MCC Daily Tribune

MCC Student Felix Mateo Among EOP Honorees Awarded for Academic Excellence

Yesterday, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras celebrated the achievements of 45 students in SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) who are honored with the Norman R. McConney, Jr., Award for Student Excellence. Among the honorees is MCC student Felix Mateo, a liberal arts and sciences major pursuing a business/entrepreneurial career.

The award, now in its second year, recognizes outstanding EOP students for their academic excellence and strength in overcoming significant personal obstacles throughout their lives.

“Each of these students has a story that deserves to be heard; they are outstanding scholars who have displayed great strength and tenacity in their pursuit of academic success, amid what is often extreme personal hardships,” said Chancellor Malatras. “It is for them that SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program exists, and it is at the heart of our mission to level the playing field and give every student a fair chance to succeed. My congratulations to our honorees for earning this recognition as they prepare to graduate and start to change the world—I look forward to seeing what they do next. Norman McConney would be very proud of each and every one of them.”

The Full News Release is Available on SUNY's Website.

Students Being Recognized are Named Online Here.

Video Showing Students’ Reactions Online Here. Fast-forward to 1:32 to see a clip of Felix Mateo. Joining him on the call were EOP staff at MCC: Charlene Linzy, director; Nicole Reinholtz, counselor; and Marisol Reyes, senior advisor.

The honor is named in memory of Norman R. McConney, Jr. (1946-2016), a graduate of the University at Albany and former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY. McConney, alongside former Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve, helped create the EOP as a statewide program that has served 75,000 New Yorkers to date from underprivileged backgrounds.

Since its inception in 1967, the EOP has provided access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of them the first in their families to attend college. In its 53-year history, the EOP has served more than 75,000 students and evolved into one of the country’s most successful college access programs.

In the current academic year, SUNY had more than 10,000 EOP students on 49 SUNY campuses. EOP students often outperform their peers, with 74 percent of them graduating with a baccalaureate degree within six years.

Attached Files:
MCC student Felix Mateo.jpg

Hency Yuen-Eng
Government and Community Relations
12/15/2020