SUNY Binghamton
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a
public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four university centers in the
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
(SUNY) system. Since its establishment in 1946, the school has evolved from a small
liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...
to a large
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
. It is
classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...
among R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity. Binghamton's athletic teams are the Bearcats and they compete in Division I of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
(NCAA). The Bearcats are members of the
America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...
.


History


Establishment

Binghamton University was established in 1946 in
Endicott, New York Endicott is a Village (New York), village within the town of Union, New York, Union in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,392 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Binghamton metropolitan area. The village is named after ...
, as Triple Cities College to serve the needs of local veterans returning from
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
.
Thomas J. Watson Thomas John Watson Sr. (February 17, 1874 – June 19, 1956) was an American businessman who was the chairman and CEO of IBM. He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's management sty ...
, a founding member of
IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...
in Broome County, viewed the
Triple Cities The Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area, also called Greater Binghamton or the Triple Cities, is a region of southern Upstate New York in the Northeastern United States, anchored by Binghamton. The MSA encompasses Broome and Tioga countie ...
region of the state's
Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...
as an area of great potential. In the early 1940s he collaborated with local leaders to begin establishing Triple Cities College as a two-year
junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...
operating as a satellite of private
Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...
. Watson also donated land that would become the school's early home. Originally, Triple Cities College students going on to a
bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...
finished their program at Syracuse. By the 1948–1949 academic year, the degrees could be completed entirely in Binghamton. In 1950, it split from Syracuse and became incorporated into the public
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
(SUNY) system as Harpur College, named in honor of Robert Harpur, a colonial teacher and pioneer who settled in the Binghamton area. At that time, Harpur and
Champlain College Champlain College is a private college in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Founded in 1878, Champlain offers on-campus undergraduate and online undergraduate courses through Champlain College Online, along with online certificate and degree ...
in
Plattsburgh Plattsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding (and separately in ...
were the only two liberal arts schools in the New York state system. When Champlain closed in 1952 to make way for the
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Plattsburgh Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force (USAF) Strategic Air Command (SAC) base covering 3,447 acres (13.7 km) in the extreme northeast corner of New York, located on the western shore of Lake Champlain opposite Burl ...
, the records and some students and faculty were transferred to Harpur College in Binghamton. Harpur also received 16,000 non-duplicate volumes and the complete contents of the Champlain College library. In 1955, Harpur began to plan its current location in Vestal, a town next to
Binghamton Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the con ...
. A site large enough to anticipate future growth was purchased, with the school's move to its new campus being completed by 1961. Colonial Hall, Triple Cities College's original building in Endicott, stands today as the village's Visitor Center. In 1965, Harpur College was selected to join New York state schools
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
, Albany, and Buffalo as one of the four new SUNY university centers. Redesignated the State University of New York at Binghamton, the school's new name reflected its status as an advanced degree granting institution. In a nod to tradition, its undergraduate college of arts and sciences remained "Harpur College". it is the largest of Binghamton's constituent schools. In 1967, the School of Advanced Technology was established, the precursor to the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, which was founded in 1983. In 2020, the school became the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science. Since 1992, the school has made an effort to distinguish itself from the SUNY system, rebranding itself as "Binghamton University," or "Binghamton University, State University of New York". Both names are accepted as first reference in news stories. While the school's legal and official name, the State University of New York at Binghamton, still appears on official documents such as diplomas, the administration discourages using the full name unless absolutely necessary. It also discourages references to the school as "SUNY—Binghamton," "SUNY—B," or "Harpur College".


Presidents

The first president of Harpur College, who began as dean of Triple Cities College, was Glenn Bartle. The second president, George Bruce Dearing, served several years before leaving to become vice chancellor for academic affairs at the SUNY Central Administration in Albany. Next was C. Peter Magrath, former interim president of the
University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, who served from 1972 to 1974 then left to become president at the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. The fourth president at Binghamton was Clifford D. Clark, who left his position as dean of the business school at the
University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...
to serve as vice president for academic affairs at Binghamton in 1973. He was asked to take on the job of acting president in the fall of 1974, when Magrath left for Minnesota. Clark was selected as president and served from March 1975 through mid-1990. He led the school's evolution from primarily a four-year liberal arts college to a research university. Clark added the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts and inaugurated the Summer Music Festival, created the Harpur Forum (now called the Binghamton University Forum), established the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, and fostered the expansion and development of the Decker School of Nursing. Lois B. DeFleur became the university's fifth president upon Clark's retirement in 1990. She oversaw substantial additions to the student and faculty populations, expanded research activities and funding, formalized Binghamton's fundraising efforts, expanded the campus' physical footprint by approximately 20 buildings, launched Binghamton's "green" efforts, transitioned the school from
Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...
athletics to Division I and oversaw the university's increase in academic rankings. DeFleur retired in 2010 amidst scandal regarding her efforts to catapult the university sports program into higher ranks by cheating, her involvement implicated in a report from retired New York Chief Judge Judith Kaye. On July 1, Magrath returned as interim president. On November 22, 2011, the SUNY Board of Trustees appointed Harvey G. Stenger, Jr. as the seventh president of Binghamton University, effective January 1, 2012. Stenger had been interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the
University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...
since April 2011. In October 2024, Stenger announced plans to step down at the end of the academic year. The following persons have served as president of Binghamton University since 1946:


Organization


University leadership

Binghamton is one of four university centers of the
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
(SUNY) system and is governed by its board of trustees. The Binghamton University Council oversees such aspects of the school's governance as student conduct, budget and physical facilities. Nine of its ten members are appointed by the state governor, one elected by the student body. The university is organized into six administrative offices: The Office of the President, Division of Academic Affairs, Division of Advancement, Division of Operations, Division of Research, and the Division of Student Affairs. The Director of Athletics, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Division of Communications and Marketing all report to and are overseen by the University president. , the university had an endowment of $245 million, managed by the not-for-profit Binghamton University Foundation, which also oversees fundraising. Its most recent drive–'Bold. Brilliant. Binghamton—the Campaign for Binghamton University'– raised more than $100 million before ending on June 30, 2012, $5 million over its original goal.


Colleges and schools

Binghamton is composed of the following colleges and schools: * Harpur College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest of Binghamton's schools. It has over 10,300 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students in 26 departments and 14 interdisciplinary degree programs in the fine arts, humanities, natural and social sciences, and mathematics. * The College of Community and Public Affairs offers an undergraduate major in human development as well as graduate programs in social work; public administration; student affairs administration; human rights; sustainable communities (with Harpur College), public health (with Decker College), and teaching, learning and educational leadership. It was formed in July 2006, after a reorganization of its predecessor, the School of Education and Human Development, when it was split off along with the Graduate School of Education. In 2017, the Graduate School of Education merged back into the College of Community and Public Affairs as the Department of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership. The department continues to offer master's of science and doctoral degrees. * The Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences was established in 1969. The school offers undergraduate, master's and doctoral degrees in nursing. The school is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). * The School of Management was established in 1970. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in management, finance, information science, marketing, accounting, and operations and business analytics. It is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). * The Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science was founded in 1983, and offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, biomedical engineering, systems science and industrial engineering, materials science and engineering, and computer science. All of the school's departments have been accredited by the
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology ABET (pronounced A-bet), formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc., is a non-governmental accreditation organization for post-secondary programs in engineering, engineering technology, computing, and appli ...
. *The Graduate School administers advanced-degree programs and awards degrees through the seven component colleges above. Graduate students will find almost 70 areas of study. Undergraduate and graduate students are taught and advised by a single faculty. *The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the newest school at Binghamton, offers doctoral degrees in
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
and
pharmacology Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur betwee ...
. The school has been granted Candidate status from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, which grants all the rights and privileges available to students of accredited schools, and anticipates full accreditation upon graduation of its inaugural class in 2021. The school enrolled its first students in fall 2017, and in 2018 opened its state-of-the-art, $60 million new building on a new Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, near UHS-Wilson Medical Center.


Campuses


Main campus

The main campus in Vestal is spread over on a wooded hillside above the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
; geographically, the
Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...
of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
is located on
Allegheny Plateau The Allegheny Plateau ( ) is a large dissected plateau area of the Appalachian Mountains in western and central New York, northern and western Pennsylvania, northern and western West Virginia, and eastern Ohio. It is divided into the unglacia ...
, a physiographic province of the
Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...
. The campus is shaped like a brain: the primary road on campus creates a closed loop to form the
cerebrum The cerebrum (: cerebra), telencephalon or endbrain is the largest part of the brain, containing the cerebral cortex (of the two cerebral hemispheres) as well as several subcortical structures, including the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and olfac ...
and
cerebellum The cerebellum (: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for 'little brain') is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as it or eve ...
, and the main entrance road creates the spinal cord which leads up to a traffic circle (representing the medulla). The main road is thus frequently referred to as ''The Brain''. The connector road, which goes behind the Mountainview and College-in-the-Woods residential communities, is closed for a portion of the year (in late fall and early spring, to allow for safe migration of salamanders across the road). The campus features a Nature Preserve, which contains forest and wetland areas and includes a six-acre (24,000 m2) pond, named Harpur Pond, that adjoins the campus. The Nature Preserve drains into Fuller Hollow Creek, which runs parallel along the eastern portion of the campus. Fuller Hollow Creek meanders north after leaving campus, where it soon empties into the Susquehanna River.


Libraries

The Glenn G. Bartle Library, named after the university's first president, contains collections in the humanities, social sciences, government documents, and collections in mathematical and computer sciences. Additionally, Bartle Library houses a fine arts collection and special collections (containing the Max Reinhardt Collection, as well as the Edwin A. Link and Marion Clayton Link Archives). The Science Library contains materials in all science and engineering disciplines, as well as a map collection. The University Downtown Center Library and Information Commons supports the departments of social work, human development, public administration, and student affairs administration. The libraries offer a number of services including research consultation and assistance, a laptop lending program, customized instruction sessions and three information commons in the Bartle, Science and UDC libraries. The libraries offer access to various online databases to facilitate research for students and faculty. The entire campus is also served by a wireless internet network that all students, staff and faculty have access to, funded in part by mandatory student technology fees. The computing services center supports Windows, Macintosh and Unix systems, both in public computer labs and for students' personal computers.


Anderson Center for the Performing Arts

The Anderson Center for the Performing Arts complex has three proscenium stages: Watters Theater, seating 574; the Chamber Hall, seating 450; and the Osterhout Concert Theater, seating 1,170 inside and 1,500 outside. The Osterhout Concert Theater has the ability to become an open-air amphitheater, with its movable, floor-to-ceiling glass windows that open up to a grassy hill.


University Art Museum

The university's art collection is housed at more than one location, but all within the Fine Arts Building. The building's main-level gallery hosts various artifacts which belong to the Permanent Collection, though typically showcases student work on a rotating basis. The Permanent Collection in the basement level of the building displays ancient art from Egypt, China and other locales. Lastly, the Elsie B. Rosefsky Gallery, just off the Grand Corridor, presents special exhibits and portfolios.


University Union

The University Union is divided into two sections, sometimes referred to as the old Union and the new Union, sometimes referred to as Union East and West respectively, yet called "University Union (UU)" and "University Union West (UUW)" by the university itself. The Union houses many student organizations, a food co-op, The MarketPlace food court, a number of meeting spaces, many new classrooms, the University Bookstore and a branch of Visions Federal Credit Union. On August 23, 2013, President
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
hosted a town hall meeting in the University Union to discuss college affordability with students, faculty, and staff at Binghamton University.


Events Center

The Events Center is one of the area's largest venues for athletics, concerts, fairs and more. Home court to the Binghamton Bearcats basketball teams, the facility seats about 5,300 people for games. For concerts, Commencement and other larger events, the Events Center can hold up to 8,000 people. Home site for the
America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...
Men's Basketball Championships in 2005, 2006, and 2008, the court hosted the women's championships in 2007 and 2015.


Other athletic facilities

In addition to the Events Center, the north end of campus houses the East and West Gyms, which host student recreation and varsity athletics programs. The East Gym underwent a major renovation, completed in winter 2012, and is now called the Recreational Center at the East Gym, and includes the 10,000-sq. ft. FitSpace fitness facility, three new multipurpose rooms, improved pool and court spaces, a new wellness services suite and completely renovated locker rooms. Other varsity facilities include baseball and softball fields, the Bearcats Sports Complex (a soccer and lacrosse stadium) and an outdoor track. With a gift from an anonymous donor, the baseball fields underwent a $2 million facelift including the addition of artificial turf and lights in 2016. Other student recreation features are a series of playing fields used for soccer, football, rugby and ultimate frisbee.


Science Complex

The science complex includes five instructional and office buildings, as well as a four-climate teaching greenhouse and the Science Library. Buildings are named sequentially as Science 1 through 5. They contain faculty offices and classrooms for the biological sciences, anthropology, geological sciences and psychology departments.


Innovative Technologies Complex

More commonly known as the ITC, the Innovative Technologies Complex is a new development intended to advance venture capital research in both the support of the university's activities and that of the local high-technology industry. The complex includes four buildings: the Biotechnology Building, formerly belonging to
NYSEG New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) is an electric and gas utility company owned by Avangrid that serves customers in New York. NYSEG was incorporated in 1852 as the Ithaca Gas Light Company. Throughout the end of the 19th century and the e ...
and now extensively renovated; the Engineering and Science Building, opened in 2011; the Center of Excellence Building, which houses the Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging Center, a New York State Center of Excellence, opened in 2014; and the Smart Energy Building that houses the chemistry and physics departments, opened in 2017. Early talks indicated plans for a six-building complex at its completion.


Nature Preserve

The university's Nature Preserve is on the southern end of campus. The preserve features approximately 10 miles(16 km) of maintained paths, a six-acre pond, marsh areas, vernal pools, tall hills and a hill-top meadow.


Residential communities

Residence halls at Binghamton are grouped into seven communities. The apartment communities used to house graduate students, but now house undergraduates. Of the residential colleges, Dickinson Community and Newing College are the newest. Dickinson features "flats" of either four single rooms or two double rooms and a single, while Newing features semi-private room styles sharing private bathrooms as well as some common bathrooms. College-in-the-Woods mixes suites and double- and triple-occupancy rooms, and Hinman College and Mountainview College consist of suites, exclusively. Susquehanna Community and Hillside Community contain only apartments. Newing College, opened in fall 2011, and Dickinson Community, completed in 2013, are part of the university's $375 million East Campus Housing project, which also included a new collegiate center and dining facility. The old Newing community was razed to make room for the new communities. The old Dickinson community was renovated and repurposed for academics, offices and departments. The last of the new Newing and Dickinson residence halls were unveiled in 2013. * Dickinson Community: Named for Daniel S. Dickinson, a U.S. Senator from the surrounding area, important as the "Defender of the Constitution" in the pre-Civil War era. Buildings are named after other prominent local figures, including founders of the university. * Hinman College: Named for New York State Senator Harvey D. Hinman. Buildings are named after former New York State governors, and were constructed between 1967 and 1968. * Newing College: Named for Stuart Newing, a local automobile dealer who was active in the effort to have SUNY purchase Triple Cities College. Buildings are named for
Southern Tier The Southern Tier is a geographic subregion of the broader Upstate New York, Upstate region of New York (state), New York State, geographically situated along or very near the state border with Pennsylvania. Definitions of the region vary wide ...
towns and counties. Newing College was rebuilt completely, and the new residence halls and student center/dining hall opened in fall 2011. * College-in-the-Woods: Named for its location in a wooded area of the campus. Buildings are named after tribes of the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...
Confederacy. College-in-the-Woods opened for residency in the fall of 1973. * Mountainview College: The four individual residential halls—Cascade, Hunter, Marcy, and Windham—were named after peaks in the Adirondack and
Catskill Mountains The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province and subrange of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined a ...
and each house up to 300 students. * Susquehanna Community: Buildings are named for tributaries of the
Susquehanna River The Susquehanna River ( ; Unami language, Lenape: ) is a major river located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, crossing three lower Northeastern United States, Northeast states (New York, Pennsylvani ...
, which flows through the city of
Binghamton Binghamton ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of New York, and serves as the county seat of Broome County. Surrounded by rolling hills, it lies in the state's Southern Tier region near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the con ...
. * Hillside Community: Named for its location at the highest part of the Binghamton campus. Halls are named for New York state parks. The 16 apartment buildings are ordered clockwise, in alphabetical order.


Health Sciences campus

Binghamton's nearly 15-acre Health Sciences Campus is located in
Johnson City, New York Johnson City is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 15,343 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village of Johnson City is in the town of Union and is a part ...
. The campus is located a block from Main Street and is in close proximity to UHS Wilson Medical Center and Ascension Lourdes Hospital. The School of Pharmacy building opened in 2018, while the first floor of the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences building opened in January 2021. The campus also contains the Pharmaceutical Research and Development Center, along with th
Ford Family Wellness Center for Seniors
The university also plans on developing a park on two acres of land between Corliss Avenue and Main Street, which will offer an attractive and safe connection between university facilities and the downtown business district.


Downtown Center

The University Downtown Center, located near the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, opened in 2007 and houses the College of Community and Public Affairs. In 2011, the Downtown Center was severely damaged from flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee. While only the lowest floor of the building was filled with water, the electric company was unable to shut the power off in time, resulting in the building's electrical system being ruined. Classes were moved to the Main campus until repairs were completed. Repairs took a year to complete, and the UDC reopened for the start of the fall 2012 semester. In 2017, the university received $2.7 million for the flood repairs.


Academics

Binghamton offers more than 130 academic undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, concentrations, emphases, tracks and specializations and more than 60 master's, 30 doctorate and 50 accelerated (combined bachelor's/master's) degrees. There also exist interdisciplinary programs that allow individualized degree programs at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The school offers several early assurance programs that guarantee acceptance to graduate/professional schools outside of Binghamton, such as the Norton College of Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. BU and Upstate offer an Early Assurance Program (EAP) for pre-medical College Sophomores pursuing their M.D. degree. Students accepted into the program are required to finish their undergraduate education and maintain a 3.50 GPA to be guaranteed a seat at the medical school.


Admissions and finance

Binghamton University is one of the most selective schools in the SUNY system. In the fall of 2024, the university received over 57,000 applications. In the fall of 2024, the undergraduate acceptance rate was 39%. According to the latest data, Binghamton University has the following records: an average SAT Math score of 709, an average SAT Verbal score of 699, a median ACT score between 29–33, a median high school GPA between 3.7–3.9 (or 93–98), and an average Transfer GPA between 3.3-3.8. In-state tuition is $7,070 and out-of-state tuition is $26,160 (). The average debt at graduation is $14,734, and the school is in the top 15 lowest debt-load amongst public colleges in the country.


