Binghamton University President Anne D’Alleva released her new strategic plan to outline the University’s goals for the next five years.

The plan, titled “Forward Together: The Vision for Binghamton University,” aims to guide the University’s success as a major research institution while fostering the community of a smaller school.

“Forward Together builds on Binghamton University’s existing strengths in learning, research, community engagement, and creating a sense of belonging,” said D’Alleva. “By creating goals and metrics to measure our progress, the strategic plan pushes Binghamton to improve and grow into one of the nation’s top public research universities. Gathering input from many members of the University community was important in constructing the plan and we will use mid-year and end-of-year reflection sessions to evaluate our progress and adapt in the years to come.”

The plan outlines five distinct goal areas: integrated research and creative opportunities for undergraduates; transformative graduate education from enrollment to career; fostering belonging, shared identity and school spirit among the University community; active research and creative partnerships that generate social and economic impact; and cultivating local and global relationships for public good.

The first goal area aims to provide students across all disciplines and backgrounds with access to research and learning opportunities. D’Alleva hopes that this initiative will help students confidently navigate their career development.

“At an R1 university like Binghamton, research and scholarship work hand in hand with teaching, and our undergraduates are capable of making meaningful contributions to faculty research,” said Sheena Murphy, the vice president for research at BU. “My own undergraduate research profoundly influenced my career choices, and so I’m delighted that the Division of Research will be a partner in the strategic plan, working with faculty and colleagues across the campus to build capacity and expand opportunities for students to engage in meaningful research and scholarship across disciplines.”

The second goal area focuses on creating an exhaustive graduate education strategy that helps students connect to careers, while the third strives to boost school spirit and community.

The fourth goal area concentrates on widening the University’s social and economic impact through creative collaborations, and the fifth goal area focuses on building local, national and global partnerships to address areas of need on small and large scales.

“I am confident we can achieve this plan because of what I’ve heard since day one at Binghamton,” said D’Alleva. “Our University is building from a position of momentum and promise.”

The plan builds on feedback from over 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community leaders who participated in D’Alleva’s “Listening to Lead” tour. The tour took place shortly after D’Alleva took office and was aimed at formulating a foundation for this new strategic plan.

Provost Donald Hall and Mohammad Khasawneh, SUNY distinguished professor and chair of systems science and industrial engineering at BU, served as strategic plan co-chairs with assistance from 30 other strategic planning committee members.

“As a new president, I have been drawn to Binghamton’s distinctive spirit — what I often refer to as The Binghamton Bond,” said D’Alleva. “It is a genuine sense of connection, care, and shared purpose that exists across our community.”

“In part, this spirit is fostered by the University’s scale: large enough to achieve the ambitions of a major research institution, yet small enough to sustain meaningful, high-touch relationships across our community,” she continued. “It was my hope to develop a plan that honors this uniqueness and leverages Binghamton’s strengths toward the next level of institutional growth.”