About Binghamton University
Binghamton University, the State University of New York, is one of this country’s distinguished public research universities and is known for the excellence of its students, faculty, staff and programs.
One of the four university centers of the State University of New York, Binghamton University offers academic programs leading to the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Binghamton’s undergraduate and graduate programs are complementary, drawing upon nationally recognized faculty to create an outstanding academic experience for students at all levels.
A continuing commitment to the liberal arts forms the basis for undergraduate instruction in the arts and sciences and in the professional programs of nursing, engineering, management, public administration, social work and education. Graduate education and research emphasize scholarly depth within the disciplines and among Binghamton’s unique interdisciplinary perspectives.
Binghamton University attracts an exceptionally talented student population and challenges academically motivated students to work to their fullest intellectual capacities. In all of its programs, the University seeks to enhance the self-development of students so that they will become informed and effective participants in public affairs and in all of their subsequent educational and vocational pursuits. To that end, Binghamton provides a challenging and supportive living and learning environment that encourages students’ active participation in residential life, student organizations, recreational and athletic programs, and cultural and social events.
As a public institution of higher education, Binghamton recognizes its responsibility to build a multicultural campus community that encourages access to and full participation in all aspects of University life and reflects in its constituencies the broader society of which the University is a part.
In fall 2006, 11,523 undergraduates were enrolled at Binghamton University: 5,527 women and 5,996 men. Graduate enrollments totaled 2,850: 1,410 men and 1,440 women.
During the 2005-06 academic year, full-time teaching faculty members numbered 537, of whom 93 percent held the PhD or the appropriate terminal degree in their fields. Both graduates and undergraduates are taught by a single faculty whose members are committed to teaching, advising and working closely with students.
History
The institution dates from 1946, when Triple Cities College opened in Endicott, N.Y., five miles west of the present campus, as a branch of Syracuse University. When the college was incorporated into the State University of New York four years later, it was renamed Harpur College in honor of Robert Harpur, a Colonial teacher, patriot and pioneer, who devoted his later years to settling the area around 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 enrollments 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.
Harpur College retained its identity as the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences component of the University, and it became the nucleus of an evolving complex of graduate, research and professional programs. Binghamton University’s professional schools now include the College of Community and Public Affairs, Decker School of Nursing, School of Education, School of Management and Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science.
The Campus
Binghamton is centrally located in New York, 50 miles from Ithaca, 70 miles from Syracuse and about 200 miles from both New York City and Philadelphia. Routes I-81, I-88 and NY 17 converge near the city. The campus is set on a wooded hillside in the town of Vestal near the Susquehanna River, one mile west of Binghamton.
Binghamton, Vestal, Endicott and Johnson City are part of the Greater Binghamton region, an urban metropolitan area that offers a sophisticated cultural life along with easily accessible outdoor recreational opportunities. Major employers are Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, United Health Services, Universal Instruments and the University itself.
Binghamton’s modern campus is compactly designed, well maintained and noted for its scenic setting. The campus is arranged in an irregular oval, with residential colleges on the periphery and classroom buildings in the center. There are about 100 buildings, all built since 1958.
The science laboratories are well equipped and allow students to practice state-of-the-art experimental techniques in their courses and research projects. Extensive and up-to-date computer support is readily available for research and instruction at every level.
The Binghamton University Innovative Technologies Complex’s first building contains state-of-the-art laboratories for life science and supportive technologies research related to product development. The support for the construction of the building came from the New York state GEN*NY*SIS program, which requires the life-sciences focus for the building. Space requests are evaluated by a faculty committee and assigned based on common research interests of extramurally funded investigators in the appropriate discipline, rather than based on department. The building also includes a start-up suite, where new high-tech companies spun-off by the faculty can obtain office space along with the support they need for making the company independent and functional. Facility assignments for the new companies will also be in close proximity.
Facilities for fine and performing arts are exceptional. In addition to several theaters and recital halls for the performing arts, we offer music listening and practice rooms, dance studios, and art, sculpture, printing and graphic arts facilities, including a bronze-casting foundry. The Theatre and Music departments present scores of plays and concerts. The University Art Museum has a permanent collection of art representing all periods, and displays special loaned exhibitions as well as the works of University artists. The Anderson Center for the Arts offers a full schedule of concerts, dance performances and recitals by faculty, students and internationally acclaimed performers.
Extensive recreational and physical education opportunities are supported by two gymnasia, both with swimming pools and one with an indoor track, and a new Events Center including a basketball court and indoor track. Outdoor facilities include playing fields, a track and numerous tennis courts. The University fields Division I intercollegiate teams in 19 varsity sports: men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s cross country, golf, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s soccer, wrestling and volleyball. Intramural sports, including Binghamton’s famous “co-rec football,” are also popular.
Binghamton’s wooded campus includes the Nature Preserve, a 190-acre forest and wetland area with a six-acre pond. This diverse natural habitat, containing many forms of plant and animal life, provides special study and leisure opportunities.
The campus takes pride in its modern library system that currently provides access to a wide variety of print and digital resources, including over 2.3million volumes; 41,985 journal holdings; 2.1 million microform, map and multimedia items; and 141 electronic databases. The Glenn G. Bartle Library, named after the University’s first president, contains collections in the humanities, social sciences, government documents and collections in mathematical and computer sciences.
The libraries offer a wide variety and range of services, including research consultation and assistance in person and electronically, a laptop lending program and updates through a number of blogs. The online gateway to collections is through infoLINK, the library catalog, metaLINK, which offers the ability to search across multiple resources, and Grokker, a new service which categorizes and visualizes information in a topical map format for easy retrieval.
Quiet study space is available throughout the Bartle and Science libraries. Bartle Library is open 24 hours a day from noon Sundays through midnight Fridays and noon until midnight Saturdays. Binghamton University Information Commons is a state-of-the-art resource that provides access to a powerful selection of print and online resourses, a vast array of application software and tools, and expert assistance to help with their use.
Special Collections, located on the second floor of Bartle Library, houses rare books, manuscript and archival collections, sound recordings and the University Archives, and is the location of the Bernard F. Huppé Reading Room and the Link Conference Room. The rare and archival collections include North American editions published prior to 1850, British imprints prior to 1800 and European imprints prior to 1750. Collections of note include the Edwin A. Link Collection, the Frances R. Conole Archive of Recorded Sounds, the Max Reinhardt Archive and Library, the William J. Haggerty Collection of French Colonial History, and the Yi-t’ung and An-chi Lou Wang Research Collection on Chinese Culture.
The total Binghamton University Libraries collections include:
· 2,313,597 volumes (including print volumes, government documents and electronic books)
· 1,862,467 microfilms and microfiche
· 41,985 journal holdings
· 3,061 CD-ROMs
· 119,980 maps
· 2,866 videocassettes/DVDs
· 118,510 sound recordings
· 139 electronic databases
The University supports a number of research and organized activities centers to promote multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary sponsored research involving faculty and students. Here, exceptional undergraduate and graduate students have the opportunity to work side by side with post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars and senior faculty in high-level research and, not uncommonly, to publish the results of their findings.
The centers are the Center for Advanced Information
Technologies; Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems; Center for
Applied Community Research and Development; Center for Cognitive and
Psycholinguistic Sciences; Center for Computing Technologies; Center for
Developmental Psychobiology; Center for the Historical Study of Women and
Gender; Center for Integrated Watershed Studies; Center for Interdisciplinary Studies
in Philosophy, Interpretation, and Culture; Center for Leadership Studies;
Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies; Center for Research in Learning
and Teaching; Center for Research in Translation; Center for Science,
Mathematics and Technology Education; Center for the Teaching of American
History; Center for Writers; Center on Democratic Performance; Fernand Braudel
Center for the Study of Economies, High Technology Commercialization Center;
Historical Systems and Civilizations; Institute for Materials Research;
Institute for Primary and Preventative Health Care; Institute for of
Biomedical Technology; Integrated Electronics Engineering Center; Public
Archaeology Facility; Roger L. Kresge Center for Nursing Research; and Small
Scale Systems Packaging Center.
