The Standing Committees provide a major part of the Senate’s work, which consists of elected representatives of faculty, staff and students. The Executive Committee meets with the University President, Provost, and other senior administrators each month. The University Senate President is also a member of the University Council.
Anderson is a Professor of Integrative Neuroscience, in the Department of Psychology, where she studied how experience influences behavior and brain function. Her expertise lies in behavior analysis, learning and memory, and quantitative neuroanatomy. Using these approaches, and animal models she developed for motor skill learning and psychological stress, she has investigated how experience modifies behavior, neural metabolic capacity and the number of synaptic connections. Her work has received support from the National Institute of Mental Health.
“I am looking forward to working with the exceptional members of the senate, and the leaders on its Executive Committee and standing committees,” said Anderson. “My goal is to build the relationships within the senate. I hope to continue the senate’s collaborative relationship with the President, Provost, and Vice President of Stony Brook Medicine so that Stony Brook University may fully capitalize on our well-deserved recognition as a flagship institution in New York.
