State budget includes more funding for SUNY EOCs

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The new state budget included a “significant increase in funding” for SUNY’s 10 Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) and two outreach centers.

The spending plan included $4 million in additional operating funds and $10 million in capital funding for EOCs, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras said. EOCs are designed to meet the educational and vocational needs of students facing economic hardships, “especially in underrepresented communities,” SUNY said in a news release.

The $4 million in additional operating funding is a nearly 7 percent increase that SUNY will use to “bolster and expand” the SUNY for All campaign, including the free online training center. The center has received more than 800 applicants and has enrolled more than 500 people since launching in December.

Malatras made the recent announcement at the Syracuse EOC, where he was joined by students and Syracuse EOC VP Timothy Penix, as well as New York State Senators Rachel May (D–Syracuse), and New York State Assembly Member Pamela Hunter (D–Syracuse) — lawmakers who were “pivotal in landing this additional funding,” SUNY said.

“There is a significant gap across New York State with many individuals, especially older individuals, without a college degree or credentials, at a time when 70 percent of jobs created require post-secondary education by 2027. That’s why we created the SUNY for All program in order to break down barriers and meet students where they are — in their community — to get an education,” Malatras said. “Central to this program is our Educational Opportunity Centers that are known in their communities for their ability to train the workforce or provide a path to college.”

More than 2.2 million New Yorkers between the ages of 25 and 44 currently have no degree, and 2.6 million between the ages of 45 and 64 are also without one. With a wide range of offerings — including high-school equivalency, college-prep courses, and employee certificate programs — the free online training center “makes it easier” for prospective students to pursue a higher education, “no matter where they are or what obstacles stand in their way,” per SUNY.