Students and faculty challenge one another, creating a rich intellectual environment that helps everyone grow personally and intellectually. In the past year, students at Missouri, Yale, Binghamton and many other universities have challenged us to remain true to our purpose.

Since World War II, public universities have offered the path to social and economic mobility to millions of Americans, many of whom had been excluded from higher education because of their class or ethnicity. In 1948, SUNY was established to make higher education accessible to all New Yorkers.

This public university vision was noble and highly successful, yet not fully realized. Today, disparities remain, and they follow lines of class and ethnicity.

At Binghamton University, we remain committed to making SUNY’s founding vision a reality. Our Educational Opportunity Program is the best in SUNY, boasting a first-to-second year retention rate higher than freshmen as a whole. And since 2011, our campus has become more ethnically diverse. Enrollment has grown by 1,388 undergraduate students, and 372 of those — a quarter — are from underrepresented minorities (African American, Latino and Native American).

Financial constraints can be a stumbling block for some students. In order to ensure affordability, since 2012, Binghamton University has set aside $9.4 million to provide support for students who are in the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP). That’s important because TAP funding is not a loan; it’s grant funding that does not need to be paid back.

Binghamton thrives on the exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives, so it’s imperative to recruit faculty and staff whose intellectual orientation and personal backgrounds widen the range of perspectives we offer students and colleagues.

Working together, our Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, deans, and faculty are helping Binghamton recruit more underrepresented faculty.

We have enjoyed some success though the competition for these scholars is keen. Since 2011, we have increased the number of underrepresented faculty at Binghamton by 45 percent — from 37 to 54.

While we have made significant gains, we have a long way to go. But we’ll get there. As evidenced by initiatives in all our schools, our deans and faculty are working together to create a culture that enhances diversity and fosters a culture of inclusion, allowing each of us to reap the benefits of diversity.

Donald G. Nieman

Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs