DeFleur
BU Message
The full text of Friday's message issued by Binghamton University:
"In recent months, Binghamton University has been under public scrutiny, culminating in the release last week of a review of our University men's basketball program. While it has been difficult, we must deal with this situation objectively, honestly and with an unwavering commitment to the values that have made Binghamton University, in Judge Kaye's words: "one of the nation's premier public universities."
"As we work with Chancellor Nancy Zimpher to implement the recommendations from the review, we thought it would be useful to outline some of the principles and thinking that have guided us over many years and that will continue to guide the university in the future.
"We must be unwavering in our commitment to academic excellence and we must do what is necessary to support our students in their quest to achieve it. We are a public university with a public mission. Young people from diverse backgrounds -- some of whom have been educationally disadvantaged -- are a welcome part of our campus. We all deserve the opportunity to succeed and we must continue to provide all our students with the tools and resources they need.
"We are first and foremost an excellent academic institution, and our principal missions are teaching, research and outreach. We are rightfully known as a first-rank public university: a place where bright, curious students learn from -- and with -- a world-class faculty. At the same time, our athletics program is a valuable component of the Binghamton University experience. Our move to Division I was motivated by a desire to galvanize the university and the surrounding community around the spirit that comes with a successful athletic program. Although it is now obvious that there were missteps in developing this program -- and we intend to address them -- we have also had a glimpse at the enthusiasm, school spirit and community pride that a competitive Division I athletic program can have. We should continue to strive for this goal in a manner consistent with our academic mission.
"To build a program that can be a national model for competitive success and student academic achievement, we need your help as we move forward. You are critical to our future -- just as you have been in building Binghamton into the top-tier university it is today. We want to thank you for your hard work and all your contributions to the university."
VESTAL -- Binghamton University's top academic officials Friday acknowledged "missteps" in building BU's problem-plagued athletics program, and vowed to address them.
In a statement sent electronically to the BU community, President Lois DeFleur and Provost Mary Ann Swain didn't say how the university would address issues raised in a four-month SUNY investigation of Binghamton's athletics program. But they indicated they believed athletics should continue to play a role in the BU "experience."
"Our move to Division I was motivated by a desire to galvanize the university and the surrounding community around the spirit that comes with a successful athletic program," they wrote. "Although it is now obvious that there were missteps in developing this program -- and we intend to address them -- we have also had a glimpse at the enthusiasm, school spirit and community pride that a competitive Division I athletic program can have.
"We should continue to strive for this goal in a manner consistent with our academic mission."
The statement is a response to the SUNY investigation, led by retired Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye, that found problems in the BU athletics department related to crime and academics and admissions issues.
Many of those issues center on BU's men's basketball program, which lost its starting point guard this fall to a drug-sale indictment, and five other players to disciplinary suspensions.
It remains to be seen how the university will address the issues raised in the Kaye investigation.
Her report, prepared at a cost of $913,000, calls for greater oversight of BU's athletics program and criticizes the roles played by DeFleur, basketball coach Kevin Broadus and former Athletics Director Joel Thirer. BU has since reassigned Thirer and placed Broadus on paid leave from his $230,000-a-year post.
The statement from DeFleur and Swain was sent Friday afternoon to the university's students, faculty and staff members via B-Line, BU's electronic newsletter.
A BU spokeswoman wouldn't comment on the statement except to confirm that it had been sent. Gail Glover referred questions to SUNY's central administrative office, which hired Kaye to lead the investigation.
SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher and Trustees Chairman Carl Hayden have said corrections need to be made in BU's athletics program. SUNY said those may be determined as early as March, when SUNY trustees are slated to meet.
David Henahan, a SUNY spokesman, said Friday he believed SUNY officials continue to target the March trustees meeting as far as decisions about BU athletics go.
As the story began to unfold publicly with the arrest in September with the cocaine-related indictment of basketball player Emanuel "Tiki" Mayben and the Thirer reassignment, BU has cited its strengths as an academic institution and stressed the classroom success of the members of its 20 other athletic teams.
Friday's statement from DeFleur and Swain was no exception. They call BU "first and foremost an excellent academic institution ... rightfully known as a first-rank public university: a place where bright, curious students learn from -- and with -- a world-class faculty."
