The start of fall is my favorite time of year at Binghamton University. Not only is the weather spectacular, but there is a sense of excitement in the air as students return to campus and faculty reengage with students and colleagues. In general, there is a sense of promise and optimism as the campus returns to life after the quieter summer months.
Still, the quiet of the summer months can be misleading, as the campus is always busy — particularly so now that the campus has returned to its normal patterns following the COVID restrictions of the past two years. The University is alive with visitors scoping out the campus for next year’s admission cycle, and students are getting their first taste of campus life during our Orientation sessions. Summer is also a time when the University moves forward with construction and renovations, preparing for the return of students. And by the first week of September, students are on campus and busy with their studies.
This summer has been especially rewarding, as the campus learned the outcome of its Build Back Better Regional Challenge proposal (we won!) and we’ve entered into agreements with other regional colleges and universities that will expand educational and entrepreneurial opportunities for students. We’ve also earned national recognition for the quality of our academic programs and our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
In addition, we’ve taken time to reassess our support for students in our residential life programs and will soon be changing our staffing model to better meet student needs while reducing the work burden on our residential assistants (RAs). Meanwhile, the University’s comprehensive gifts campaign, EXCELERATE — Moving at the Speed of Binghamton, continues to engage alumni and supporters, ensuring Binghamton’s excellence in education and research in the coming years.
Summer activities and the start of the new semester
For the first time in three years, Binghamton University welcomed students to campus for in-person Orientation sessions and other summer programs; Orientation over the past two years was largely virtual due to COVID. During July, over 3,100 students and their families visited campus to acclimate themselves to the University and ready themselves for classes. In a change from previous years, course registration, which has been a major focus of Orientation, is now taking place with longer appointments with advisors, through virtual meetings, thus reducing students’ stress and allowing them to better adjust to life as a Bearcat. This year, the emphasis during Orientation, was on helping students develop a positive mindset that would reduce stress and providing information about campus resources to support mental health. Students also learned about maintaining financial health from student accounts staff and representatives from Visions Federal Credit Union who gave lessons about financial responsibility and literacy. Information on campus support for first-year students was also provided by staff from the Center for Civic Engagement, the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, our Success Coaching and First Year Experience programs. Once past Orientation, students arrived on campus to start the semester in mid-August and are now deep into the fall semester of coursework. This year, we welcomed the Class of 2026, one of the most competitive in the University’s history. Binghamton received more than 42,000 undergraduate applications for fall 2022 — a new record — up more than 5% over last year’s record. This brings our campus enrollment to 18,200+ students, including more than 3,000 first-year students, 900 transfer students and 1,500 new graduate students.
We also will be growing our faculty, with more than 60 new and replacement searches taking place this year. Part of this growth is thanks to a state and SUNY initiative that is providing SUNY with $53 million to hire new research faculty; Binghamton’s share will support around 35 new faculty members. Binghamton faculty also will be receiving additional support through the University’s current comprehensive gifts campaign, which includes funding for laboratory equipment and endowed faculty positions as one of its main priorities.
We also are exploring new investments in the arts and humanities. The University is continuing to move forward in the creation of the new School of the Arts, which will be housed within Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. Marketing firm Red Cactus participated in a September town hall to discuss the results of a market analysis it conducted to explore the viability of the new school. The School of the Arts would create greater collaboration between five existing departments: art and design, art history, cinema, music and theatre. Initial opinions derived from focus groups have identified the several key strengths that the school could capitalize on, including the University’s academic strengths, particularly regarding double- and triple-majors, its interdisciplinary emphasis, and our connections with local arts and theater organizations.
Campus recognition
Over the summer, four faculty members in Harpur College and the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science received word that they have been named National Science Foundation CAREER Award winners. These awards are given to early career researchers whose work shows promise and who are academic role models. The faculty are:
Hao Liu, assistant professor of chemistry, who is working on sodium-ion batteries.
Seunghee Shin, assistant professor of computer science, who is conducting research that will shorten the lag time between portable devices and the cloud.
Pu Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, whose research focuses on “soft-electronics” using liquid metal networks that allow for stretchable and bendable devices.
And Kaiyan Yu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who is exploring advances in nanorobotics.
