Binghamton University formally opens Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences

JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — Binghamton University (BU) on Monday formally opened the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences in the village of Johnson City.

The now completed, six-story, 112,000-square-foot facility is located inside of the repurposed Endicott Johnson shoe box factory. Once a 97,000-square-foot structure, the project included the construction of a 15,000-square-foot addition to the original building.

The state has invested a total of $287 million to complete the 13-acre health sciences campus in downtown Johnson City, which includes Decker College, and STEM-education initiatives at Binghamton University, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Monday.

New York State’s investment of $287 million includes funding from both SUNY and Empire State Development, Hochul’s office added.

“Our Health Sciences Initiative and the Johnson City campus did not simply materialize overnight but resulted from our Road Map strategic-planning process. We knew we had significant strengths in the health sciences and there exists a local, regional and nationwide workforce problem that we could help alleviate,” Harvey Stenger, president of Binghamton University, said. “After years of planning and support from all corners of our University community and beyond, we successfully designed programs for our School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and built additional curriculum and programs around our Decker School of Nursing, which has evolved into the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences. We are thrilled to also be transforming the urban core of Johnson City. Our strategy of targeting downtown communities for our expansion efforts paid off in Binghamton and now is having similar, positive impacts in the village.”

More than 130 faculty and staff are employed across Decker College, which has more than 700 students, both undergraduate and graduate, per Hochul’s office.