President's Report Masthead
December 31, 2016

Special events/announcements

University mourns death of student-athlete

Message from University President Harvey Stenger

It is with deep sadness that I share news of the death of a student, Stefani Lineva. It was Stefani’s first semester on campus. She was a member of our tennis team who had transferred from Adelphi. The loss of someone so young and talented is almost impossible to imagine and impacts our entire community. We will miss Stefani’s spirit, passion and engagement with everyone she touched on our campus. 

On behalf of the University community, I offer my deepest condolences to Stefani’s family, teammates, classmates and all who knew and loved her. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts as we all mourn her loss.

Information regarding memorial services will be forthcoming once details are confirmed.

Support services are available to all members of the Binghamton community dealing with this loss.

Counseling for affected students is available through the University Counseling Center (UCC) during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, at 607-777-2772. After-hours counseling support can be obtained by contacting University Police at 607-777-2393 to access the UCC counselor on call.

Faculty and staff affected may contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) at 607-777-6655. For additional resources, visit the EAP website.

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Athletics receives record $2.2 million gift

Binghamton University today announced that an alumnus passionate about baseball has made an anonymous gift of $2.2 million to the Division of Athletics to upgrade the University’s baseball field.

Construction started to install a FieldTurf artificial surface throughout the field, including the baselines, home plate area and pitcher’s mound. Broadcast-quality lights will also be installed, allowing the baseball team to play at night for the first time, adding flexibility to its schedule. The addition of the FieldTurf surface will also significantly reduce maintenance needs due to the northeast climate and allow Binghamton to host post-season championship games in the future.

“Our donor loves baseball and we’re thankful he thinks enough of the program here to support it at this level. His gift will provide an exceptional facility for our baseball team, where our players can continue to excel,” said Patrick Elliott, director of athletics. “This gift will provide our baseball student-athletes with a state-of-the-art, weather-resistant and durable surface to play on. And with the ability to play at night, the renovated field will give us more flexibility in scheduling, while allowing us to host post-season tournaments in one of the top NCAA baseball facilities in the northeast.”

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First-ever athletics fundraising challenge a success

The 21 Binghamton varsity teams took part in the first-ever Athletics Alumni Giving Challenge, competing against each other to raise funds for their sports and the athletics department. The inaugural competition was highly successful for the department and left three teams as the biggest winners.

The Athletics Alumni Giving Challenge was held from Sept. 12-30 and was made possible by the generosity of William H. Groner ‘77, who sponsored the event. The goal of the competition was to increase participation among former Binghamton student-athletes who contribute to the Athletics Department.

“We would like to thank the more than 630 alumni athletes that contributed to the Giving Challenge,” Binghamton Athletic Director Patrick Elliott said. “It was tremendous to see so much pride from our former student athletes toward their alma mater. Our current student-athletes appreciate the efforts of those individuals who continue to pave the way for their current opportunities.”

The top three Binghamton athletic programs that had the highest participation rate received prizes. A formula that took into account the number of donors of a specific team and the total number of alumni for that program was used to determine the participation rate.

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Record number of basketball games to appear on ESPN platforms

The America East Conference and ESPN announced today an 11-year extension to their current media rights agreement that will result in an unprecedented number of events being carried on ESPN platforms. The agreement commences with the 2016-17 academic year and will run through 2026-27.

“This extension and creation of ‘The AE on ESPN3’ signifies a historic moment for our conference,” said America East Commissioner, Amy Huchthausen. “This initiative represents a significant commitment on behalf of our member institutions and I’m enormously grateful to our Board of Presidents and Athletics Directors Council for their vision and collaborative leadership to build an infrastructure that will showcase and promote their athletics programs and overall institutions to a wide audience.”

America East’s nine member institutions will work collaboratively with ESPN and the conference office to develop their own in-house production operations on their campuses. This will result in a significant increase in national coverage for multiple sports on ESPN3 branded “The AE on ESPN3” showcasing more than 3,000 America East events over the term of the agreement, starting with all men’s and women’s basketball games and adding other sports in future years. “This endeavor is yet another example of our institutions’ commitment to ensure their programs and this conference are well-positioned for the future,” explained Huchthausen. “Knowing that starting this season, we’ll see all of our home men’s and women’s basketball games on ‘The AE on ESPN3’ rather than just a select few as we’ve had in prior years, will be an incredible advantage to reach recruits, parents, alums and fans. I can’t wait to see how our institutions tell their story to a national audience every single night.”

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Former NCAA and WNBA standout to speak at annual women’s luncheon

The Binghamton Bearcats Athletic Association (BBAA) will host the 12th Annual Celebrating Women’s Athletics Luncheon presented by M&T Bank at noon on Monday, Feb. 27, at the Events Center.

Held each year to recognize the achievements of Binghamton University’s female student-athletes, the luncheon also raises funding for scholarships awarded to female student-athletes at Binghamton University. This year, former WNBA and college basketball standout Swin Cash will be the featured speaker.

During her collegiate career at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Cash was an All-American and part of the Huskie teams that won both the 2000 and 2002 NCAA championships. UConn went a perfect 39-0 in 2002 and she was named the Most Outstanding Player of that year’s NCAA Tournament. Cash is a member of the inaugural class (2006) of inductees to UConn’s women’s basketball “Huskies of Honor” recognition program.

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21st Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony a success


A day that began with a basketball doubleheader in the Events Center before 4,000 fans concluded with the Binghamton Athletic Department’s 21st Annual Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Held on Saturday night in the TAU Room of the Events Center, this year’s event featured three new inductees – Tara DeFlippo (Class of 1997, women’s soccer), Avi Shaprut (Class of 1994, men’s diving) and Rachel Laws (Class of 2006, women’s basketball).

DeFlippo transferred to Binghamton from Monroe Community College prior to her sophomore season. A local athlete from nearby Vestal High School, she was an All-American and three-year starting goalkeeper for a women’s soccer program that reached unprecedented heights during her career.

In her junior season, she allowed just eight goals in 19 games for a stellar 0.38 goals against average. After the 12-4-3 season that included the team’s first outright conference championship and an NCAA bid, DeFlippo was selected as an NSCAA Division III All-American, deemed one of the top three goalies in the entire nation.

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