Rankings and reputation

Binghamton is ranked tied for 73rd among national universities, tied for 34th among public schools, ranked as the second-best SUNY school (after
Stony Brook University Stony Brook University (SBU), officially the State University of New York at Stony Brook, is a public university, public research university in Stony Brook, New York, United States, on Long Island. Along with the University at Buffalo, it is on ...
), and tied for 1055th among global universities for 2025 by '' U.S. News & World Report''. In 2021, ''
Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...
'' magazine rated Binghamton No. 77 out of the 600 best private and public colleges, universities and service academies in America. The university is ranked 653rd in the world, 162nd in the nation in the 2021–22 ''Center for University World Rankings''. ''
Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...
'' magazine ranked Binghamton 73rd in the country out of 739 schools evaluated for its 2020 "Best Colleges for Your Money" edition, and 48th in its list of the 50 best public schools in the U.S. In its inaugural college rankings, based upon "... the economic value of a university...," ''The Economist'' ranked Binghamton University 74th overall in the nation. Binghamton University was ranked the 18th best public college in the U.S. by ''The Business Journals'' in 2015. In 2016 Binghamton was ranked as the 10th best public college in the United States by ''Business Insider''. In 2018, the university was ranked 401–500 by ''Times Higher Education World Ranking''. The university was called a
Public Ivy "Public Ivy" is an informal term that refers to public colleges and universities in the United States that are perceived to provide a collegiate experience on the level of Ivy League universities. Richard Moll in his book ''Public Ivys: A Guide ...
by Howard and Matthew Greene in a book titled ''The Public Ivies: America's Flagship Public Universities'' (2001). It was a runner-up for the original Public Ivy list in 1985. Binghamton was ranked 93rd in the 2020 National Universities category of the ''Washington Monthly'' college rankings in the U.S., based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. According to the 2014 ''BusinessWeek'' rankings, the undergraduate business school was ranked 57th among Public Schools in the nation. In 2010 it was ranked as having the second best accounting program.


Research

The university is designated as an advanced research institution, with a division of research, an independent research foundation, several research centers including a New York State Center of Excellence, and partnerships with other institutions. Binghamton University was ranked 163rd nationally in research and development expenditures by the
National Science Foundation The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is an Independent agencies of the United States government#Examples of independent agencies, independent agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that su ...
.


SUNY Research Foundation

The Research Foundation for the
State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...
is a private, nonprofit educational corporation that administers externally funded contracts and grants for and on behalf of SUNY.


Centers and institutes

33 organized research centers and institutes for advanced studies facilitate interdisciplinary and specialized research at the university. The university is home to the New York State Center of Excellence in Small Scale Systems Integration and Packaging (S3IP). S3IP conducts research in areas such as microelectronics manufacturing and packaging, data center energy management, and solar energy. Other research centers and institutes include the Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience (CDBN), Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture (CPIC), Institute for Materials Research (IMR). The Fernand Braudel Center for the Study of Economies, Historical Systems, and Civilizations (FBC) closed on June 30, 2020.


Student life


Student body

, there are 14,668 undergraduate students and 4,147 graduate students enrolled at Binghamton University, with 951 full-time faculty and a student-to-faculty of 18:1. 84% of undergraduate students at Binghamton are residents of New York state, with more than 60 percent from the greater
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
area and the remainder from all corners of the state. The remaining 16 percent of the undergraduate student body is made up of residents of other states in the U.S. (7.5 percent) and international students (8.5 percent) from around the world. Since 1990, the university has experienced growth in enrollment (with a 1990 enrollment of 11,883). Since the arrival of President Harvey Stenger in 2012, the university had launched a plan to grow to 20,000 students by 2020, while adding faculty and staff to support the growth.


Greek life

There are many recognized fraternities and sororities at the university. Over 40 fraternity and sorority chapters are overseen by 7 governing councils, including the Interfraternity Council (IFC), Multicultural Greek and Fraternal Council (MGFC), National APIDA Panhellenic Association Council (NAPA), National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Council (NALFO), National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Panhellenic Council (PC), and the Professional Fraternity Council (PFC).


