Think Engagement
Binghamton University fosters vital, thriving partnerships with area business, healthcare, educational and community organizations to benefit the region and the state. Those who study and work here contribute in multiple ways to the surrounding communities.
A new University Downtown Center in center-city Binghamton is helping to revitalize downtown, drawing hundreds of students, faculty, staff and visitors downtown every day. The UDC houses the newly created College of Community and Public Affairs, whose mission to assist the people and governments in our region is a model for the next generation of civic engagement. The students’ accomplishments advance Binghamton’s reputation as a national leader in educating and training people to serve the public good.
Recognized with distinction on the inaugural national Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll and again on the 2007 Honor Roll for general community service in helping out communities damaged by Gulf and Atlantic hurricanes in 2005. Closer to home, in June 2006, the Events Center was turned into a Red Cross shelter to help 2,000 evacuees in the aftermath of disastrous floods. Students, staff and faculty provided many essential services to the evacuees.
Students are improving workplace ergonomics, courtesy of $13.2 million in-kind grant from UGS Corp. This software, used by Fortune 100 and Global 50 companies, enables students to create digital humans in virtual environments and analyze their performance. The software is available to regional and state businesses through the University's Strategic Partnership for Industrial Resurgence (SPIR) program.
Student volunteers contribute almost 400,000 hours, valued at $7.2 million. The services of our students, through volunteerism and internships, provide more than $7 million in value to area businesses, charitable organizations and governments each year. At the Decker School of Nursing alone, the 138,000 hours that students spend in 400 clinical settings locally and throughout the state contribute not only to their own education, but also to the well-being of others.
Our student-run think tank, Catalysts for Intellectual Capital 2020 (CIC2020), enhances the region’s strengths by encouraging recent graduates to seek work in Greater Binghamton. With support from area business leaders and the University, CIC2020 offers its own leadership institute for students each spring.
The University enriches quality of life in the region with world-class performances at the Anderson Center for the Arts, thought-provoking exhibits at the University Art Museum, summer camps that develop young minds and talents and Binghamton Bearcats Division I athletics. Performances and competitions at the Events Center attract thousands of visitors who strengthen our economy by patronizing local businesses.
