MCC Daily Tribune
Chancellor King Announces Student Services Mini-Grant Awards Across SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers
$500,000 Investment to Advance Student Wellness, Nutritional Support, and Career Outcomes
Albany, NY — State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. today announced awards from the Student Services Mini-Grant initiative for five SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers (EOCs) throughout New York State. The grants will provide each center with $100,000 over two years to address critical areas of student support and are designed to strengthen student success through innovative wraparound services. The initiative advances SUNY’s systemwide commitment to improving access, retention, and completion by investing in essential wraparound services that help learners persist and succeed.
“One of SUNY’s core missions is to serve as an important engine of upward mobility for New Yorkers, and the SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers are vital to achieving that goal in communities throughout New York State,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Through these grants, the SUNY EOCs will continue to build on their legacies of service and advancing student success, while ensuring that students are empowered with the resources they need during their educational journeys.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “SUNY is committed to ensuring our students have access to the resources they need so they can pursue their dreams and goals without barriers. The recipients of the Student Services Mini-Grants will further this commitment by removing barriers to higher education through their innovative initiatives. Thank you to Governor Hochul and the State Legislature for their continued support of the SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers.”
As part of the Student Services Mini-Grant initiative, funded in the New York State Enacted Budget, SUNY EOCs were asked to submit proposals for initiatives addressing three critical areas of student support: food insecurity, mental health, and employment placement. SUNY EOCs were encouraged to design sustainable, cost-effective programs that remove barriers to student success, demonstrate measurable impact, and are aligned with SUNY’s mission to expand access and equity.
A total of five projects, each funded at $100,000 over two years and slated to launch over the next few months, were selected for their strong potential to improve student success. SUNY EOCs receiving funding through the grant program include:
The Brooklyn Educational Opportunity Center will use its funding to conduct a two-year pilot to expand on-site mental health support for 300 students. Through partnerships with local higher education institutions, a graduate social worker will have the opportunity to intern at the Brooklyn EOC under a licensed Master Social Worker and provide short-term support for anxiety, stress, and crisis stabilization. Advisors and faculty will also be trained on mental health referral protocols, bolster partnerships, and establish pathways to connect students with community-based providers for ongoing care. The pilot program aims to improve student persistence and completion, as well as create a sustainable model for mental health support.
The Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center will use its funding to address food insecurity, a major barrier to student persistence, completion, and employment, and launch the Buffalo EOC’s first food pantry. The Buffalo EOC will also integrate nutrition education, stress management support, and transportation assistance, with the aim of reducing financial strain, improving student health, and strengthening workforce readiness for over 200 students. By linking access to nutritional food, practical meal preparation, and wellness education, the initiative will set students on a path to sustainable success. The program will also ensure continued operation and integration of services to the Buffalo EOC’s students through the development of partnerships.
The Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center will begin a two-year project designed to embed comprehensive mental health supports directly into the student experience. The program will serve 480 students, and integrate wellness workshops, short-term counseling provided by Master Social Workers and counseling graduate interns, and barrier reduction strategies. The initiative will also build long-term capacity through ongoing partnerships with graduate counseling programs, and by embedding annual professional development into the Center’s operations, ensuring that mental health and well-being remain a sustained, core component of the Manhattan EOC’s student success framework.
The Rochester Educational Opportunity Center will create a technology-driven hub designed to strengthen employment placements and career readiness for adult learners. Through the project, Career Services at the Rochester EOC will add interview pods, an interactive career wall displaying live job data, a resume station, and provide access to interview training software. These enhancements will provide equitable, hands-on access, to professional tools that replicate workplace environments, allowing for greater career opportunity preparation opportunities for more than 500 students annually, while also positioning the Rochester EOC as a model for sustainable, technology enhanced career services.
The Westchester Education Opportunity Center will conduct a two-year initiative to combat food insecurity by establishing a food pantry, digital resource hub connecting students with local community partners, and a series of educational workshops focused on meal planning and nutrition. The initiative will improve access to nutritious food, promote healthy eating habits, and create a sustainable support system that fosters wellness, stability, and academic persistence, while also addressing one of the most significant barriers to student success and ensuring that no student has to choose between their education and their next meal.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “The Westchester Educational Opportunity Center is an essential resource in my district, offering adult learners the skills, support, and confidence they need to build stronger futures. With the new Student Services Mini-Grant, the Westchester EOC will be able to expand its work fighting food insecurity, ensuring that no student has to choose between their next meal and their education. This investment reflects our shared commitment to helping every learner succeed and to strengthening the future of our region. I am proud to represent and support an institution that continues to change lives every day.”
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, “I have seen firsthand how SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Centers change lives. These mini-grants strengthen that mission by investing directly in the services that help students stay enrolled, stay healthy, and stay on track. Food security, mental-health support, and career readiness are essential to help students complete their degrees. I want to thank Chancellor King for recognizing these needs and ensuring that our EOCs have the resources to meet students where they are.”
State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, “It is no secret that many neighborhoods on Buffalo’s East Side lack access to fresh and healthy foods. By creating a program to breakdown these barriers, SUNY and Buffalo EOC are meeting students where they, are and creating solutions that will have far-ranging positive effects.”
State Senator April N.M. Baskin said, "Addressing food insecurity across District 63 is a top legislative priority of mine. I applaud the creative thinkers behind the Student Services Mini-Grant initiative and their foresight in establishing practical solutions and breaking barriers so that residents are put in the most advantageous situations to thrive. The Buffalo EOC is a tremendous asset in Buffalo, one that will undoubtedly expand their reach thanks to these grant monies."
State Senator Cordell Cleare said, "I commend SUNY Leadership for this thoughtful initiative which will empower our students. I am particularly proud that funds will support The Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center and provide for comprehensive mental health services including a holistic focus on wellness and counselling."
State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “REOC and Educational Opportunity Centers across the state are instrumental in preparing students with the tools they need to succeed. Thanks to these grants, Chancellor King Jr. is proving that New York State is prioritizing workforce development and the kind of holistic support that New Yorkers deserve.”
State Assemblymember Jordan J.G. Wright said, “Expanding access and equity in higher education has never been more important. With mental health being a top concern among college-aged individuals, providing integrative counselling and an overall emphasis on the importance of wellness to SUNY students is a worthy investment. It’s also another example of thoughtful, impactful programming from the State University of New York! The SUNY EOC program has helped create more diverse campuses; to expand their reach and bring mental health resources to the community is a win-win.”
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 across its 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 $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, 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 the SUNY website.
About SUNY Educational Opportunity Centers
Located in 12 urban areas across the state, SUNY EOCs provide tuition-free academic and workforce development programs, as well as educational, career, and wraparound support, to socioeconomically disadvantaged New Yorkers. Serving approximately 12,000 students per year, the SUNY EOCs yield several thousand program completions, more than 1,000 certificates and licenses, hundreds of job placements, college placements and General Education Diplomas (GEDs) per year. In 2026, the SUNY EOC system is celebrating 60 years of building pathways to brighter futures as one of SUNY’s cornerstone opportunity programs.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
11/24/2025