Student organizations

Student organizations at Binghamton are organized and run through the
Student Association at Binghamton University The State University of New York at Binghamton (Binghamton University or SUNY Binghamton) is a public research university in Greater Binghamton, New York, United States. It is one of the four university centers in the State University of New Y ...
. It provides a number of services and entertainment for students, including bus transportation and the annual Spring Fling festival. In 2013, the university and the Student Association collaborated to introduce B-Engaged, a website which features a complete list of all involvement opportunities at Binghamton. The Student Association of Binghamton University, Inc. (SA) is the
student union A students' union or student union, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to social, organizatio ...
of undergraduate students at the university. It is a 501-c3 non-for-profit organization that is autonomous from the university. It was first formed in 1978 and now represents and provides resources for over 13,000 undergraduate students, charters student groups, provides concerts and programming, and transportation services. Notable student organization at the university include: * WHRW: Student radio station founded in 1961. * ''
Pipe Dream Pipe dream, a phrase describing a wild or unattainable plan, may refer to: Books * '' Pipe Dreams: Greed, Ego, and the Death of Enron'', a 2002 book by Robert Bryce * '' Pipe Dreams: Water and Empire in Central Asia's Aral Sea Basin'', a 2019 bo ...
'': Student newspaper founded in 1946 as ''The Colonial News''. Run in addition to the school's official news source ''BingUNews''. * Harpur's Ferry Student Volunteer Ambulance Service:
EMS Ems or EMS may refer to: Places and rivers * Domat/Ems, a Swiss municipality in the canton of Grisons * Ems (river) (Eems), a river in northwestern Germany and northeastern Netherlands that discharges in the Dollart Bay * Ems (Eder), a river o ...
provider for the Binghamton University campus and all off-campus students. It was founded in 1973 and has twice been recognized as the No. 1 collegiate Emergency Medical Service agency in the nation. * Explorchestra: University's composers' orchestra is dedicated to the promotion of new music by composers from diverse backgrounds.


Transportation

Bus transportation on campus and in some neighborhoods is provided by the student-owned and operated
OCC Transport Off Campus College Transport, Inc., or OCCT, is Binghamton University's student driven, managed, and operated bus service for Binghamton University students, faculty, and staff. OCCT offers "safe, reliable, convenient, consistent, and courteous tr ...
. OCCT is free for all students; it is supported by mandatory student activity and transportation fees and by funds and resources provided by the university. OCCT is managed by the Student Association. Students, faculty and staff can ride the Broome County Transit bus system for free, paid for through a portion of the transportation fee.


Athletics

Binghamton University's Intercollegiate Athletics program is an
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
program. The Intercollegiate Athletics program comprises 21 sports that compete in the
America East Conference The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachu ...
for all sports except wrestling and golf. The 21 sports include Baseball, Men's & Women's Basketball, Men's & Women's Cross Country, Men's Golf, Men's & Women's Lacrosse, Men's & Women's Soccer, Softball, Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving, Men's & Women's Tennis, Men's & Women's Indoor Track, Men's & Women's Outdoor Track, Women's Volleyball and Men's Wrestling. The school also hosts several intramural and inter-community sports. Binghamton University, and more specifically Hinman College, is considered to be the creator of Co-Rec Football, a popular version of flag/touch football and is generally played amongst several teams within each dormitory community. Binghamton athletics gained significant negative attention during the
Binghamton University basketball scandal The Binghamton University basketball scandal refers to a series of incidents that occurred as Binghamton University compromised its integrity in order to make the Binghamton Bearcats, Bearcats Binghamton Bearcats men's basketball, men's basketball ...
in 2010, when it was revealed that the school had compromised its integrity and committed internal violations in pursuit of athletic glory. The scandal left Binghamton's basketball team in ruin.


Alma mater

''In the Rolling Hills of Binghamton'' is the official
alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...
song of Binghamton University, composed by David Engel (class of 1986)


Notable people


Faculty

* David L. Cingranelli, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Political Science. * Jessica J. Fridrich, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. * J. David Jentsch, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Psychology. * Subal C. Kumbhakar, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Economics. * Kanneboyina Nagaraju, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences. * Nkiru Nzegwu, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Africana Studies. *
Pedro Ontaneda Pedro Ontaneda Portal is a Peruvian-American mathematician specializing in topology and differential geometry. He is a distinguished professor at Binghamton University, a unit of the State University of New York. Education and career Ontaneda ...
, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Mathematical Sciences. * Solomon W. Polachek, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Economics. * Bahgat G. Sammakia, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering. *
M. Stanley Whittingham Sir Michael Stanley Whittingham (born 22 December 1941) is a British-American chemist. He is a professor of chemistry and director of both the Institute for Materials Research and the Materials Science and Engineering program at Binghamton Unive ...
, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Chemistry.


Former faculty

*
Ali Mazrui Ali Al'amin Mazrui (24 February 1933 – 12 October 2014), was a Kenyan-born American academic, professor, and political writer on African and Islamic studies, and North-South relations. He was born in Mombasa, Kenya. His positions included Dir ...
(1933–2014), author on African and
Islamic studies Islamic studies is the academic study of Islam, which is analogous to related fields such as Jewish studies and Quranic studies. Islamic studies seeks to understand the past and the potential future of the Islamic world. In this multidiscipli ...
*
Ken Jacobs Ken Jacobs (born May 25, 1933 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American experimental filmmaker. His style often involves the use of found footage which he edits and manipulates. He has also directed films using his own footage. Ken Jacobs directed ...
, experimental filmmaker *
Tito Perdue Tito Perdue (born 16 August 1938) is an American novelist. His works include his 1991 debut ''Lee''. Personal life Perdue was born Albert Perdue to American parents in Chile, where his father worked as an electrical engineer for the Braden Coppe ...
, novelist and author of ''Lee''; former Binghamton librarian *
Immanuel Wallerstein Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein (; September 28, 1930 – August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian. He is perhaps best known for his development in sociology of world-systems approach."Wallerstein, Immanuel (1930– )." ...
(1930–2019), sociologist and economic historian best known for his development of
world-systems theory World-systems theory (also known as world-systems analysis or the world-systems perspective)Immanuel Wallerstein, (2004), "World-systems Analysis." In ''World System History'', ed. George Modelski, in ''Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems'' (E ...
. *
David Sloan Wilson David Sloan Wilson (born 1949) is an American evolutionary biologist and a Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences and Anthropology at Binghamton University. He is a son of author Sloan Wilson, a co-founder of Evolution Institu ...
, professor emeritus, biological sciences/anthropology *
Larry Woiwode Larry Alfred Woiwode (October 30, 1941April 28, 2022) was an American writer from North Dakota, where he was the state's Poet Laureate from 1995 until his death. His work appeared in ''The New Yorker'', ''Esquire'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''H ...
, author


Alumni


In popular culture

* To fans of the Americana-psychedelic-rock band
The Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psyc ...
, the name "Harpur College" specifically refers to a concert the band played at the college on May 2, 1970. According to Jimmy Cawley writing in the Boston ''
Globe A globe is a spherical Earth, spherical Model#Physical model, model of Earth, of some other astronomical object, celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but, unlike maps, they do not distort the surface ...
'', "The Harpur College show has long been prized by tape collectors as an example of the depth the Dead were capable of on any given night."


Notes


References


External links

*
Binghamton Athletics website
{{authority control Binghamton, New York SUNY university centers Universities and colleges established in 1946 Education in Broome County, New York Tourist attractions in Binghamton, New York Companies based in Binghamton, New York Organizations based in Binghamton, New York 1946 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Binghamton, New York 1965 establishments in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Broome County, New York Public universities and colleges in New York (state) Vestal, New York