I am very pleased to direct your attention to the new SoMAS Strategic Plan, “A Vision for SoMAS Science, Education, and Outreach Leadership, 2019-2024”, available on SoMAS website as of April 22.
This plan is the culmination of a multi-step process, starting with our Faculty and Staff retreat, which took place on October 5, 2018, at Sunwood. That retreat led to the kickoff of the planning process by the Strategic Planning Committee, which then proceeded through a heroic set of meetings among committee members, as well as several meetings with Faculty and Staff through the Fall and Spring. The committee was charged with creating a document that was bold in its goals and objectives, that expresses a clear and ambitious vision for the future of SoMAS, and which is fully implementable. The result speaks for itself, but I think the committee and all of SoMAS did a great job with this effort.
The document expresses a vision for continuing excellence in marine and atmospheric sciences and sustainability, as well as integration of those disciplines, and excellence and leadership in education and outreach. But most importantly, SoMAS aims to take a leadership role in connecting disciplines across campus with the aim of making real progress with respect to a number of Earth and human interaction challenges, and effective and meaningful engagement with important local, New York State, and national scale stakeholders. This is exciting indeed for us, and we look forward to working with a wide array of partners in pursuit of success at SoMAS and Stony Brook University.
In the coming months we will develop an implementation plan, and we will keep you informed as that process continues.
We hope that you can support us on our mission and join us on April 30 for Stony Brook University’s first Giving Day. This 24 hour online campaign offers a chance for everyone to come together, show their school pride, and provide indispensable funding to fuel further excellence. TOGETHER we can provide the best possible experience for our students!
Thank you for your interest in and commitment to SoMAS!
Paul Shepson
Dean, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences
