BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY is one of four university centers within the State University of New York - and, as The Fiske Guide to Colleges points out "Binghamton has become the premier public university in the northeast because of its outstanding academic programs. . . and its commitment to undergraduates."
Overall, we enroll 14,373 students in programs leading to bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. Our curriculum, founded in the liberal arts, has expanded to include selected professional and graduate programs.
The University consists of Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Community and Public Affairs, the School of Education, the School of Management, the Decker School of Nursing, and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Graduate School administers advanced-degree programs in these schools, but both our undergraduate and graduate students are taught by the same outstanding faculty. Twenty-six specialized research centers attract scholars from around the globe to Binghamton's modern campus.
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Our faculty and students come from many cultures and backgrounds and represent a wealth of ideas. Add that to our excellent research library, outstanding computing facilities, superb performing-arts center and a wide assortment of course offerings.
History
Binghamton University opened its doors as Triple Cities College in 1946 to serve the needs of local veterans at the end of World War II. Originally located in Endicott, five miles west of the present campus, the fledgling school was a branch of Syracuse University. When the college was incorporated into the State University of New York four years later, it was renamed Harpur College in honor of Robert Harpur, a Colonial teacher, patriot and pioneer, who devoted his later years to settling the area around Binghamton.
Until 1953, Harpur College was one of only two public liberal arts colleges in the state. In 1961 the campus was moved across the Susquehanna River to Vestal. Growing enrollments and a reputation for excellence soon led to the selection of Harpur College as one of four doctorate-granting University Centers in the state system. In 1965 the campus was formally designated the State University of New York at Binghamton. We adopted Binghamton University as our informal name in 1992.
Campus Facilities
The Binghamton campus—spread over 887 acres on a wooded hillside above the Susquehanna River—features physical facilities that are modern, attractive, accessible and exceptionally well maintained. A special campus feature is the Nature Preserve, a 190-acre forest and wetland area with a six-acre pond that adjoins the campus.Binghamton's extensive athletic facilities include two large gymnasiums, with swimming pools, an indoor track, and basketball, volleyball, and racquetball courts. FitSpace, a state-of-the-art fitness facility, is available to the entire campus community. Outdoor facilities include 26 tennis courts, a fitness trail, a new 400-meter track and soccer field, and numerous playing fields. Our new Events Center is home to basketball, as well as indoor track and tennis.
The four-building modern science complex includes a multi-climate greenhouse—one of the largest teaching and research facilities of its kind—divided into tropical, temperate, alpine, and desert zones and science laboratories equipped with some of the most sophisticated instruments and equipment available today.
Binghamton's excellent facilities for the fine and performing arts include a world-class performance complex, the Floyd E. Anderson Center for the Performing Arts. The center features the 1,200-seat Osterhout Concert Theater with a retractable rear wall to allow for lawn seating, and a 450-seat Chamber Hall for small stage productions and recitals. Concerts, plays, dance performances, faculty and student recitals, and guest artists are all showcased in the center.
The University Art Museum has an Asian Art Gallery and a permanent collection of 3,000 art objects representing many periods and styles. On regular display are special traveling and loan exhibits as well as works of University artists.
Construction on two Academic Buildings was completed in 1998. These buildings, whose striking designs were featured in Progressive Architecture, are marked by expansive glass exteriors and modern classrooms, lecture halls and computing facilities. They are home to the School of Management, the Decker School of Nursing, and the School of Education and Human Development, as well as the Office of Admissions.
A new addition to the University Union, which serves as a focal point for student activities, opened in the spring of 2002 and is home to an expanded bookstore and dining area, as well as student services, clubs and media.
Housing
Residence facilities accommodate 5,500 undergraduates in a variety of housing arrangements. To maintain a personal and a friendly environment, residence halls are grouped into six collegiate units, each having its own academic, recreational and organizational life. Our newest, Mountainview, with its four residential buildings and collegiate center offers the most modern option for students. Freshmen who live away from home are required to live on-campus and are guaranteed housing. To learn more visit the Office of Residential Life .
The Office of Off-Campus College assists students who wish to live off campus to find suitable housing.
Campus and public bus systems provide free service in the surrounding area to students. Inexpensive taxi service is also available. With the exception of freshmen, students are permitted to have cars on campus, but parking is limited.
Student Activities
Through student activity fees, the Student Association supports a variety of services and organizations, encompassing numerous groups which represent different cultural, religious and academic interests. There are more than 200 clubs and organizations registered with the Student Association including student government, as well as ethnic, political and social clubs. The University also has 41 social fraternities and sororities registered through the Office of Campus Activities. Music and theater participation is open to majors and non-majors. Movies, dances, concerts and other recreational and social events are offered. Participation is also welcome by the campus newspaper, Pipe Dream; the campus radio station, WHRW; the student volunteer ambulance service, Harpur's Ferry; and the peer counseling service, High Hopes. Latenite Binghamton offers movies, music and more on weekends. Students stay in touch through the electronically delivered B-Line.
Athletics
Student-athletes play for 21 varsity teams which compete in NCAA Division I and the America East Conference. In the last decade alone, the athletics program has produced seven national champions and 86 All-Americans. Most recently, BU teams have won 18 conference championships since 1999. In addition, student athletes have continued a tradition of combining excellence on the playing fields with achievement in the classrooms. For eight consecutive semesters, student-athletes have maintained a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher as a group, and BU has captured the America East Academic Cup, awarded to the member institution whose student-athletes produced the highest average GPA in the nine-team league, for two years running.Career Services and Graduate Placement
The Career Development Center assists students with identifying career options, applying to graduate and professional school and acquiring the skills necessary to pursue career goals. Group instruction and individual consultation is available. In addition, to support student and alumni job seekers, the Career Development Center operates a Job Hotline and Resume Referral service. Degree candidates seeking full-time employment may also submit resumes to participate in the campus recruiting program, which enables students to interview with employers interested in their particular skills and experience.
Nearly two-thirds of Binghamton's students pursue graduate and professional studies. An average of 67 percent of those applying to medical school were admitted over a recent five-year period, with acceptance rates above 90 percent for dental and law schools for many years.
Campus and Community
Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City make up Greater Binghamton, an urban metropolitan area that offers a sophisticated cultural life along with easily accessible outdoor recreation. Major employers include IBM, United Health Services, Lockheed Martin, NYSEG, Universal Instruments and the University itself.
The University employs more than 5,000 full- and part-time faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students. Through payroll, purchasing and expenditures of employees, students and visitors, the University adds more than $616 million annually to the local and state economy.
Accreditation
Binghamton University is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
The Decker School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education and is a member of the CCNE and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
The School of Management is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business.
The Watson School's electrical engineering and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, and the school's computer science/information science program is accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Board.
In Harpur College, the Music Department is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music; the clinical program in the Psychology Department is accredited by the American Psychological Association; and the Applied Behavior Analysis program became the first undergraduate program in the country accredited by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
The campus has a chartered chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, as well as a growing number of chapters of other national honor societies, including Golden Key.