At a Wednesday afternoon press conference, the Binghamton University athletics department announced that it had received the largest gift in department history.
Dr. Bai Lee, a prominent local physician and member of the Binghamton University Foundation Board of Directors since 2014, has donated a total of $1 million to BU athletics. In recognition of the gift, the basketball court in the Events Center will be renamed Dr. Bai Lee Court. The previous two largest donations in recent history were $250,000 from Paul Saunders and his sons to renovate the West Gym pool, and a $250,000 gift to renovate the Events Center lobby in honor of Ruthanne Koffman and Burton “Bud” Koffman.
The press conference, held in the Events Center Tau Club Room, was filled to near capacity with prominent members of the BU athletics community. Those in attendance included BU head men’s basketball coach Tommy Dempsey and junior guard Yosef Yacob, BU head women’s basketball coach Linda Cimino and sophomore guard Jasmine Sina, head men’s lacrosse coach Scott Nelson with a contingent of his players and multiple members of the women’s soccer team.
BU Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott and University President Harvey Stenger spoke at the press conference before introducing Dr. Lee. The three had been in communication for the weeks leading up to Dr. Lee’s decision to donate the total sum to discuss what aspects of the athletic department needed enhancements and how much funding was necessary for the changes.
Initial funds from Dr. Lee, given prior to the final donation total of $1 million, were already implemented in renovating both the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms.
Elliott said that the donation will improve the department in countless ways in the years ahead.
“This gift will impact all of our 21 sports and over 400 student-athletes in so many ways,” Elliott said, “primarily by providing resources to enrich the learning, training and social aspects of our athletes as we move toward excellence in all of our endeavors.”
Going forward, the athletic department plans to initially use the gift to improve and expand the Student-Athlete Success Center — the academic center for BU athletes housed in the West Gym — the strength and conditioning program and the sports medicine team. The department is also looking into additional uses for the funding, which will be determined by future needs.
According to Dr. Lee, Binghamton University has always been important to the local community. Dr. Lee is currently the president of Lee Health Care, and is the senior attending gynecologist at both United Health Services and Our Lady of Lourdes Memorial Hospital.
Since moving to Binghamton in 1972, Dr. Lee has delivered more than 7,000 babies and performed more than 10,000 successful surgeries locally.
At the press conference, Stenger shared with the audience exactly how ingrained Dr. Lee is within the athletics department and overall BU community.
“One of our assistant trainers came up and hugged him, and he said, ‘How do I know you?’” Stenger said. “And she said, ‘You delivered me.’”
According to Dr. Lee, Binghamton University has played a large role in his 43 years as a local. He said that giving back to BU felt meaningful and necessary.
“The University supports the community,” Dr. Lee said. “So it is only fitting that I support the University to make the circle complete.”
The official court-naming and dedication ceremony will be held on November 15 at 2 p.m., prior to the men’s basketball home opener against Army.