The University Union and University Union West are the focal points for most social and recreational activities on campus. They house the offices of many of Binghamton’s student organizations, including the Student Association (undergraduate student government), radio station WHRW-FM, television station BTV and student publications. Other facilities include the Food Co-op, several dining areas, meeting rooms and lounges.
In addition to maintaining a website and regular annual publication of the University Bulletin (on the Web), semester publication (on the Web) of the Schedule of Classes and Course Guide, and producing other print and electronic publications as needed, the University communicates important news and information to students, faculty and staff regularly. News and information of general interest is distributed via a weekly newspaper, Inside BU, also published in Web form; Dateline, a daily electronic news service for the University community; the B-Line, an electronic news service for students; and periodically updated electronic message boards in each dining hall. The Binghamton University Magazine is published three times a year and distributed to a wide audience. The Binghamton University Student Information (BUSI) Web Center, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, contains updated, password-protected information on individual students’ registration and records, academic status, accounts, financial aid status and e-mail accounts, and allows students to register for courses online.
Accreditation
Binghamton University is registered by the Education Department of the State of New York and is approved to grant the degrees listed under “Academic Programs.” It was reaccredited in March 2001 by, and holds membership in, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA). Binghamton’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Education’s teaching certification programs are accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC). All programs in the School of Management are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International. The University’s engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET), and its computer science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. Programs are also accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Requests to review licensing and accreditation documents may be made through the Office of the President.
Honor Societies
The campus has chartered chapters of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Eta Sigma, the national freshman honor society. There are, in addition, chapters of the following academic honor societies: Alpha Lambda Eta, English; Alpha Mu Alpha, marketing; Alpha Pi Mu, industrial engineering; Beta Alpha Psi, accounting; Beta Gamma Sigma, business; Chi Alpha Epsilon, Educational Opportunity Program; Chi Alpha Sigma, Athletics; Eta Kappa Nu, electrical engineering; Gamma Kappa Alpha, Italian; Gamma Theta Upsilon, geography; Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, Omicron Delta Epsilon, economics; Phi Alpha Theta, history; Phi Sigma Iota, Romance languages; Pi Sigma Alpha, political science; Pi Tau Sigma, mechanical engineering; Psi Chi, psychology; Sigma Pi Sigma, physics; Sigma Theta Tau, nursing; Tau Beta Pi, engineering and Upsilon Pi Epsilon, computer science.
Academic Programs
Undergraduate programs at Binghamton University are offered in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Community and Public Affairs, the Decker School of Nursing, the School of Management and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. All five schools as well as the School of Education offer advanced degrees; all advanced degree programs are administered by the Graduate School.
Programs lead to the bachelor of arts, bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of music, bachelor of science, master of arts, master of arts in teaching, master of business administration, master of engineering, master of music, master of public administration, master of social work, master of science, master of science in education, master of science in teaching, doctor of education and doctor of philosophy degrees.
At the 2006 Commencement ceremonies, the University awarded approximately 2,500 bachelor’s degrees, 600 master’s and 100 doctoral degrees.
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences
Undergraduate Programs
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences is the original component of the complex of schools that is now Binghamton University. The great majority of the undergraduates on campus are enrolled in Harpur College, and those enrolled in the other schools fulfill their liberal arts requirements in Harpur.
Harpur is organized into departments and programs. All students select some Harpur courses to meet General Education and college-wide requirements in expository writing.
Undergraduate degree programs are offered in a broad range of traditional disciplines as well as majors in Arabic, biochemistry, cinema, classical studies, Judaic studies, medieval studies and psychobiology. Students may also select from several interdisciplinary concentrations.
Harpur College of Arts and Sciences
Graduate Programs
The strength of the graduate programs in arts and sciences rests on the high quality of a faculty distinguished for its scholarship as well as its teaching. Graduate students typically learn in small seminars and prepare their work with close supervision from faculty members. Departments assign a faculty adviser to help new graduate students choose courses appropriate to their program and interests; as students progress through coursework toward research for a master’s or doctoral degree, they have a mentor in their field of research.
