Stenger's final graduation weekend at Binghamton University
Graduation ceremonies began on Thursday in the Anderson Center and Events Center for all of the university's colleges, as well as a special ceremony for doctoral students.
Nearly 25,000 family and friends are expected to travel to Greater Binghamton to attend the graduations, adding to the estimated $1.49 billion economic impact that BU has on our region.
These ceremonies will be the last that outgoing President Harvey Stenger will preside over. He says Binghamton students are among the best and the brightest.
'You listen to their optimism and their desire to go out and do something. But they always come back and say, 'It's not about your title, it's not about your salary, it's about your impact,' said Stenger.
Stenger once again plans to shake the hand of every graduate.
He says he's had over 50,000 graduate handshakes in his 13 years as president.
Each day features three ceremonies, with Saturday marking the largest, with Harpur College of Arts and Sciences divided into three sections.
Watch Stenger's full interview below>
Stenger's final graduation weekend at Binghamton University
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CNBC
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- CNBC
I'm in Norway — and EVs are everywhere. Here's what the country has done differently
OSLO, Norway — Electric vehicles are pretty much everywhere you look in Norway. The wealthy Nordic country, which is known for its massive oil and gas reserves in the North Sea, has long been blazing a trail in the transition away from internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. A steady stream of measures to support the uptake of EVs, from tax exemptions to reduced fees, has now put the country on the cusp of completely erasing gasoline and diesel vehicles from its new car market. For some of the country's major cities, about 30% of all passenger cars on the roads are now fully electric, according to Norway's EV Association (NEVA), which represents electric car owners in the country. The rate in capital city Oslo, meanwhile, is as high as 40%. It is perhaps no surprise then that standing at a crosswalk in Oslo's city center means waiting for a near-constant stream of fully electric models to come to a stop. "It is very visible. And I think some people don't even really realize how good this is because it has happened quite fast," Christina Bu, secretary general of NEVA, told CNBC during an interview at the association's office in Oslo. "The air is cleaner, it is quieter, and this is a change that hasn't really cost consumers that much. They actually love driving an EV and it works quite well," Bu said. Norway's sales of EVs have increased from less than 1% of total auto sales in 2010 to 88.9% last year — and this trend doesn't show any sign of slowing. Data published by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, which is responsible for the country's national road network, found that EVs accounted for more than 93% of the new cars sold in 2025 so far. By comparison, electric vehicle sales accounted for 15.4% of the total European Union market share in the first few months of 2025. Norway is not a member of the EU. Stateside, the share of new passenger EV sales hit 10% in 2023, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, up from 1% adoption as recently as 2017. Norway's State Secretary in the Ministry of Transport Cecilie Knibe Kroglund said the country's success in transitioning away from combustion cars has been driven by long-term and consistent policymaking. "We have a lot of tax incentives and user incentives, which are the most important things, and also infrastructure, of course," Kroglund said during an interview in Oslo. Some of Norway's EV incentives include a VAT exemption, discounts on road and parking taxes and access to bus lanes. The government has also heavily invested in public charging infrastructure, and many Norwegian households are able to charge their cars at home. The lack of an automaker lobby in Norway is also thought to have benefited the country's EV adoption rate over the years. NEVA's Bu said last week that the country of about 5.5 million people achieved a new electric milestone of 10,000 fast chargers nationwide. The roll-out of these charging stations has not been consistent across the country, however, with far more installed in the south compared to the far north. Nonetheless, the ever-growing number of fast-charging stations has defied concerns from critics who had previously warned that the power grid may not be able to cope. "Norway has had strong policies for many years. It's not just about tax exemptions [for EVs] but also higher and higher taxes on internal combustion engine cars. So, the last three years or so, the general purchase taxes have doubled – and it was already very high," NEVA's Bu said. "Cars that pollute are taxed out of business in Norway," she added. Norway's journey to becoming a global leader in EV adoption has not been without its critics, however. Some lawmakers have raised concerns about the fairness of its EV incentives, saying they can disproportionately benefit higher-income individuals and potentially come at the expense of other, more sustainable transportation options, such as walking and cycling. Norway, which is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2030, has also faced questions about its role in tackling the climate crisis. The country's economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuel revenues, creating something of a contradiction with its stated green ambitions. The burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas is the chief driver of the climate crisis. Looking ahead, Kroglund said the country plans to fully transition to electric city buses in 2025, while making heavy-duty vehicles 75% renewable by the end of the decade. "We have to acknowledge that transport has a role in climate change. I think 30% of pollution comes from the transport sector, so we had to do something," Kroglund said. "We have to move forward on other parts of the transport sector, like city buses. We have good numbers on that too, but the next level is heavy-duty vehicles," she added.


