Binghamton University has announced a landmark $22 million gift from a low-profile private donor to enhance scholarship support for its NCAA Division I athletics programs, making it one of the largest gifts in the university’s athletic history.
The donation will be matched by $11 million from the State of New York, creating a $33 million endowment designed to boost scholarships for student-athletes across multiple sports.
This new funding will create the equivalent of 40 full athletic scholarships, split evenly between men’s and women’s programs, helping Binghamton reach or approach the NCAA maximum scholarship levels for most teams.
President Harvey Stenger, Athletics Director Gene Marshall, and SUNY Chancellor John B. King all emphasized that the gift, coming amid increased competition and recent rule changes in NCAA scholarships, constitutes a game-changing boost to recruitment, retention, and success for Bearcat athletes.
The donor remains unnamed, but the pattern of significant anonymous athletics donations to Binghamton in recent years, including a $60 million contribution for the baseball complex in 2020, point to a recurring major benefactor with deep ties to the university.
Officials say this transformative act of philanthropy will support the university’s momentum on the playing field and raise its national athletic profile in the years ahead.
Photo: Harvey Stenger
