Stony Brook University Athletics

LaValle has been a longtime Stony Brook Athletics champion in his role as New York State Senator and Chair of the Higher Education Committee. One of his many goals over the tenure of his career was to see Stony Brook attain Division I status, and have the facilities necessary to achieve that goal. From the late 1980s, LaValle focused his energy on the creation and construction of the football/lacrosse stadium at Stony Brook and worked with several administrations to bring this to fruition and succeeded admirably in this mission. Through the years, LaValle had the vision to pursue many initiatives on the campus including the Centers for Advance Technology. LaValle was instrumental in creating The Long Island High Technology Incubator at Stony Brook and championed the Stony Brook University Incubator at Calverton. The Fine Arts Center was a result of LaValle’s work, as was the Indoor Sports Complex, which provides the campus with regulation athletic facilities. He was awarded the University Medal from Stony Brook in tribute to his work in higher education, the highest honor accorded by the university.