Nancy L. Zimpher, Chancellor of the State University of New York, to Receive Downstate Medical Center’s 2017 Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award
Jan 13, 2017
Brooklyn, NY – Nancy L. Zimpher, chancellor of The State University of New York, will receive SUNY Downstate Medical Center’s 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award on January 20. Chancellor Zimpher will also deliver the keynote address at the annual award program, which is hosted by SUNY Downstate’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion and is now in its sixth year. The event will take place from 12 noon to 1:00 pm in Downstate’s Alumni Auditorium, 395 Lenox Road, Brooklyn, NY 11203.
H. Carl McCall, chairman of the SUNY Board of Trustees, will extend greetings from the Trustees, and Alexander N. Cartwright, SUNY provost and executive vice chancellor, will give greetings from the SUNY System.
“Dr. King's vision was one of equality, opportunity, and social mobility for all Americans,”
said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall. “Under Chancellor Zimpher's leadership,
The State University of New York's commitment to these same values has grown exponentially.
In fact, we have committed to becoming the most inclusive system of higher education
in the country. It is my privilege to congratulate Chancellor Zimpher on this much
deserved honor.”
“SUNY is committed to keeping Dr. King's vision alive by ensuring access to an education
of the highest quality for all students, from all walks of life,” said Chancellor
Zimpher. “This vision is particularly evident at SUNY Downstate Medical Center, where
health care is also provided to one of the most diverse populations in the country.
I am honored to receive this award from such a prestigious institution.”
“The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award recognizes individuals and organizations that have a distinguished record in molding consensus to shape solutions to important societal challenges,” said Kevin Antoine, JD, founder of the award program and assistant vice president of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Downstate.
As 12th chancellor of The State University of New York, Chancellor Zimpher has implemented sweeping reforms that ensure SUNY can provide broad access to higher education while maximizing its impact as an engine of economic revitalization across the state.
Chancellor Zimpher is active in numerous national education organizations, and is a renowned leader in the areas of teacher preparation, urban education, and university-community engagement. In addition to her role at SUNY, she is chair of the Board of Governors of the New York Academy of Sciences and the National Association of System Heads. From 2005–2011 she led the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities, and from 2012–2013 she was chair of CEOs for Cities. As co-founder of StriveTogether, Chancellor Zimpher has been instrumental in creating a national network of innovative partnerships that address challenges across the education pipeline.
During the ceremony, the magazine Insight into Diversity will present Shaundelle Goldsmith, JD, director of Downstate’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion, with its Visionary Award. Michael Lucchesi, MD, officer in charge of SUNY Downstate, and Mark Stewart, MD, PhD, interim provost at Downstate, will be recognized with the magazine's HEED (Higher Education Excellence in Diversity) Health Professions Award.
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About SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient’s bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively.
SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.