Message from Dean Paul Shepson

Welcome back students and welcome and congratulations to the Class of 2028! 

You have chosen your university wisely, and we are so glad you did.  You have also chosen your major wisely, as there are great opportunities here for you.  But, if you are unsure of what you want to do, and what your major should be - this means you are in good company!  In SoMAS, we have many degree options for you to choose from, in Sustainability Studies, in Atmospheric Sciences, and in Marine Sciences.  I also want to call attention to our new Minor in Climate Solutions, and that soon there will be a B.S. degree in Climate Science--stay tuned!  Please know that for all undergraduate degree-related questions you can start with our Undergraduate Advisor, Nancy Black.  For graduate degree-related questions in our MA, MS, PhD, and graduate certificate programs, please start with our Graduate Programs Coordinator, Ginny Clancy.

If your interests and passions are broadly about the Earth environment, please know that we share that passion: we need you, the world needs you, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with you!  You should know that as a professional scientist, researcher, conservationist, urban planner, teacher, professor, marine ecologist, forecaster, climate scientist, whatever your career path, you will never work and learn and do great things alone.  Here in SoMAS, we want you to learn and explore the natural world with others, to help others and yourselves to do great things, to make the world a better place.  That better place we aim to achieve is a world in which human activities have a minimal impact on the natural environment. 

Please allow me to offer some advice.  There are more than 8 billion people living on Earth - stand out, be different, do different.  Push yourself out of your comfort zone.  Have adventures.  Explore the world. Join a research group.  Do things that connect you to other people and start expanding your network of friends and supporters.  Explore the air, and go out on the ocean!  I urge all undergraduates to do study abroad!  To see other very different parts of the world is to better understand your home.  We have study abroad programs in Ireland/UK, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Tanzania, Kenya (at the Turkana Basin Institute) Madagascar (at Centre ValBio), and closer to home, we have a new program beginning at Governors Island, to name a few.  Talk to your advisors/mentors/professors.  And if you ever feel lost, or "at sea", reach out to us, and ask for help!  You are not alone.  We are here to help you succeed at Stony Brook.  You can come to me personally, any time.  You can send me an e-mail (paul.shepson@stonybrook.edu) or contact my assistant, Steve Ortega, and we can make an appointment. 

There is a great adventure out there waiting for you, and SoMAS will help lead you toward it. Embrace the fact that you are the leaders of the future!  Don't be intimidated by that, you are capable of so much more than you can imagine.  Hold your head high, and move forward, one great day at a time!  Again, thanks for being here, you're going to have the time of your life.

Go Seawolves!

Regards,

Paul Shepson,
Dean of the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences