Southampton - Hundreds of students, faculty and staff convened Sunday, Aug. 30 for Stony Brook Southampton's first ever Convocation to usher in the new academic year.

Speakers included President Samuel L. Stanley, Jr., Dean and Vice President Mary Pearl, Provost Eric Kaler, SoMAS Dean David Conover, Distinguished Professor Roger Rosenblatt, New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele (R-Sag Harbor), Dean's Council representative and Southampton College alum Bob Martin and students Cami Lleras and Tony Patelunas.

Entering its third year, Stony Brook Southampton, a model of sustainability that was featured in The New York Times and on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" and "The Today Show," is continuing with its plans to build one of the nation's truly green campuses.

Located on 82 seaside acres on the world renowned East End of Long Island, its interdisciplinary academic programs focus on issues of ecological sustainability, with undergraduate majors in Environmental Studies and Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The campus is also home to a nationally-recognized MFA. in Writing and Literature graduate program, the Pollock-Krasner Library and its nearby Pollock-Krasner House, the Avram Theater and Gallery and the 40-year-old Summer Writers Conference, which annually attracts the country's leading literary figures.