Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith appeared on WUSB-FM’s “Health Matters” for an interview with host Kate Valerio, discussing her first three months in office, her background in higher education, and her vision for the university’s future. The interview also featured Rick Gatteau, Vice President of Student Affairs.
Goldsmith described the reception she received upon joining Stony Brook as welcoming from students, faculty, and staff. In reference to her State of the University Address delivered on September 29, she said Stony Brook is “a place where I could come in and craft, together with everybody here, a vision for the future and then achieve it.”
She outlined a strategic plan based on three pillars: accelerate, build, and catalyze. According to Goldsmith, acceleration refers to advancing excellence in research, education, service, and healthcare. Building involves improving campus facilities—including projects like The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island and developments at Stony Brook Southampton—and expanding the student body to educate more New Yorkers. Catalyzing focuses on promoting innovation and entrepreneurship while strengthening industry partnerships “to have a real significant impact.”
Gatteau spoke about initiatives aimed at supporting student residency growth. He highlighted new housing options such as Seawolf Village—scheduled to open in January with 492 beds—and a forthcoming residence hall in Tabler community. He mentioned that student support teams are now present within residence halls for immediate assistance. Additionally, he noted that installations like the SBU letters outside Stony Brook Union offer new opportunities alongside existing symbols like the Wolfie statue to enhance school pride.
During the conversation about their career paths, Gatteau explained his long-standing connection to education due to his parents’ professions as elementary school teachers and his role in launching Stony Brook’s master’s program in higher education administration.
Goldsmith reflected on her own journey: “I had no idea at age seven what I wanted to be… at most inflection points in my career, I didn’t know.” She shared that although her mother was a cartoonist for “Rocky and Bullwinkle” and her father was an engineer—professions she did not initially understand or pursue directly—she eventually studied engineering at Berkeley before developing an interest in wireless communication during her first job. This led her into graduate studies and positions both as a professor and within industry.
“I said, I’m going to explore all of them and see which one ends up being the most appealing,” Goldsmith stated. “So one of the things I like to tell young people is explore all your options. Don’t settle on one thing. Because there’s so many paths to professional success and satisfaction.”
The interview will be rebroadcast on WUSB-FM 90.1 and 107.3 FM on October 20 as well as during Homecoming events on October 25 at 11 am.
During their appearance at WUSB-FM studios, Goldsmith and Gatteau participated as WUSB accepted the New York Broadcaster-Community Partnership Award from the New York Blood Center (NYBC). The award recognizes over two decades of partnership between Stony Brook University and NYBC that has resulted in more than 35,000 pints of blood donated by members of the university community—a contribution supporting research efforts along with cancer treatment programs that have impacted or potentially saved over 105,000 lives.