Background
To become premier, Binghamton University must enhance its graduate programs and research activities. To accomplish this, we will use our world-class research facilities to their best advantage, and we will increase recruitment of faculty and graduate students to meet the demands of increased enrollment while lowering the student-to-faculty ratio.
Our research will focus on issues of societal, technological, economic, cultural, intellectual and aesthetic significance — all issues critical to our future — through thoughtful development of five transdisciplinary areas of excellence. These areas of excellence will include our cutting-edge efforts in smart energy and healthcare, as well as the work Binghamton scholars are doing in the humanities, social sciences and professional schools as they explore changes in the meaning of citizenship, challenges facing societies around the world as they seek to create sustainable communities, and the role of material objects and images in shaping society and culture.
This transdisciplinary research will transform the way we think, live and learn at Binghamton as we answer important questions. But more than that, it will inspire our undergraduate and graduate students to pursue careers in which they can use the knowledge they gain at Binghamton to improve our world.
One specific enhancement the University is considering is the establishment of a school of pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy. A feasibility study is underway, and we anticipate the many opportunities such a school would bring to enhance our life sciences research activities and help our students pursue exciting careers as healthcare professionals.
The University will foster a culture of research at all levels. Undergraduate students will be aware of and involved with research, mentored by both graduate students and faculty. Students and faculty will seek funding from alternative government and industry sources to complement our state funding.
Through the resulting growth of students, faculty and research activities, Binghamton University will lay the groundwork to seek membership in the Association of American Universities. This elite group is composed of 62 leading research institutions that shape their communities and the world. Through membership, Binghamton University will take its place among the top public and private universities in the country.
