Last Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his executive budget plan for 2014, which includes $10 million for a pharmacy graduate school to be built as a part of Binghamton University. Not only will the school open up new opportunities for students, but it will also bring a much needed boost to the local economy.
Let’s break down the benefits. The land needs to be developed, the building needs to be constructed and people must be hired to maintain it. So in the immediate future, the pharmacy school means jobs. Hopefully these employees will come from Binghamton, Endicott, Union and other local towns, providing some much-needed employment opportunities to the greater Binghamton area.
Next, there’s the long term: The pharmaceutical industry is a high-earning one. The school will give BU students another way to earn a practical and useful degree. This pairs with President Barack Obama’s plan for efficient education getting people into the workforce. With any luck, some of these bright-eyed graduates would stay in the Southern Tier after they get their degrees to work at local pharmacies and hospitals. On that note, the school will attract professionals with larger salaries to the area who will settle down and become a part of the community. They help local businesses simply by spending money.
With countless opportunities for pharmaceutical research, Binghamton’s reputation as a research university will strengthen. And with the proposed Johnson City building location, the University’s economic influence will expand further outside of Vestal, especially as more students choose to stay local over break to work on research.
Most importantly, the school is planned to be in close proximity to the UHS Wilson Medical Center. More medical professionals in the area means better medical care for everyone.
We talk a lot about how the University should do more to aid in the economic development of Southern Tier, and this is the perfect way to progress our own school while helping our surroundings too. And with this school becoming a permanent part of our University, we think that the effects to our area will be lasting.