2008 Woodie Awards
EOP celebrates forty years
Kenrika Willis
Issue date: 12/7/07 Section: News
Originally published: 12/6/07 at 6:04 PM EST
Last update: 12/6/07 at 6:02 PM EST
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The State University of New York celebrated its Educational Opportunity Program's 40th birthday last month. SUNY's EOP program is the second oldest program in the nation that provides such services.
The program has been providing financial services to eligible students since October 1967 when a first-year assemblyman from Buffalo, Arthur Eve, first opened the office to 249 students on the Buffalo campus.
Over the years, EOP has served its purpose well - more than 2,200 EOP students maintained a 3.0 GPA in spring 2007 and today, more than 10,000 students on 43 SUNY campuses are enrolled in the program.
"Forty years ago, with the support of the New York State African-American and Hispanic Legislators, we launched EOP with a great deal of hope on behalf of New York's disadvantaged," Eve, EOP founder and past state assembly deputy speaker, said in an article on the SUNY website. "Tens of thousands of students have graduated thanks, in large part, to the dedicated women and men who staff the EOP. I am grateful to these workers and very proud of all EOP students and alumni."
PSUC currently has 197 students enrolled in the program, surpassing their 185 permitted limit.
"We've pretty much always over-enrolled students - the school is growing and so are some of the needs of students," said EOP counselor Robert Harsh, who has worked in the program for 20 years.
To be eligible for the program, students must not meet regular admission guidelines requirements and must prove financial need and/or historical disadvantage. SAT scores and high school averages are also considered.
"EOP has always had this reputation that the program consists of poor kids or the kids that don't do so well," Director of Special Programs Michelle Carpentier said. "But people would be surprised to find out that a large number of our students make the Dean's List, they're in the Honor Society and honor students - they're all over the place. So it's a pretty exciting program."
The program has been providing financial services to eligible students since October 1967 when a first-year assemblyman from Buffalo, Arthur Eve, first opened the office to 249 students on the Buffalo campus.
Over the years, EOP has served its purpose well - more than 2,200 EOP students maintained a 3.0 GPA in spring 2007 and today, more than 10,000 students on 43 SUNY campuses are enrolled in the program.
"Forty years ago, with the support of the New York State African-American and Hispanic Legislators, we launched EOP with a great deal of hope on behalf of New York's disadvantaged," Eve, EOP founder and past state assembly deputy speaker, said in an article on the SUNY website. "Tens of thousands of students have graduated thanks, in large part, to the dedicated women and men who staff the EOP. I am grateful to these workers and very proud of all EOP students and alumni."
PSUC currently has 197 students enrolled in the program, surpassing their 185 permitted limit.
"We've pretty much always over-enrolled students - the school is growing and so are some of the needs of students," said EOP counselor Robert Harsh, who has worked in the program for 20 years.
To be eligible for the program, students must not meet regular admission guidelines requirements and must prove financial need and/or historical disadvantage. SAT scores and high school averages are also considered.
"EOP has always had this reputation that the program consists of poor kids or the kids that don't do so well," Director of Special Programs Michelle Carpentier said. "But people would be surprised to find out that a large number of our students make the Dean's List, they're in the Honor Society and honor students - they're all over the place. So it's a pretty exciting program."
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