CNBC
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Norway's Tesla obsession defies Europe's Musk backlash
OSLO, Norway — Tesla continues to find solace in Norway, defying a sustained European slump amid a backlash over CEO Elon Musk's incendiary political rhetoric. The U.S. electric vehicle maker recorded a 54% year-on-year jump in new car sales in Norway in June, according to data from the Norwegian Road Federation (OFV), fueled by a 115.3% yearly increase in registrations for its revamped Model Y sports utility vehicle. The data backed up a whopping 213% increase in new car sales in May and shored up Tesla's dominant position in the world's most EV-friendly country. Christina Bu, secretary general of the Norwegian EV Association (NEVA), which represents electric car owners in the country, said Tesla has been well established in Norway for several years — but the popularity of its upgraded Model Y is "definitely part of the reason" for its recent sales boost. "In general terms, I think it just has to do with the fact that they deliver a car which has quite a lot of value for money and is what Norwegians need," Bu told CNBC during an interview at NEVA's office in Oslo. The Tesla Model Y appears to be especially popular in Norway because of its competitive price and the fact that it meets local demand for large luggage space, high-ground clearance, all-wheel drive and a tow hitch, Bu said. Sales data from southern Europe signaled some further green shoots for Musk's company, with Tesla new car registrations last month increasing by 61% in Spain and around 7% in Portugal. The story remains very different across the rest of Europe, however. Tesla sales in Germany, Europe's largest automotive hub, dropped by 60% in June from a year earlier, while sales also dipped in France. Separate data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, or ACEA, found Tesla's new car sales in Europe fell for a fifth straight month in May. Tesla's brand value has been declining since 2024 in part because of Musk's political activity. The Tesla CEO, who spent nearly $300 million to support Donald Trump's election campaign, recently left the White House after leading an initiative to slash federal agencies. Protests erupted at Tesla dealerships across Europe in response to Musk's role in the Trump administration. Musk's departure from the White House in late May was followed by an extraordinary war of words with Trump. The world's richest man also formally endorsed Germany's far-right party AfD ahead of the country's parliamentary elections earlier this year, triggering an outcry in Berlin. NEVA's Bu told CNBC that Musk's political activity hadn't gone unnoticed in Norway, with a recent annual survey of more than 15,000 EV drivers finding that 43% of respondents said they would not buy a Tesla for political reasons. "So, this has definitely been a big debate in Norway as well. What Elon Musk has been saying and doing the last year or so — so it definitely affects people, but not too many because their market share is remarkable really," Bu said. For its part, Norway has long been recognized as a global leader in sustainable transportation. Indeed, it is currently on track to become the first country in the world to effectively erase gasoline and diesel cars from its new car market. Lawmakers and analysts have attributed the country's shift away from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to long-term and consistent policies designed to support the uptake of EVs. "I think it's a combination of several things, but it is policymaking that has driven this forward," Norway's Deputy Transport Minister Cecilie Knibe Kroglund told CNBC in Oslo. "We have a lot of incentives, both tax incentives and user incentives are the most important things and also infrastructure, of course. But policymaking and incentives are the main tools that we have been using," she added. Some of Norway's EV incentives include a VAT exemption, discounts on road and parking taxes and access to bus lanes. The government has also heavily invested in public charging infrastructure, and many Norwegian households are able to charge their cars at home.


Axios
07-07-2025
- Axios
BU lays off 120 amid federal spending cuts
Boston University plans to lay off 120 people and slash 120 more vacant jobs to reduce spending. Why it matters: The college is the latest Boston-area institution shedding jobs, citing federal spending cuts. State of play: BU reduced its budget 5% for fiscal 2026, which includes layoffs, reported Monday. The layoffs represent 1% of total employees. In addition to the 240 job cuts, 20 positions will undergo a change in schedule. BU didn't say how that relates to the spending cuts. What they're saying: BU President Melissa Gilliam wrote in a letter to students that amid the federal funding cuts, "uncertainty remains about the full extent of potential challenges to our core mission of teaching, learning, and research." Gilliam also cited factors such as rising inflation, declining graduate enrollment and the need to adapt to new technologies. The layoffs come shortly after the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard recently laid off 75 workers, the Boston Business Journal reported.