Elizabeth Carter has been a devoted member of the Binghamton University community for more than 40 years. Now, the assistant vice president for student development will end her time at BU to become the president of the Catholic Schools of Broome County.

As president, Carter will be responsible for the entire Catholic Schools of Broome County system, which includes three elementary schools, each serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, and one upper-level school serving grades seven through 12. She will also provide leadership for both academic and nonacademic affairs at each school, including admissions, ministry, student discipline and student retention. According to Carter, the 16 years she spent working at the University have been instrumental in preparing her for this leadership position.

“My experience of having served in both academic and student affairs in higher education has prepared me well to take on administration for both those areas,” Carter wrote in an email. “Working at an academically rigorous institution of higher education, has taught me what the K-12 system needs to do to prepare students for college.”

Carter is a two-time alumna of the University; she first completed a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1977, and later, a master’s degree in public policy and administration in 1988. After serving as the associate to the vice president of academic affairs at Broome Community College, she was hired by BU in 2001 as the founding director of the Discovery Program. Carter worked to establish the five Discovery Centers located around campus, developed various Discovery programs and supervised the creation of the student-centered Discovery curriculum.

In 2006, Carter was promoted to assistant vice president for student services. In this role, she was responsible for the oversight of Health Services, the University Counseling Center, Career Services, International Student Services and Discovery programs while the campus searched for a vice president for student affairs. She later became the executive director for student services, and in 2013 took on her last role at the BU: assistant vice president for student development.

Marty Wygmans, the University’s current executive director for student services and one of Carter’s earliest colleagues, wrote in an email that Carter could be counted on to bring perspective and humor, as both a friend and colleague, to any setting.

“I have relied on her for direction, advice, and assistance for numerous projects and she has never let me down,” Wygmans wrote. “No matter what role Liz has fulfilled, she gives it her best – and the University is losing a great asset.”

Brian Rose, vice president for student affairs, worked closely with Carter since he began his job as head of the Division of Student Affairs. According to Rose, Carter will be missed for her passion, her personal interest in the success of students and her vision for the University.

“Her vision for connecting academic programs and student life in meaningful ways is incredibly beneficial,” Rose wrote in an email. “She is a wonderful and caring mentor to more people than I can count.”

In addition to being the assistant vice president for student development, Carter is also currently the acting director of the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE). In the year and a half that Carter has held this interim role, the CCE has grown to provide five school districts with student volunteers, implement a team of graduate assistants dedicated to the community schools, offer transportation to volunteers and have placed over 100 students in volunteer or internship roles this semester alone.

According to Alison Handy Twang, assistant director of the CCE, the office’s recent success would not have been possible without Carter’s guidance.

“Liz has been an incredible advocate for community engagement at Binghamton University, and her leadership has expanded opportunities for students to contribute to their community through volunteer, internship and service learning experiences,” Twang wrote in an email.

According to Rose, the University won’t immediately hire a replacement to fill Carter’s role. Instead, the Division of Student Affairs will evaluate how they can best accommodate the growth of each area of the University that Carter was responsible for, since the requirements of the position were specific to her talents, interests and experiences. Although Carter will not have as large of a role at BU after she resigns, she will continue to teach courses in psychology and human development, as well as oversee the Higher Education Access, Retention and Success (HEARS) program. She also plans on creating an internship at the Catholic Schools of Broome County that will be available to students at the University.

“I always want to be learning new things and taking on new challenges and this position will provide me that opportunity,” Carter wrote. “I believe you need to see where your path leads and keep open to all possibilities.”