![construction on campus](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180830_scienceIV11_jwc.jpg)
IMPROVING CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE
Some of the major improvements to infrastructure completed over the summer are very visible; others are not. Read in this issue about the many major projects completed by Physical Facilities and Information Technology Services, as well as the new programs offered by the University Center for Training and Development.
![academics photo](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180717_PharmBld06_jwc_%281%29.jpg)
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES OPENS NEW BUILDING
The opening of the new, $60-million School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University's Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, N.Y., headlines this quarterly report, but there's also good news about collaborations, external funding and student successes. Read more in this issue.
![Division of Advancement](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180914_bass25_jwc.jpg)
SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES SUPPORT STUDENTS
It takes donors at many levels to make Binghamton University successful, and in this issue of the quarterly report, you can read about a number of them. Whether it's AVANGRID offering full-tuition scholarships and capstone project support, or playing golf to benefit the Alumni Legacy Scholarship, the Division of Advancement works with Binghamton supporters.
![research](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/introblurb_%2815%29.jpg)
BINGHAMTON RESEARCH FUNDING SETS RECORD
Binghamton University reported research expenditures totaling $47.5 million in 2017-18, an increase of about 19 percent from the previous fiscal year. The figure tops 2011-12, the campus’ all-time best year for research funding, when just over $40 million was reported. The new record, which follows several years of steady growth, is an important sign of the campus’ creativity and innovation. Healthcare research accounted for nearly a third of expenditures, with electronics packaging and systems engineering following at about 22 percent.
![student affairs](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180824_BaxterBench02_jwc.jpg)
BAXTER THE BEARCAT BOOSTS SCHOOL SPIRIT
The Division of Student Affairs spent the summer hosting students and families for orientation and preparing for the opening of the fall semester. With some new people on board and some others with new duties, it has been a busy time. Not too busy, though, to show Binghamton University pride, as you'll read about the new Baxter the Bearcat Bench in the University Union in this issue.
![athletics photo](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180919_paintThePaws11_jwc.jpg)
STUDENT-ATHLETES CONTINUE TO SUCCEED ACADEMICALLY
Student-athletes continue to shine on and off the courts and fields. The Athletics Department sets high academic standards, and student-athletes surpass them across the board. Read about the accomplishments made by student-athletes in their sports and in the classroom – and check out the videos showcasing fall sports and the new women's head basketball coach, Bethann Shapiro Ord, in this issue.
![construction on campus](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180826_sundaze04_jwc.jpg)
HELPING TO MAKE THE CAMPUS MORE INCLUSIVE
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion works to educate and empower everyone on campus in ways that create a welcoming community. From the Udiversity Educational Institute, that holds trainings for students, faculty and staff, to the Multicultural Resource Center and Q Center, the division's offices that work to build bridges and support students though education and events such as Sundaze, part of its Welcome Week programming. Read about the division's recent initiatives in this report.
![foundation photo](http://www.binghamton.edu/presidents-report/images/20180815_peacequad02_jwc_%282%29.jpg)
DONOR SUPPORT ADVANCES BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
The Binghamton University Foundation had a successful 2017-18 year, bringing in the second highest amount of cash ever in support of the University. Read the numbers in this issue of the quarterly report, and learn one way the Foundation celebrates its donors.
CEMERS at 50
For half a century, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CEMERS) has been at the forefront of bringing scholars from different disciplines together to promote medieval and early-modern studies.
As the oldest organized research center at Binghamton University, CEMERS has enabled Harpur College faculty members and students in 14 departments to participate in internationally recognized conferences, lecture series and publications. The center has also helped to raise the University’s profile around the world.
CEMERS might not have gotten off the ground were it not for the vision of Aldo Bernardo, a founding faculty member of Harpur College who would go on to become distinguished service professor emeritus of Italian and comparative literature.
The annual CEMERS conferences, held since 1967, attract scholars from all over the United States and the world.
CEMERS’ impact was felt beyond its conferences and the publications that documented those events. The award-winning, interdisciplinary journal Mediaevalia began publishing in 1975. A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities paved the way for a medieval studies program in 1977. In 1978, the center launched the Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies (MRTS) series. Led by the efforts of Mario DiCesare, distinguished professor emeritus of English, MRTS published 250 volumes through 1996.
Current director Marilynn Desmond, distinguished professor of English, attributes the success of CEMERS to the faculty members who have contributed to the center during the past 50 years.
Today, CEMERS has an executive council consisting of nine faculty members and one graduate student. There are 55 faculty fellows associated with the center, including 15 emeriti professors. But CEMERS also is focusing on new faculty members.
CEMERS recently published a double issue of Mediaevalia on the topic “Medieval Futures.” The special issue includes 12 essays by scholars affiliated with the center in disciplines such as art history, history, English, Italian, and French literatures.
“The legacy of CEMERS is that we have a proven record of producing high-quality research across the disciplines,” Desmond said. “CEMERS’ international profile contributes immeasurably to Binghamton University’s status as a premier research university.”