SUNY Chancellor King Announces Third Class of Educational Opportunity Program Student Ambassadors
October 3, 2023
22 EOP Student Ambassadors Will Advise SUNY Chancellor on Strengthening the Program From the Student Perspective, Inspire More Students To Seek Opportunities Through EOP
Full List of EOP Student Ambassadors Can Be Found Here; Photos With Chancellor King Here
Albany, NY – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King, Jr. today announced the third class of Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) Student Ambassadors. Twenty-two students from 21 campuses will serve as mentors to other students and encourage high school seniors to enroll, help build on the established student EOP support network across the SUNY system, and advise the Chancellor on strengthening the program.
Under the leadership of Governor Kathy Hochul and with significant support from the state Legislature, the EOP continues to provide students—most the first from their families to go to college—with comprehensive services and personalized support. The 2024 Enacted Budget includes nearly $44 million to ensure the success of the program for SUNY EOP students.
Chancellor King welcomed the new student ambassadors during an in-person orientation at the SUNY System Administration Building in Albany, NY.
"For more than 50 years, the Educational Opportunity Program has served as a guiding light toward upward mobility and student success for those who may not have had a clear path to college. Our EOP student ambassadors, many the first in their families to go to college, are a testament to what can be achieved with the support provided by the EOP," said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. "With their guidance, we can improve the EOP, and with their encouragement, more students will follow their path to a college education. My thanks to Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature for their support so that SUNY can continue to build on the EOP's success by supporting more students for the next 50 years."
SUNY EOP directors were asked to nominate students to serve as student ambassadors. A committee comprised of EOP directors and SUNY system administrators selected each ambassador based on their demonstrated leadership, potential as a peer mentor, and commitment to the program. Ambassadors are EOP students in good academic standing who are enrolled full-time for the Fall 2023 semester. EOP student ambassadors will receive stipends of $5,000 to carry out this important new role.
The Educational Opportunity Program has grown significantly over the years and now operates on 54 SUNY campuses. The program's six-year baccalaureate completion rate of 74 percent accentuates the effectiveness of the EOP's success model and its ability to develop student scholars.
About the State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program
The State University of New York's Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program provides access, academic support, and financial aid to students who show promise to succeed in college but who may not have otherwise been admitted. Available primarily to full-time, matriculated students, the program supports students throughout their college careers. Since its inception in 1967, the EOP has served more than 80,000 students and has evolved into one of the country's most successful college access programs.
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
Share this:
Holly Liapis
518-320-1311
Email the Office of Communications
