LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 60th Anniversary of Harpur
College

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize and
commend institutions of true purpose and high achievement whose exem-
plary programs and accomplishments clearly demonstrate the pursuit of
excellence in education and service to the community; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 60th Anniversary of Harpur College; and
WHEREAS, Founded in 1946 in Endicott, New York, as Triple Cities
College of Syracuse University, Harpur College became the liberal arts
college of the newly-established State University of New York in 1950;
named for the Colonial teacher, patriot and pioneer Robert Harpur,
Harpur College's founders envisioned creating a public liberal arts
college that competed with the very best private schools in the North-
east; and
WHEREAS, In 1954, ground was broken for a new campus in Vestal, New
York, on 600 acres of land overlooking the Susquehanna River; the task
of moving from Endicott, where the college had been housed in Colonial
Hall, proceeded slowly and students commuted between Vestal and Endicott
to attend classes for several years; the move from Endicott to Vestal
was finally completed in 1961; and
WHEREAS, In 1965, Harpur College officially became The State Universi-
ty of New York at Binghamton, currently known as Binghamton University,
and the campus was named one of the four SUNY University Centers; since
then, Harpur College of Arts and Sciences has continued to be the back-
bone of the University as its liberal arts and sciences college and
largest academic unit; and
WHEREAS, In addition to strong and innovative undergraduate programs
offered by more than 30 departments and more than a dozen interdiscipli-
nary programs, Harpur College boasts nationally and internationally
recognized masters and doctoral programs in over 22 different areas;
undergraduate and graduate students benefit from the opportunity to
study with an outstanding faculty that includes a member of the National
Academy of Sciences, a Pulitzer Prize winner, a number of Guggenheim
Fellows, and recipients of many important scientific, literary, and
scholarly recognitions; and
WHEREAS, Harpur College offers students access to state-of-the-art
science and computer laboratories, language technology classrooms,
broad-spectrum humanities, multicultural studies, cutting-edge theater
arts, nationally recognized voice and instrument instruction, distance
learning and more; Harpur also serves as a bridge to multidisciplinary
courses in the College of Community and Public Affairs, the Decker
School of Nursing, the School of Education, the School of Management and
the Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science; and
WHEREAS, Harpur College has always been academically challenging; by
the 1960s, it could boast a majority of students admitted from the upper
25 percent of their high school graduating classes, a fact that contin-
ues today with competition for admission to Harpur College remaining
strong; and
WHEREAS, Harpur College continues to fulfill its laudatory educational
purposes and is proudly aware of its distinguished past; it is eager to
fulfill its commitment to its students, faculty, alumni and community,
and is planning with vision and purpose for the growth and change it
will encounter in the years to come; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when an educa-
tional institution of such noble aims and accomplishments is brought to
our attention, it should be recognized and applauded by all the citizens
of this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Harpur College; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Jim Bauer and Alex Huppe.