Binghamton U. gets $125M toward capital projects

Binghamton University will be constructing a new lecture hall to accommodate its rising student population on campus. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently announced $125 million in state funding for Binghamton University.

According to Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Donald Hall, the funding will go to a variety of important projects around Binghamton University’s campus, including the new lecture hall.

Hall said the student population’s slow growth over the past 10 years has created a need for more instructional space, while no classrooms have been added.

The largest project the funds will be used for is a new lecture hall on campus. According to Hall, the lecture hall will take $60 million in total, and the school plans to break ground on the project this fall. Hall said the building will add about 30 new classrooms, relieving pressure from buildingswhere rooms not meant for teaching are currently functioning as classrooms.

The lecture hall is expected to open in fall 2027. The project will include preparing the site by moving earth, and later the beginning of construction on the building itself.

$30 million will be going toward the renovation of lab and teaching spaces. Hall said the renovations will create state-of-the-art laboratory space, especially for chemistry and biology, as well as anthropology. At the school’s Fine Arts building, $22 million is being allocated toward much-needed renovations.

Finally, $11 million will go toward campus-wide maintenance, including updating and maintaining HVAC, technology and seating in classrooms.