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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Student spotlight: Samantha Birk
Samantha Birk has always been interested in traveling abroad. So when the junior learned about the U.S.-U.K. Fulbright Commission’s U.K. Summer Institute, she decided to take a chance and apply.
“The (Binghamton) area is familiar to me,” Birk said. “I’m away from home, but I do have family here. So I wanted to see other parts of the world.”
Birk, a double major in psychology and management who minors in theatre, made it through the arduous application and interview process and became one of 61 U.S. students invited to travel to the UK during the summer of 2013, to one of that nation’s top educational institutions. It was the second year in a row that a Binghamton University student was selected.
Birk was one of only four U.S. students to study at King’s College London Summer Institute (the other three were from Princeton, Kansas State and the University of Connecticut). The program – “Learning, Inventing, and Reinventing: The British City, Past and Present” – gave students the opportunity to learn about the history of British cities both in and out of the classroom.
“The course was hands-on,” Birk said. “A lot of time was spent outside exploring London and going to different areas, such as Manchester and Liverpool.”
While Birk praised the teachers and staff at King’s College London, she was equally impressed with her international graduate-student mentors who helped make the transition to British life easier.
“We had dinner with their families,” she said. “They took us to the best markets and gardens. It was nice to be with them. Those are the moments that stand out to me.”
Part of the Fulbright Commission’s criteria for choosing students for the program is academic excellence and a range of extracurricular and community activities. Birk certainly stands out in the latter categories, as she works in the Institute for Childhood Development; serves as a research assistant in Professor Brandon Gibb’s Mood Disorders Institute; is the promotions director for the Women in Business student group; is choreographer for Evolution Dance Company on campus; teaches dance in Vestal; was a 2012 SUNY Emerging Leader; and is a former member of the Johnson City Mentor Program.