Periodic Review Report May 20, 2016 Dr. Harvey G. Stenger President Accreditation reaffirmed March 3, 2011 Dates of Evaluation Team’s Visit November 7-10, 2010 Table of Contents Section 1 1-5 Executive Summary Section 2 6-47 Summary of Institution’s Responses to Self-Identified Recommendations from the Previous Evaluation Section 3 48-50 Narrative Identifying Major Challenges and Opportunities Section 4 51-57 Enrollment and Finance Trends and Projections Section 5 58-74 Processes to Assess Institutional Effectiveness and Student Learning Section 6 75-90 Linked Institutional Planning & Budgeting Processes Appendices Section 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Executive Summary Binghamton University Overview Founded only seventy years ago, Binghamton University has grown rapidly in size and stature, becoming one of the best mid-size public research universities in the U.S. One of four doctoral-granting University Centers in the State University of New York system, Binghamton enrolls almost 17,000 students in 74 undergraduate degrees in 261 different concentrations, 39 different masters degrees with 81 different concentrations offered by 31 different departments and programs. We enroll students in 28 different doctoral degrees, with 37 different concentrations offered by 27 different departments and doctoral programs. The University consists of seven colleges and schools, including the College of Community and Public Affairs, the Decker School of Nursing, the Graduate School of Education, the Harpur College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Management, the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (scheduled to accept its first class in August 2017), and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Binghamton has earned a strong reputation for excellence. For the past twenty years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked us among the top 50 public universities in the U.S. The Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance consistently rate Binghamton among the “best values” in public higher education, and Business Week places our School of Management 23rd among business schools at America’s public universities. Binghamton prides itself on excellence, access, and value. We are highly selective, recruiting some of the top students in New York and throughout the world. In the last admissions cycle (2014-15), the University received over 30,000 applications for a freshman class of about 2,600 students. The average SAT for the freshman cohort entering in August 2015 was 1305 and the mean high school average was 95. Although we are highly selective, we provide access to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In Fall 2015, 28 percent of our students were Pell eligible, 22.5 percent were the first in their families to attend college, and 16.4 percent were underrepresented minorities. In September 2015, the New York Times Ranked Binghamton 35th among “Top Colleges Doing the Most for Low-Income Students.” (Appendix 1.1) We boast a strong record of student success. Our current first-to-second-year retention rate is over 91 percent. Our four and six-year graduation rates are 71.4 percent and 81 percent, respectively. Students in our Educational Opportunity Program, which is designed to provide access and support for low-income students, have a first-to-second-year retention rate of 94.3 percent and four and six-year graduation rates of 55.2 percent and 77.2 percent, respectively. As a research University, Binghamton offers a wide range of masters and doctoral programs; approximately 20 percent of our students are graduate students. At the masters level, we support a rich portfolio of professional masters programs that lead to the Masters of Social Work, Masters of Public Administration, Masters of Business Administration, MS in Accounting, MS in Nursing, MS in Education, Master of Arts in Teaching, MS in Biomedical Engineering, MS in Systems Science, MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering, MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering, MS in Mechanical Engineering, and MS in Computer Science as well as innovative masters degrees in Sustainable Communities, Health Systems, Biomedical Anthropology, and Public Archaeology. All of our schools support doctoral education leading to the PhD, EdD, DNP, and PharmD (to be offered, beginning in 2017). In 2014-15, Binghamton awarded 139 doctoral degrees, 127 of which were the PhD. Our doctoral 1 graduates enjoy successful careers in academia, education, business, finance, industry, the arts, and health professions. Binghamton is known for pathbreaking research and creative work in the humanities, social sciences, arts, management, education, and human services as well as in mathematics, sciences, and engineering. One measure of our strength is, of course, external funding. Consistent with national trends, research expenditures declined between FY 2011 and FY 2014, as congressionally-directed funding ended, support from the American Recovery and Investment Act concluded, and funding available from federal agencies declined. However, Binghamton’s committed funds increased by 21 percent in FY 2015 and is on pace to grow by another 18 percent in FY 2016. Another measure of our success is the presence of three federally funded research centers: the Northeast Center for Chemical Energy Storage (Department of Energy), the Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center (NIH), and the Center for Energy Smart Electronic Systems (NSF). A third is the presence of 21 faculty members in the humanities, social sciences, engineering, sciences, mathematics and management who hold the rank of Distinguished Professor, the highest recognition for research conferred by the State University of New York. A fourth is our innovative Transdiciplinary Areas of Excellence (TAE), which promote cross-disciplinary hiring and research collaboration in such critical areas as energy, health, human rights, sustainable communities, and the material and visual worlds (http://www.binghamton.edu/tae/). Finally, a number of high profile international journals call Binghamton home, including the Journal of Women’s History, Medievalia, Review, and Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. Consistent with its commitment to excellence in teaching and research, Binghamton has enjoyed success in internationalization. Approximately 1,600 of our undergraduates study abroad, and we have formal partnerships with almost 60 universities in more than 20 countries on five continents. Currently, international students make up more than 16 percent of our enrollment, strengthening the intellectual and cultural life of our campus. Binghamton’s success in internationalization has been recognized with major awards from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, the American Council on Education, the Institute for International Education, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. As a public research university, Binghamton takes seriously its responsibility to contribute to the economic, educational, and cultural life of the community and the State of New York. Faculty and students make critical contributions to such local arts organizations as the Binghamton Philharmonic and the Tri-Cities Opera as well as local theaters and galleries. Each year, more than 160,000 individuals, many of them community members, enjoy performances, exhibits, and competitions at the Anderson Center for the Arts, University Art Museum, Watters Theater, Events Center, and Bearcat Sports Complex. Almost 3,000 students annually contribute to—and benefit from—the community through internships and practica, many with local governments, schools, social service agencies, non-profits, and firms. Serving as a catalyst for economic development is an especially important part of Binghamton’s mission. We have strong partnerships with industry, generating approximately 10 percent of our external research support from industry. We have 10,300 square feet of incubation space on campus and are the principal partner in the 35,000 square foot Southern Tier High Technology Incubator, currently under construction in downtown Binghamton and scheduled to welcome companies in 2016. Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger serves as co-chair of the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council, which coordinates economic development initiatives in the eight counties of our region. In December 2015, the Council was awarded $500 million over the next five years from the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative to invest in economic development initiatives—including University-sponsored initiatives such as the Southern Tier Health Science Technology Innovation Park in Johnson City and the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Center in Endicott—that will create more than 10,000 jobs in the 2 region. The University contributes more than $1 billion annually to the local economy and more than $1.34 billion to the New York state economy. In recognition of our commitment to and success in economic development, we are one of 18 universities recognized by the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University. Major Developments since Decennial Accreditation There have been a number of significant institutional changes since Binghamton University was awarded its decennial accreditation in 2010: • Dr. Harvey G. Stenger, Jr. became the sixth president of Binghamton University on January 1, 2012. • The University successfully concluded its “Bold,