As a selective university center, Binghamton has 19 doctoral programs in arts and sciences. In the humanities, students earn PhD degrees in art history, comparative literature, English (two tracks), philosophy (two tracks) and translation studies. In the social sciences, PhD degrees are awarded in anthropology, economics, history, political science and sociology. In science and mathematics, students pursue doctoral studies in biological sciences, chemistry, geological sciences, materials science, mathematical sciences, clinical psychology, cognitive psychology and behavioral neuroscience (psychology). These doctoral programs help fulfill one of the University’s crucial missions: to prepare a professoriate and a capable, trained workforce that is ready to think through the problems of the future and to contribute creativity and invention in a variety of disciplines.
All of these programs offer master’s degrees as well, and many collaborate with the School of Education to offer MAT and MSEd degrees for students who plan to teach at the elementary or secondary level. Some additional programs in arts and sciences offer graduate work leading only to the master’s degree: Geography provides three tracks of study leading to the MA; Music offers the MM; Physics, Applied Physics and Astronomy offers the MS in applied physics; Romance Languages and Literatures offers MA study of French, Spanish and Italian; Theatre offers the MA degree. Several advanced certificate programs, which may be pursued in addition to a degree program, emphasize interdisciplinary study in various fields. Master’s-level study prepares students for professional practice and encourages habits of analysis and reflection that lead some students to further study in the discipline.
College of Community and Public Affairs
The College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA) provides undergraduate, and graduate education programs to traditional and non-traditional full-time and part-time students. The college offers an undergraduate degree in human development and master’s degree programs in interdisciplinary social sciences, social work and public administration. The MPA and MSW are nationally accredited degrees.
The college’s programs are housed in three departments: human development, public administration and social work. The Center for Community Based Research is also housed in the college. The college is strongly committed to community partnerships, and the synergies between theory and practice underlie the teaching, research, scholarly productivity and public service of its departments.
Decker School of Nursing
Decker School of Nursing offers programs leading to the bachelor of science degree with the major in nursing, the master of science with majors in family nursing, community health nursing and gerontological nursing, a post-master’s certificate as preparation for the nurse practitioner role, and the PhD in nursing. Decker School of Nursing is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) through June 30, 2009, and is a member of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).
The baccalaureate degree in nursing prepares graduates for entry-level positions in professional nursing practice in hospitals, community healthcare agencies and other institutions. Decker School students complete a four-year program consisting of a nursing major firmly grounded in the liberal arts and sciences. Graduates are eligible to take the national licensure examination (NCLEX-RN) to become registered professional nurses.
Baccalaureate students may be admitted as freshmen or as transfer students. Transfer students may also be admitted to the liberal arts curriculum of the University before entering the upper-division nursing curriculum. Registered nurse students are admitted as transfer students and may enroll in prerequisite courses before entering upper-division nursing coursework. Any RN interested in an RN to MS program, please inquire at the School of Nursing. An accelerated 12-month, three-semester option is offered to persons with an earned baccalaureate or higher degree in another field who wish to make a career change to professional nursing.
The Decker School’s master of science degree students complete a 48-credit nursing program, earning an MS in family nursing, community health nursing or gerontological nursing that prepares them with advanced knowledge and clinical skills in their specialty area. Students also select a functional-role emphasis: clinical nurse specialist, administrator, educator or nurse practitioner.
A post-master’s nurse practitioner certificate is available to students who already hold a master’s degree in nursing and who desire preparation as a nurse practitioner.
Students who hold a certificate as a nurse midwife and a baccalaureate degree in nursing may complete requirements for a master’s degree in nursing.
The school offers a PhD program with a focus in rural health, which prepares graduates for careers in academic nursing, health policy or clinical research. Students may choose to enter at the post-master’s or post-baccalaureate level.
