Spitzer announced his commitment to make Stony Brook a “flagship” of the SUNY system that would rival the nation’s most prestigious state research universities.

[3] During his announcement speech, Jim Simons said, "From Archimedes to Newton to Einstein, much of the most profound work in physics has been deeply intertwined with the geometric side of mathematics.

"[3] The Center results from extensive thought and planning between faculty, department chairs, and others, including Cumrun Vafa of Harvard, who directs the Simons Foundation-supported summer institutes on string theory at Stony Brook, and Isadore Singer of MIT.

The building offers 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) of floor space, spread over six stories, and includes a 236-seat auditorium, a 90-seat lecture hall, offices, seminar rooms, and a cafe.

The Center's permanent faculty currently consists of mathematicians Simon Donaldson, Kenji Fukaya, and John Pardon, and physicists Nikita Nekrasov and Zohar Komargodski.