We also learned in late September that Adam Laats, professor of education and history, was one of only three people nationwide to be selected for the prestigious Friend of Darwin Award presented by the National Center for Science Education. The award is given to individuals who defend and advance the teaching of evolution. Laats’ work traces the public battles over evolution and creationism dating back to the Scope’s Trial in 1925.
The campus itself took time to recognize one of our benefactors, as well. In September, we took time to recognize a great scholar and University supporter, Ellyn Uram Kaschak ’65. Kaschak was presented with the University’s highest honor, the University Medal, for her pioneering academic work as a founder of feminist psychology, as well as her support for the University by establishing the Ellyn Uram Kaschak Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girls. The institute’s commitment to gender equality and justice continues and expands on the innovative work Kaschak pursued throughout her career as a founder in the field of feminist psychology.
Kaschak graduated from Binghamton in 1965 with a degree in Russian language and literature before pursuing her doctorate in psychology at the Ohio State University. A prolific author and editor, she has received numerous awards for her scholarship that has focused on gender equity and justice. Her book, Engendered Lives, received the Distinguished Publication Award of from Women in Psychology. In establishing the Kaschak Institute, she is providing resources to scholars and researchers at Binghamton to continue her work, and in just three years, the institute has supported 30 scholars in fields ranging from theater and anthropology to human rights, political science and even business administration.
Rankings and recognition for diversity initiatives
The start of the semester also marks the annual release of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of colleges and universities, and once again Binghamton remains among the top public universities in the nation. The University is again ranked #83 overall and is at #35 among top public schools. The publication highlighted Binghamton’s outstanding educational value, placing Binghamton at #73 nationally, a full 20 spots ahead of the nearest SUNY institution, and 47 spots ahead of the nearest SUNY University Center. I like to point out that being a “value” university means more than just lower cost and educational quality — which we excel at — but it also includes such factors as retention and graduation rates that indicate how quickly students move through their studies.
Binghamton’s student services and academics also placed highly in these rankings. We are considered a top school for accounting (#50), best for veterans (#51), the most innovative (#68) and graduates with least debt (#83), and many of our individual undergraduate programs ranked within or near the top 100 in their disciplines.
Additionally, The Princeton Review also recently ranked Binghamton highly for value, and significantly, placed Binghamton in its “Top 20 Best Career Placement Public Schools List.
Binghamton University has been recognized by Forbes as one of “America’s Best Employers by State,” ranking 52nd best employer in New York, and ninth overall in its higher education, based on a national survey of 70,000 employees. The rankings measure a variety of criteria, including safety of work environment, competitiveness of compensation, opportunities for advancement and openness to telecommuting, as well as how likely respondents would be to recommend their employer to others. Taken together, these annual rankings further solidify our position as not only a great educational institution, but also a great community for everyone working on campus.
We also have received recognition for our diversity and inclusion efforts. For the second year in a row, Binghamton University received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. As a recipient of the annual HEED Award — a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion — Binghamton will be featured, along with 102 other recipients, in the November 2022 issue of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. Insight Into Diversity also highlighted Watson College’s Watson Scholars Program, naming it a recipient of the magazine’s 2022 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award, given to programs that encourage and assist students in STEM fields. The Watson Scholars Program, now in its second year, provides advising, mentoring, social activities and academic support, as well as a non-tuition stipend to select students who must maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in good standing in the program.
Our diversity efforts received a boost as well from the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), which has renewed a grant to support our McNair Scholars Program, an eight-week, federally funded, summer research program that provides low-income, first-generation or historically underrepresented students pursuing a PhD with both financial and mentorship support. Students are provided a stipend for the program as they work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. The $1.4 million grant renewal will support the participating students’ research programs, as well as the salaries of two full-time staff members and a graduate assistant.
Binghamton’s commitment to inclusivity extends beyond our academic programs. This summer we learned that the Bearcat athletics program received a 95 rating from Athlete Ally Association, which tracks NCAA member athletic departments’ policies and practices around LGBTQ inclusion.
Campus construction
We have completed renovations of the west half of Science 4 and the Science 2 tower, and continue with a number of other major projects even as we are in the planning stages for more.
Progress is well underway on the Ford Family Wellness Center for Seniors at our Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, as well as the R&D Building that connects to our School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
On the main campus in Vestal, we have begun utilities work and site preparation for the Charlene and Roger Kramer Welcome Center, and are in the design phase for an expansion of our Campus Recreational Center at the East Gym, and for a field house at the Baseball Complex. The renovation of the third floor of the Glenn G. Bartle Library is advancing and expected to be complete in summer 2024, and we are working diligently on a master plan for the Fine Arts Building — a massive undertaking that will take time — as we also plan for our new School of the Arts.