School of Education
The School of Education (SOE) provides graduate education programs to part-time and full-time students. It offers several master’s programs (MSED, MAT, MS), most leading to certification, including programs in childhood, literacy, inclusion, special education, educational studies, secondary education (English, mathematics, science and social studies), and combined programs in secondary science (BA, BS/MAT) and mathematics (BA/ MAT). SOE also offers a doctorate (EdD) in educational theory and practice and a certificate of advanced study (CAS) in educational leadership. Courses are offered in the late afternoon and evening at times appropriate for those working in area schools and taking courses on a part-time basis. The translation of theory into practice and practice into theory undergirds the teaching, research, scholarly productivity and public service of the community of learners in SOE.
School of Management
The School of Management offers degree programs to approximately 1,600 students at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Undergraduates choose between BS degree programs in either management or accounting. At the graduate level, an MBA, an MS in accounting and a PhD degree are offered.
Both undergraduate programs offered by the School of Management stress breadth of educational experience combined with an opportunity for some level of specialization. They require liberal arts study at Harpur College and a sound foundation in basic management disciplines, and promote an awareness of the legal, environmental and societal factors that affect decision making in organizations. The two programs include prominent coverage of ethical and international issues and the use of computers as a decision-making tool. Students receive valuable pre-professional training as well as preparation for study in graduate or professional school.
The MBA program at Binghamton University is designed to meet the needs of today’s managers who are continually challenged by the dynamic changes occurring in the corporate, public and non-profit sectors. The MBA program, in addition to offering training and background in the traditional functional areas of business administration, emphasizes interdisciplinary decision making, teamwork, internationalization and social responsibility.
The MS in accounting prepares students for work in the areas of public accounting and management accounting. Like the BS in accounting, the MS program may be used as the basis for satisfying the educational requirements for taking the CPA examination and licensure as a certified public accountant. Beginning in 2009, New York state will adopt the policy that exists in other states and require completion of a 150 credit-hour program of study as a condition for sitting for the CPA exam and licensure.
The school’s PhD students may pursue concentrations in the areas of finance, marketing, management information systems and organizational behavior. Students also may combine an interest in management information systems with one of the other concentration areas by designing an interdisciplinary program.
Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science
Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science consists of the departments of Bioengineering, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Systems Science and Industrial Engineering. The Engineering Design Division is responsible for the freshman-year engineering program, which is common to all engineering majors.
The Watson School offers bachelor of science degrees in bioengineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and industrial and systems engineering.
Graduate students may pursue the master of science (MS) in computer science, electrical engineering, industrial and systems engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering or systems science, or the master of engineering (MEng) degree, which is a practice-oriented graduate degree. The school offers the doctor of philosophy in computer science, electrical engineering, materials engineering, mechanical engineering, and systems science (with an optional specialization in manufacturing systems).
The Watson School’s undergraduate programs combine a strong base in fundamentals with extensive practical application through laboratory and design projects. Modern computer facilities and instructional laboratories support these programs. Engineering students are also encouraged to obtain additional technical experience through summer internships.
The graduate program provides strong research opportunities in all the academic departments. There are also strong practice-oriented opportunities in the master of engineering (MEng) program, which culminates in a graduate-level project.
Students may pursue graduate degrees on campus or via EngiNet, the distance-learning component of the Watson School.
The Graduate School
The Graduate School administers all advanced degree programs offered in Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the Decker School of Nursing, the School of Education, the College of Community and Public Affairs, the School of Management and the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Graduate School prepares students with training in scholarly study, advanced research, teaching and professional leadership.
The Graduate School was formally established by the faculty in 1975 and is under the administration of the vice provost and dean of the Graduate School. The faculty of the Graduate School comprises all full professors, associate professors, and assistant professors in departments and schools offering instructional programs leading to advanced degrees. The governing body of the Graduate School is the Graduate Council.
Inter-Institutional Cooperation
Efforts are made to provide Binghamton students and their instructors with opportunities to learn through study, research and service in cooperation with other educational institutions. These include overseas study programs; five-year programs with schools of engineering; and intercampus doctoral exchange with Cornell University, the SUNY university centers at Albany, Buffalo and Stony Brook, the City University of New York, and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The University also participates in the National Student Exchange.
