Your University: Lourie Family Donates $2.5M for Pediatric MS Center

Lourie Family Donates $2.5M for Pediatric MS Center. Robert and Lisa Lourie of Setauket have donated $2,500,000 to Stony Brook University for its National Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center, a gift that will be matched by the Simons Foundation Challenge Grant program for a total impact of $5,000,000. The center, to be renamed the Lourie Center for Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis, will include a $3 million imaging suite to bring the latest imaging technologies to the center to help scientists better understand neurological disorders. “The Louries' extraordinary gift will enable us to provide the resources and environment needed to support the best researchers, and to reach new heights in pioneering research,” university president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said in a statement.

Jewish Theological Seminary Event Set for Sunday. Dr. Arnold M. Eisen, Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary, will deliver the keynote address on the topic of "The College Campus, its Challenges and the Future of the Jewish Community." Other prominent speakers will address issues such as the correlation between religious passion and fundamentalism, Jewish identity, the dynamic evolution of American Jewry and more. Starting at 10 a.m., the day will include a light breakfast, a full lunch, and a live music performance by the Long Island Brass Guild. The event, to be held at the Wang Center, is $36 in advance, $50 at the door, and free for all SBU matriculating students. For more information, visit the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Life at Stony Brook at www.stonybrookhillel.org.

Former SBU President to Lead Georgia University. Shirley Strum Kenny, who served as president of Stony Brook University from 1994 to 2009, has been named interim president at Augusta State University in Georgia. According to the Wall Street Journal, Kenny will assist in the school's transition as it merges with Georgia Health Sciences University; she begins her new position July 1.

Athletic Director's Gift Will Establish Endowment in his Father's Name. Jim Fiore Jr. and his wife Lisa have donated $25,000 to the Stony Brook athletics department to establish the Jim Fiore, Sr. Endowment for Academic and Athletic Excellence, in honor of Fiore's recently deceased father. "Stony Brook has been so good to my family that we were compelled to give back and support the mission of the Department of Athletics while also honoring a man who embodied all the personal traits we strive to produce in our student-athletes – Commitment, Passion, Pride, Respect and Swagger." Fiore Sr. was a longtime resident of Long Beach, where he served for 23 years as an officer with the Long Beach Police Department.