Takes Title to 246 Acres to be Developed into a Research Campus; Looks Ahead to East End Campus Focusing on Environment
STONY BROOK, N.Y., November 3, 2005 — Stony Brook University announced today two major expansion developments that will result in new jobs, serve as an important economic engine of growth for the entire region, spawn pioneering research in various areas of science and engineering, lead to the creation of new technologies and commercial products, and have a significant impact on protecting the environment and sustainability on Long Island and beyond.
First, Stony Brook and Long Island University confirmed they had reached a general agreement, with some details still to be resolved, on the sale of LIU’s Southampton College property. Stony Brook then announced that it has acquired the title to 246 acres of property adjacent to the University, locally known as “Flowerfield.”
“This is a very, very exciting time for Stony Brook the entire region,” said Stony Brook President Shirley Strum Kenny. “Our expansion at Flowerfield and Southampton means that our research enterprise will continue to grow and prosper in ways that will develop new technologies and unlock the questions on the important issues we will face in the 21st Century.”
The $35 million acquisition of Southampton College’s 81 acres by Stony Brook-subject to the approval of the State University of New York Board of Trustees-means that the University will move forward with its plans to develop a campus at Southampton focusing on academic programs related to the environment and sustainability. Those programs will begin in September, 2006.
Last year, the two institutions reached an agreement transferring the undergraduate marine science programs at Southampton College to Stony Brook University’s nationally-renowned Marine Sciences Research Center, with the University leasing space at Southampton beginning this Fall. Stony Brook’s efforts in Southampton have been spearheaded by State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle with support from Assemblyman Fred Thiele and Congressman Tim Bishop.
The expected purchase of the Southampton property also has been hailed by local public officials, civic activists, and business leaders who have fought to preserve the site for academic use. The property would provide Stony Brook with shoreline access for the planned curriculum relating to the environment and reinforce Stony Brook’s existing efforts that explore such issues. The University is already host to the World Environmental Forum, a series of conferences drawing leading international scientists and led by Richard Leakey, the world-famous anthropologist and conservationist, who is a Professor at Stony Brook.
In the second major expansion development, Stony Brook formally took title to 246 acres of the Flowerfield property, assuming full ownership. The University will develop a Research and Development Campus on the site, anchored by a Center for Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT). The Research and Development Campus will be an extension of the University’s world-renowned research arm.
The CEWIT will be a 100,000 square-foot, low-rise building where research by Stony Brook faculty and students will be done in partnership with local industry. Research foci will include Homeland Security, cyber security, ad hoc wireless networks, wireless healthcare applications, microwave sensors, computational genetics, computational neurobiology, sensor networks, and related research. The building will include 22 laboratories.
Construction on the CEWIT is scheduled to begin in 2006 and is expected to be completed in 2008. Construction and equipment is being funded by a $50 million grant from New York State’s Centers of Excellence program, launched by Governor Pataki in 2001. Stony Brook anticipates that as many as 1,900 researchers and employees will work at the Research and Development Campus within 10 years.
“We are extremely grateful to the Governor for his inspired leadership in creating the Centers of Excellence,” Kenny said. “With the extraordinary research that is conducted at Stony Brook, and the collaborative efforts with private industry, CEWIT will make a difference in the lives of people across the region, the state, and the nation.”
The Flowerfield property is adjacent to the University and borders Route 25A, and straddles the Towns of Smithtown and Brookhaven. The land is zoned for light industrial use, so no zoning change is required for the intended research use of the property. The University will honor the leases of the two existing tenants on the property.
After having the site appraised, Stony Brook offered Gyrodyne Co. of America, which had owned the property, $26,315,000 on August 1. The offer was not accepted. Lacking a negotiated agreement, the value of the land will be set by the New York State Court of Claims as part of the eminent domain process.
Stony Brook University is one of the leading public research institutions in the U.S. Ranked the 136th best university in the world last year (out of more than 8,300 universities worldwide) by the London Times Higher Education Supplement, Stony Brook is also one of only 10 universities nationally awarded a 1998 National Science Foundation recognition award for integrating research and education. It is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, an invitation-only organization of the top 63 research universities in the U.S. The University has an enrollment of approximately 22,000 students, generates $160 million annually in external research funding, and has an annual $2.5 billion economic impact on the region.