Binghamton University Libraries are members of the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), the Research Libraries Group (RLG), the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), NYLINK and SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition). Binghamton University Libraries are a selective depository for U.S. government publications.
The libraries support a variety of resource sharing agreements and consortia, including SUNYConnect, the New York State Higher Education Initiative (NYSHEI), South Central Regional Library Council (SCRLC), the Coalition for Networked Information (CNI), and the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR). Consortial purchasing arrangements with other SUNY libraries, Nylink, Waldo and NERL enable the libraries to purchase resources at favorable rates. Nylink is a not-for-profit membership organization for libraries throughout New York state and surrounding areas.
Membership in the Center for Research Libraries provides faculty and students with access to the center's collection of more than 4 million volumes. The center’s collection complements and supplements the collections of the major research libraries of North America. Holdings of particular note are foreign dissertations, foreign newspapers, official publications of all U.S. states and territories and their departments and agencies, and official publications of foreign governments. Materials owned by the center are available by placing orders through Interlibrary Loan. The center's collections may also be used on-site. For more information about the CRL's collections, please see their website.
RLG membership includes on-site access privileges across member institutions and facilitates resource sharing among member institutions. Through SHARES, its state-of-the-art inter-lending and document supply program, library materials, including traditionally non-circulating items, are shared among RLG partners in an expedited and cost-effective manner.
SPARC is an international alliance of academic and research libraries working to correct imbalances in the scholarly publishing system. Developed by the Association of Research Libraries, SPARC’s focus is to stimulate the emergence of new scholarly communication models that expand the dissemination of scholarly research and reduce financial pressures on libraries.
The libraries participate in the SUNY Open Access Program. Upon presentation of a valid State University ID card from one’s home campus, a reader is entitled to the same use of the collection, and the same services and facilities, as the library offers its own community, including borrowing privileges. See the SUNY Open Access Overview for more information. SUNYConnect is a joint initiative of the SUNY Office of Library and Information Services and the libraries of the 64 SUNY campuses to create a virtual library for the State University of New York. SUNYConnect will increase the purchasing power and influence of all SUNY libraries, and will make the State University of New York the largest library system of a public university. Computing Services provides additional computing services to other campuses and community colleges in the SUNY system.
Dual-Diploma Joint Degrees with Turkish Universities
Binghamton offers three innovative dual-diploma joint degree programs in partnership with four Turkish universities: Bilkent University, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul Technical University, and Middle East Technical University. These programs lead to the BS degree in information systems from the Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science, in global and international affairs from Harpur College and in management from the School of Management. In these four-year undergraduate programs, students spend their freshman and junior years at one of the Turkish partner institutions and their sophomore and senior years at Binghamton. Applicants must meet all the admissions requirements at their Turkish university, including successful participation in the Turkish national university entrance examination, as well as at Binghamton. Degree recipients must meet all of the academic requirements for a bachelor’s degree at Binghamton and for a lisans degree at their home Turkish institution.
The aim of the dual-diploma joint degree programs is to provide enrollees with a unique, rigorous, bi-cultural learning experience leading to the receipt of a high-value dual-diploma degree from a pair of well-respected research universities, one in Turkey and one in the United States. The programs enrich the global diversity of the Binghamton educational experience and assist the Republic of Turkey in alleviating its severe under-capacity in higher education. The programs were developed in cooperation with SUNY System Administration and the Turkish Higher Education Council (YÖK).
Binghamton University Libraries
The Glenn G. Bartle Library, named after the University’s first president, contains collections in the humanities, social sciences, government documents and collections in mathematical and computer sciences. Additionally, Bartle Library houses the Fine Arts Collection (focusing on works relating to art, music, theater and cinema) and Special Collections (containing the internationally recognized Max Reinhardt Collection, as well as the Edwin A. Link Archives). The Science Library contains materials in all science and engineering disciplines, as well as a map collection.
