Hi everyone.
I'm Claudian Francis, Class of 2022.
And, to express our appreciation for what you make possible.
Thanks to you. I was a recipient of the George Floyd Scholarship.
Which . . .
[Clapping]
Which is allowing me to pursue an MBA and a Law degree.
I am doing that, so that I can open up a patent law firm, to help minority inventors and entrepreneurs, secure patents for their inventions.
And, build generational wealth.
[Clapping]
My time here has been amazing.
I designed my own major in Strategic Legal and Business Communications; and minor in Africana Studies.
I developed Black College America and the Coronavirus.
The live little conference that reached over twelve universities in black colleges across the Nation.
If you can dream it here. You can do it here.
Binghamton's faculty and staff are an inspiration for me.
And, alumni too.
Which is why, I am so honored to introduce Sunny Hostin.
A lawyer, journalist, host of "The View".
And, Binghamton alumna.
Sunny.
[Clapping]
Thanks Claudian.
Hi everyone. This is Sunny Hostin, Class of 1990.
I am coming to you from the set of "The View," but I do wish I was on campus with all of you today.
Watching these students perform and watching the students and faculty who have been part of the program today . . .
It is so incredible to see all the ways that Binghamton continues to provide a platform for students to achieve success.
My Binghamton experience in Harpur College has served me with each career move I've made.
From the law to writing; and now also producing.
As a daughter of two teenage parents who grew up in the South Bronx Projects, I could have been just a statistic.
But thanks to my access to education, I've been able to realize a lifetime of dreams.
I want to thank you for being here tonight.
For caring so much about our University.
And for making sure this generation has the same opportunities I had and you had.
Tonight is about seeing how much further, we can go.
Thanks.
We have come so far, so fast.
From one campus to three.
An evergaurd community, nearly 150,000 alumni strong.
From Colonials to Bearcats.
From "Up-and-coming," to Premier.
In less than one lifetime, Binghamton is turning from a quality Liberal Arts College to a Nobel-Prize-winning, ground-breaking, rise-up-through-the-rankings, major research university.
We are a magnet for the best minds.
Fostering the next generation of problem solvers.
A hotbed of discoveries.
Reinventing energy storage.
Speeding cures.
We are an economic engine for the Empire State.
Investing in our neighbors and communities.
We are a thought leader, on a global scale.
Elevating human rights; uprooting in justice.
The upstart that embraces the start-up.
Incubating novel thinking, in a passing tomorrow.
The top ranked SUNY, vaulting into the upper echelons of public universities.
We are, the students poised to inherit the world.
Ready to move it forward.
TOGETHER: We are Binghamton. We are proud.
And, we are just now beginning to realize, our full potential.
[Music]
Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger: Innovative and entrepreneurial.
Binghamton is racing to the top.
How do we get there even faster?
We move at the speed of Binghamton.
To meet daunting challenges with determination.
This moment demands out-of-the-box thinking, passion, bold leadership and grit.
We at Binghamton, deliver an exceptional education.
All of us. Every member of the faculty loves teaching.
Our mentorship inspires.
And our breakthroughs set the pace.
We make the exceptional, accessible.
Our students: From First-Year to Post-Doc, enhance our reputation, as a place of opportunity.
These amazing people: Faculty and students.
They are our competitive edge.
They propel us forward.
As a result, we have done in decades, what others have taken centuries to accomplish.
By anticipating what comes next, we can be the future.
We are . . .
Exceptional.
Extraordinary.
Experimental.
Exhilarating.
Exemplary.
Expressive. Experiential.
Expert.
Exponential.
Excelerate.
Moving at the speed of Binghamton is our moment.
It's your moment.
Individually, we are impressive.
Collectively, we are formidable.
Together, we are unstoppable.
Moving at the speed of Binghamton, you can create the University of tomorrow.
Congratulations for getting here, baby.
Today is a great day for Binghamton.
And I want to say, "I'm sorry Harvey isn't here."
And I know, he's sorry he isn't here. So, I'm just a bad stand-in, so, give me that.
I am thrilled to be here with our Campaign Chair Howard Unger.
Surrounded . . . [Clapping]
Surrounded by the students, staff and faculty, who exemplify what this University is all about.
And to be joined by the campaign volunteers, who are such an important part of this day.
Out there in the audience, we've got members of the Foundation Board, the Alumni Board, our advisory counsels and our early donors.
Will all of you please stand and allow us to thank you for helping us reach this moment.
[Clapping]
Where's my Campaign Committee?
Wow! What a great day!
So, this team here with me tonight has made an incredible difference so far.
But Binghamton has not grown by standing still.
We are poised to shape the future of higher education by what you all do from here.
As I was sitting in this room today, looking at this banner over the course of the day, we heard from exemplary and exceptional faculty and students . . .
Doing extraordinary and exciting things.
All about Binghamton University and its excellence.
So with that, I am thrilled to announce . . . I'm exhilarated to announce . . .
That we plan to raise, more than double any previous Binghamton University campaign.
And raise $220 million dollars. Clapping. 2-2-0
To bring greater excellence and speed to Binghamton's incredible record of success.
And we're already well on our way, having raised $151 million dollars towards that goal.
[Clapping]
That number was as of this morning.
But I want to say, that I've already heard from the Development Team.
We've had some donors in this group that have been so inspired by today . . .
That number has already increased, so thank you.
[Clapping]
So, tell everybody about this Campaign.
Become part of the future of Binghamton and join our Campaign and our team.
Thank you all, so much!
[Clapping]
Supporting this Campaign will give more talented students, like the ones you've seen today . . .
It will give them their shot at reaching their dreams.
You can ensure that today's students can afford to come here.
Meet and learn from great teachers and mentors.
And find ways to discover how to make the world a better place.
For those of you who are already part of this Campaign, thank you.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
For others out there, now is the time to get on the fast track to the future.
To move at the speed of Binghamton.
It's time to excellerate!
[Cheering]. Well done, man. Well done.