Binghamton University can move forward with plans to build a $70 million Smart Energy Center, increase its student population, and hire new staff now that Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has given his seal of approval to the university’s NYSUNY 2020 Challenge Grant application.
Under the plan, which is expected to create more than 840 university and private-sector jobs, Binghamton University will hire new researchers and faculty, expand its academic offerings and facilities, foster public-private research partnerships, and expand technology development in high-tech fields.
“Approval of the challenge grant puts Binghamton University and the Southern Tier region on an exciting path of growth,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said in a news release. “This NYSUNY 2020 plan will help us realize a number of goals that are important to New York state — to create jobs, enhance education, and encourage research that drives new technologies. Most importantly, it will build on the synergy of our two main objectives, to enhance the academic quality of the university and have a significant economic impact on the Southern Tier.”
Cuomo’s grant initiative provides a $35 million capital construction grant to the state’s four SUNY university centers — Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook — to boost academic and research programs.
For more on this story, check out the Aug. 13 issue of The Greater Binghamton Business Journal.
Contact DeLore at tdelore@tgbbj.com