An opportunity to obtain a college degree and higher level of learning for all is a cornerstone of the SUNY mission. Students from different financial backgrounds, ethnic backgrounds, and family structures, who know that they will be welcomed at any one of our 64 campuses. Through our Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and countless others, SUNY and its students have shown New York’s families that despite challenges in their past and any of the struggles they may face along their path to a degree, completing a SUNY education is possible with the right support.
The Educational Opportunity Program “provides access, academic support, and financial aid to students who show promise for succeeding in college but who may not have otherwise been offered admission.” That was the reason Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve started the program back in 1967. And it continues to be the objective of the program today, in its 50th year, with 43 of SUNY’s 64 campuses carrying on Assemblyman Eve’s vision by offering the EOP program to more than 10,000 students each year.
Our latest feature looks into the start and ongoing progress of the EOP program and why it works so well for the students who need it most.