SUNY trustees name UB EOC building after Arthur Eve

The SUNY Board of Trustees at its meeting on May 7 unanimously approved naming UB’s new Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) building on the Downtown Campus after former state Assembly member Arthur O. Eve.

The facility at 555 Ellicott St. opened in June 2013; classes began in the building last September.

UB’s EOC was one of four Urban Centers created in 1966 under SUNY supervision and funded by the governor and state legislature — under the leadership of Eve — to provide occupational training and college preparatory programs to underserved populations. In 1973, the Urban Centers evolved into the more comprehensive Educational Opportunity Centers. The current statewide network of 10 EOCs and two Counseling and Outreach Centers are managed by SUNY’s University Center for Academic and Workforce Development.

Eve also was a key player in establishing the statewide Educational Opportunity Program — which now bears his name— which provides talented students who haven’t been able to reach their academic goals because of educational, economic or personal challenges an opportunity to gain admission to New York colleges and universities.

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,” SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall said. “SUNY has great admiration and respect for Arthur Eve’s leadership, and we are proud to have this new EOC building bear his name.”

Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher noted that during his 35 years in office, Eve was 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.“

“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.”

President Satish K. Tripathi echoed McCall and Zimpher, calling Eve “a great champion of educational opportunity in our region and state” and “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.”

“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,” Tripathi said. “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 Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, 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. It 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 computer readiness and Microsoft certifications, through an ATTAIN lab.