The libraries’ website, http://library.lib.binghamton.edu, is a gateway to a wide variety of online books, magazines, journals, encyclopedias, databases and a wide assortment of other digital collections that may be accessed from anywhere on or off campus. Access to the collections is provided by infoLINK, the libraries’ catalog, and metaLINK offers CrossSearch capabilities to search across several resources simultaneously, including infoLINK Library Catalog as well as other online catalogs, reference databases, citation databases, subject gateways, and e-journals. Additionally, the libraries offer Grokker, an innovative research and information management tool that searches several databases simultaneously or separately and presents the results in a topically organized, visual map.
Reference librarians, many of them subject experts, are available seven days a week to show patrons how to use the libraries’ resources and help them begin their research. Patrons are encouraged to stop in, call, e-mail or chat with librarians online using Instant Messaging (for more information see http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/webdocs/askalibrarian.html).
Quiet study space, including group study areas, is available throughout the Bartle and Science libraries. During the fall and spring semesters, Bartle Library is open 24 hours a day, from noon Sundays through midnight Fridays and noon until midnight on Saturdays. The Library Annex@Conklin is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – noon. For more information about the Library Annex@Conklin, see http://library.lib.binghamton.edu/webdocs/storage.html.
Binghamton University Information Commons, located both in Bartle and the Science Library, provide access to a powerful selection of print and online resources, a vast array of application software and tools, and expert assistance to help with their use. Binghamton University students have a new space to access a powerful selection of print and online resources, a vast array of application software and tools, and expert assistance to help with their use. The Information Commons is a computer-enhanced research environment that invites and attracts users to work collaboratively, use the wide range of resources available in the library, and obtain expert assistance. The Information Commons is a collaborative initiative between the libraries and computing services.
More than 70 additional public PCs are available for student use in Bartle and Science libraries. The Instruction Lab computers have software that may be used for writing papers and other projects. Laptop ports are available on every floor, and wireless access is available in many areas of both libraries. Laptop computers are available for checkout from both Bartle and Science libraries. For more information, see the Laptop webpage available on the libraries’ website.
Thanks to many private contributions, the Special Collections Department, on the second floor of Bartle Library, offers unique treasures of the past, including materials dating from the 15th century.
The total collections include:
· 2,313,597 volumes (including print volumes, government documents and electronic books)
· 1,862,467 microforms
· 41,985 journal holdings
· 3,061 CD-ROMs
· 119,980 maps
· 2,866 videocassettes/DVDs
· 118,510 sound recordings
· 139 electronic databases
Information
Technology Services
Information Technology Services, located in the Computer Center, provides central computing and information technology support to the entire University community.
Major computing equipment includes IBM central hosts, Sun and IBM application servers, advanced Sun workstations and personal computers linked through a high-speed, campus-wide communications network. To assist students and faculty in the use of information technology, ITS staff members consult and advise on computer software and hardware problems, distribute Web-based documentation and maintain an extensive software library.
Open PC laboratories (Pods) for student use are located in the Information Commons (in Bartle Library), the Center for Academic Excellence, Science II, Science III and Academic A. Workstations for student use are also available in Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science and the libraries. Residence hall rooms are wired to provide Ethernet connections for all students living on campus, and student residence hall consultants (ResCons) provide support for students in each residence hall. Dial-up connections are available to off-campus students and staff, and a growing wireless network serves mobile campus users.
All students receive a free e-mail account and disk space for a personal web page and network storage upon enrollment. (Approximately 90 percent of students use computers for course-related work in a given semester.) Students are encouraged to use the computer as an appropriate and flexible tool for liberal arts education. All general classrooms have basic audio-visual equipment and Internet connections, more than 80 percent have permanently installed data or video projection equipment and approximately 20 percent offer full multimedia capability. The campus is fully networked and the University is a member of the Internet2 Consortium.
With these resources, students, faculty and staff find that information technology enriches many aspects of the curriculum, and IT solutions to new challenges are readily available to all. To learn more about Information Technology Services, visit computing.binghamton.edu.