I-Corps grant and Build Back Better Regional Challenge award
As a public university, Binghamton has long had a role to play in regional economic development efforts. These activities have been given a significant boost this summer with the campus receiving significant federal awards to bolster industrial and entrepreneurial work in the region.
First, we received word this summer that the National Science Foundation will be providing a $15 million grant to a consortium including the University that is geared toward expanding the national’s capacity for innovation by creating an innovation ecosystem that brings together education and workforce training. Binghamton University will be joined by partner institutions Dartmouth College, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Buffalo, Syracuse University, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Vermont, West Virginia University and hub lead Cornell University.
This consortium is called the Interior Northeast Region of the Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) Hub — which is not the most elegant name, but it serves a very important purpose. The idea behind the hub is to bridge the gap between developing innovative technologies in the lab and establishing the workforce and skills necessary to bring new technologies to market.
These hubs are also focused on regions that, like upstate New York, are largely rural, economically underserved and working to restore economic vitality. We are looking forward to the hub’s official opening in January 2023.
But the most exciting news regarding the start of the semester was when we found out that Binghamton University and our New Energy New York (NENY) coalition was named one of only 21 applicants nationwide to win the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge. We will receive a federal award of $63.7 million. Bolstering these efforts, New York state has agreed to provide an additional $50 million in support, bringing the total to $113.7 million for our NENY project, which will transform Binghamton University, Endicott and the entire Southern Tier into a hub of discovery, development and production of next-generation batteries and storage solutions, and leading eventually to the creation of as many as 4,000 jobs in the region.
As part of this project, the University will be leasing about 40,000 square-feet of space at the Huron Campus in Endicott. This will increase the University’s presence in the village, which will have a spillover effect in the community, adding foot traffic and new employment opportunities. We expect that this will spur further economic activity in the area surrounding the campus, just as we have seen occur in Johnson City and downtown Binghamton over the past 15 years.
This project is being spearheaded by Binghamton University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and 2019 Nobel Prize-winner in Chemistry M. Stanley Whittingham, along with Binghamton University Associate Vice President for Innovation and Economic Development Per Stromhaug. The proposal was developed in conjunction with several of the region’s academic institutions, manufacturers and non-profits, allowing us to develop a powerful initiative.
We were very fortunate to have the strong backing of federal, state and regional political leadership, especially U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was on campus two weeks ago to show support and to help celebrate our achievements.
The EXCELERATE! campaign
Earlier, I mentioned our recognition of Ellen Kaschak’s support for the University. Kaschak’s seven-figure donation to the University to establish the Institute for Social Justice for Women and Girl is one of the leading gifts in our ongoing EXCELERATE comprehensive gifts campaign. In June we marked the end of the fifth year of our 7-year EXCELERATE campaign. You’ll recall that when we began the public portion of the campaign in April this year, we announced a campaign goal of $220 million. As of Aug. 31, we have raised just under $158 million, or 72% of our goal, so we are on a good trajectory to reach our target.
This past year was very successful, raising $18.5 million, including several seven-figure gifts in support of:
Faculty positions in the School of Management, from the Akel Family
Construction of our new Welcome Center from Roger Kramer
And the establishment of a new digital and data studies minor through the support of Jim and Heather Bankoski
We are grateful to everyone who has given their support to the campaign, and we look forward to the increased opportunities for students and faculty that this support will provide.
It’s been a very successful three months. All of us have been very busy and I appreciate the hard work that everyone has done to accomplish so much.
The Strategic Priority 6 team (Internationalization: Support, promote and enhance strategic internationalization efforts through high-impact learning, teaching, research and engagement) presented to the Road Map Steering Committee in July.
A new initiative: the Institute for Workforce Development Advancement in Research and Programming (iWARP), is getting underway at Binghamton University.
The Division of Communications and Marketing continued its work this quarter, supporting Binghamton University’s admissions and recruitment efforts as well as communicating with the campus community and beyond.
Binghamton University’s New Energy New York project will receive more than $113 million to establish a hub for battery technology innovation in upstate New York.