SUNY Board Approves “Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Center” Naming at University at Buffalo
May 7, 2014
Albany – The State University of New York Board of Trustees today unanimously approved naming the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) building at the University at Buffalo’s downtown campus after former New York State Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve. The facility opened in June 2013 and is located at 555 Ellicott Street.
Arthur O. Eve dedicated his career to representing the underserved, creating new pathways for success in education, economic development, job training and development, and social services, particularly through his determination to establish the Educational Opportunity Program at SUNY and companion programs at the state’s private colleges and universities, and through development of the state’s Educational Opportunity Centers.
“Arthur Eve championed the state’s education opportunity program in the 1960s, and as a result of his vision, the program continues to provide underprivileged youth with increased access to a college education and support to help them succeed in school, college, and career,” said SUNY Board Chairman H. Carl McCall. “SUNY has great admiration and respect for Arthur Eve’s leadership, and we are proud to have this new EOC building bear his name.”
“During his 35 years in office, Assemblyman Eve was perhaps best known for his passion, dedication, and commitment to establishing the Education Opportunity Program, which has significantly expanded access to higher education for academically and economically disadvantaged students statewide,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “His achievements created an enduring legacy that continues to enrich education across New York State today. It is an honor for SUNY and the University at Buffalo to name our newest EOC facility after Arthur O. Eve.”
“As a great champion of educational opportunity in our region and state, Assemblyman Eve has been a source of tremendous inspiration to Western New York and to the University at Buffalo as we continue to work toward expanding educational and economic opportunities in our region,” said University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi. “His enduring legacy resonates especially strongly with the UB Educational Opportunity Center, a vibrant, dynamic learning community that, for more than 40 years, has made a powerful difference in the lives of thousands of students and community residents. We are honored to pay tribute to Assemblyman Eve’s leadership as we dedicate the EOC’s landmark new home in the heart of the Buffalo district he represented during his distinguished career in the state legislature.”
The 68,000-square-foot, $26-million Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Center offers students state-of-the-art facilities in which to pursue their educational and career goals. Strategically located in close proximity to the rapidly expanding medical campus downtown, the facility allows the EOC to emphasize academic and vocational programming for the various allied health fields that are expected to be in continuing demand in Western New York.
UB’s EOC serves nearly 2,000 students each year, the majority of whom are age 25 or older. The EOC provides a broad range of services including: academic enrichment; English as a second language; high school equivalency/GED preparation; life skills; dental, medical, and nursing assistant programs; and through an ATTAIN lab, computer readiness and Microsoft certifications.
Additionally, each summer at UB, EOP students who have achieved above a 3.0 average for a semester attend the Arthur O. Eve Annual EOP Awards Ceremony. All graduates are also honored, as well as student leaders (William Greiner Award), the highest achieving graduating senior (the Percy Sutton Award), and the student who has achieved at a high level in spite of serious challenges (the Arthur O. Eve Award). The student who achieves the highest grade in the summer program is also honored.
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.
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Holly Liapis
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