Binghamton University was established in 1946 as the
Triple Cities College, to
serve the needs of local veterans returning from World War II. Established
in Endicott, New York, the college was a branch of Syracuse University. When the college was incorporated into SUNY in 1950, it was renamed as
Harpur College, in
honor of Robert Harpur, a Colonial teacher and pioneer who settled in the
Binghamton area. In 1961, the college was moved to its current location in Vestal, New York. After Harpur was selected as one of the four university
centers of SUNY in 1965, it was renamed as the State
University of New York at Binghamton. As other schools were added to the university, Harpur College remained the liberal arts college of Binghamton University.