E-mail this pageAbout E.O.P. at Plattsburgh State
What is the E.O.P?
The Educational Opportunity Program (E.O.P.) is a state-funded college admission and academic support program for capable New York State students from financially disadvantaged families. These students have shown the potential for success in college. However, they may not have completed typical college-preparatory programs in high schools, or their economic and personal circumstances may have affected their academic achievement and preparation for college.
Who Can Apply?
The program accepts both freshman and transfer students and both traditional and adult/returning students. Freshmen who have been offered E.O.P. admission to the college must successfully complete a pre-freshman summer program that includes classes in reading/sociology, writing, and mathematics before beginning their college studies in the fall.
Services We Provide
Support services for EOP students include academic, personal, and financial aid counseling; peer tutoring and study-skills workshops; and financial assistance in addition to the usual financial aid sources (Federal Pell Grants, New York State TAP grants, and student loans). The Plattsburgh State EOP program enrolls roughly 200 students each semester and has to date graduated over 800 students.
The History of E.O.P. at Plattsburgh State
The Educational Opportunity Program (E.O.P.) at Plattsburgh State University began as a response to student concerns on campus and to funding initiatives in the state legislature in Albany. State-funded programs were already underway in New York City, where the College Discovery (1964) and SEEK (1966) Programs provided college preparation courses in high schools, open admission to colleges in the CUNY system, and academic and other support services on campus to encourage disadvantaged students to attend college and earn their degrees. In 1967, Assemblyman Arthur O. Eve (D-Buffalo) then secured state funding to bring opportunity programs to colleges throughout the state.
With the support of President George Angell and the assistance of ombudsman Russ Johnson and admissions counselor Malcolm Lavery, a group of Plattsburgh students and administrators began meeting in 1968 to create a similar program at this college. And with student activism adding impetus to these efforts, Project New City began operation in the fall of 1969 and then enrolled its first undergraduates in the spring 1970 semester. Sheila Rowe and Rolando Thorne became the first two program graduates in December 1972. In 1972, the program name was changed to include the letters "E.O.P.," and by 1973 the program had settled into its current name and identity.
Contact Information
Michele Carpentier, Director Educational Opportunity Program
Angell College Center: 110
Plattsburgh State University
Plattsburgh, New York 12901-2681
Phone: (518) 564-2263
Fax: (518) 564-2295