Background
Binghamton University enjoys an ever-increasing national and international recognition for academic quality, innovative research and scholarship, and educational value. Our economic development partnerships with the community and state are strong, as are our educational outreach and service initiatives. With our growing regional presence, highlighted by the planning and on-going construction of our new Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, N.Y., we are well-prepared to build on our role as a leader in higher education. Binghamton University’s educational programs and research activity have grown substantially over the past 20 years. Over the past 10 years, we have seen almost 20% growth in our undergraduate and graduate enrollments. We have also greatly expanded our research efforts and research activity across campus continues to grow at an accelerating rate. All of this is accomplished while fostering a broad and inclusive campus culture.
Supporting such growth in research and educational opportunities is a major challenge for the University. As we add new educational programs, we lack sufficient classrooms to accommodate student demand and that are needed to ensure students can enroll in the classes needed for timely graduation. Increasing the number of research-activity faculty requires facilities and laboratory space beyond our current capacity. Many of our buildings were constructed in the 1960s, leaving today’s faculty constrained by spaces that were not built to accommodate current pedagogical and research activities. Support for new facilities, and the innovative use of existing facilities, is critical to our continued success.
In addition, the recruitment and retention of diverse and talented faculty and staff is critical. We must enhance our programs and strategies related to recruitment and the creation of a welcoming environment to ensure successful transitions to our community as well as continually support the professional development of faculty and staff throughout their careers. We must also explore ways to maximize the extraordinary talents of our current employees while implementing technology, when possible, in areas that are hard to recruit.
Moving forward, Binghamton University must continue to work to maximize the acquisition of new resources, including money, space and partnerships. We must be diligent as we recruit and obtain these resources, and we must manage them well, since the external competition for these scarce resources is high. These resources include state support through the SUNY allocation process; direct, legislative state support; tuition/fee revenue; federal appropriations; research avenues, funds generated by housing and dining services; philanthropic support; and other revenue opportunities through the Binghamton University Foundation. Vice presidents, deans and departments that own these resources must use them wisely to meet goals they have set and to enable their areas and the University as a whole to achieve the established Strategic Priorities. The work and outcomes of SP5 supports and enables the success of all the strategic priorities.
