For Immediate Release
October 29, 2024

Suffolk County Community College Partners with Stony Brook University for “Seawolves at Suffolk”

Stony Brook University, a SUNY flagship institution, is partnering with Suffolk County Community College to support a “Seawolves at Suffolk” program. The program provides Suffolk students with a transfer pathway that moves them from admission, to academic and social engagement with the university, and through transfer and graduation from Stony Brook.

Recently, Stony Brook University received a $500,000 Innovation Driven by Evidence and Advanced Strategies (IDEAS) grant from American Talent Initiative (ATI) College Excellence Program (CEP) and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The grant aims to amplify the power and potential of transfer students from lower income communities through high impact experiences, research-centered opportunities, and the development of workforce-ready skills. The university is partnering with neighboring SUNY Suffolk to support these initiatives.

“Seawolves at Suffolk” centers around an accelerated on-ramp to a paid summer research/internship opportunity with Stony Brook researchers in the summer prior to students transferring to the university. This is complemented by providing:

• unique workshops
• earlier access to university campus life
• supported student leadership pipelines
• comprehensive advising support with university advisors at SUNY Suffolk
• priority course registration
• mini-grants to take upper-division courses at Stony Brook before transferring
• additional wrap-around support from success specialists and career coaches

Within this innovative program, selected students who have been referred to SUNY Suffolk from Stony Brook University will be part of a cohort of students who begin their studies at SUNY Suffolk, with a shared goal of becoming a Seawolf. SUNY Suffolk is the largest community college in the SUNY system and sister institution to Stony Brook University. By beginning their studies at SUNY Suffolk, and meeting certain transfer milestones, students in the program will be guaranteed entry into select Stony Brook University programs, including Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, English, Psychology, and more.

SUNY Suffolk transfers hundreds of students per year to Stony Brook University, far more than any other community college. Together, the two institutions maintain a strong and ongoing partnership in areas ranging from National Science Foundation research projects to internships at Brookhaven National Laboratories.

“Thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies, accepted transfer students from Suffolk County Community College are already a part of the Stony Brook University community prior to their first day of classes,” said Interim Stony Brook President Richard L. McCormick. “This grant, awarded by the American Talent Initiative, allows us to expand our commitment to social mobility while providing transfer students with paid experiential learning, academic advising, and career counseling opportunities.”

“SUNY Suffolk has always prepared our graduates for success at elite colleges and universities like Stony Brook. With support from the American Talent Initiative grant, we will provide Suffolk students with an accelerated pathway to engagement at SBU, as well as experiential learning. This partnership allows us to support even more deserving Long Island students and families to live, learn and stay on Long Island,” said Dr. Edward Bonahue, President of Suffolk County Community College.

About Suffolk County Community College

 Suffolk County Community College is the largest, most comprehensive community college in the State University of New York (SUNY) system, enrolling more than 21,000 students in over 100 degree and certificate programs. With over 145,000 alumni, Suffolk County Community College is dedicated to meeting the demands of regional employers. The college has built an extensive track record of successfully training and educating its students through pathways from high school, to college, and into careers.

About Stony Brook University

 Stony Brook University is New York’s flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With over 26,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 220,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world’s biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #58 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook’s membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university’s distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy — one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.