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As an institution, Binghamton is dedicated to higher education, one that combines an international reputation for graduate education, research, scholarship, and creative endeavor with the best undergraduate programs available at any public university. Binghamton University is a premier public university dedicated to enriching people's lives in the region, state, nation, and world through discovery and education and to being enriched by partnerships with those communities. A world-class institution, Binghamton University offers students a broad, interdisciplinary education with an international perspective and one of the most vibrant research programs in the nation. Ranked among the country's elite public universities, Binghamton challenges students academically, not financially, in its unique, best-of-both-worlds environment. Our academic culture rivals a first-rate private university — rigorous, collaborative, and boldly innovative — while our campus culture exemplifies the best kind of public university experience: richly diverse students, active social life, and deep engagement within the community. Our students, both undergraduate and graduate, work one-on-one with exceptional faculty and groundbreaking scholars. They take advantage of unique academic opportunities like combined degrees, foreign language study groups, and an unparalleled international education program. Our students and the entire campus community's safety is of the highest priority at Binghamton University, and we have developed comprehensive programs and procedures to help every member of the University community remain safe. Our safety efforts touch all facets of our students' daily lives, whether in a residence hall, classroom, dining facility, office, or on campus. At Binghamton, we believe that a 21st-century college education requires a deep engagement with the world. Our vision is to design a distinctly "global" educational experience and foster an inclusive campus community that infuses all aspects of college life with an international perspective. That vision is a reality at Binghamton. The University has been recognized with seven national awards for innovation in international education. Our pioneering Languages Across the Curriculum (LCC) program provides study groups in as many as four or five languages for a single class. Students from more than 100 countries choose Binghamton because they know it is one of the very few American universities that emphasize meaningful cultural and intellectual exchange. At Binghamton, we also value curiosity and exploration in art and culture in science and engineering about people, families, communities, and nations. We continually expand our library holdings and improve electronic access to sources that support learning and discovery. We invest in top-notch facilities and engage in industry partnerships knowing that our immensely talented students and faculty will make discoveries that enrich our campus, our community, and our world. Success breeds success. What began as a small, liberal arts college is now a nationally recognized research institution with one of the two fastest-growing research programs in the state. However, we want our students to have an exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding college experience. We have such a remarkable freshmen retention rate (91.7%) because we have not forgotten that college is about a lot more than classes. Our 200+ student clubs and organizations, our NCAA Division I sports, our tight-knit residential communities, and our supportive and hardworking staff. Building Binghamton University's entrepreneurial ecosystem, one step at a time, is at the heart of everything we do. When faculty, students, or staff make an invention, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships serves as the campus resource to help assess, protect, and leverage the underlying intellectual property rights. When professors want to bring entrepreneurial thinking into their classrooms, we are here to help. Moreover, our innovation-based economic development efforts strive to ensure that this area, once called the Valley of Opportunity, will live up to its nickname again. People worldwide are learning what New Yorkers have known for decades: Binghamton University is one of America's premier public universities. We attract outstanding students and award-winning faculty partners who are partners in active discovery — we do not collect knowledge and create it. Binghamton University opened its doors as Triple Cities College in 1946 to serve the needs of local veterans returning from service in World War II. Initially located in Endicott, five miles west of the present campus, the fledgling school was Syracuse University. Four years later, when the college was incorporated into the State University of New York, Harpur College was renamed in honor of Robert Harpur, a Colonial teacher, patriot, and pioneer. He devoted his later years to settling the area west of Binghamton. Until 1953, Harpur College was one of only two public liberal arts colleges in the state. In 1961, the campus was moved across the Susquehanna River to Vestal. Growing enrollment and a reputation for excellence soon led to the selection of Harpur College as one of four doctorate-granting University Centers in the state system. In 1965, the campus was formally designated the State University of New York at Binghamton. Binghamton University was adopted as our informal name in 1992. View full university