The Buffalo Educational Opportunity Center will host its 53rd commencement at 5 p.m. May 20 in the Center for the Arts, North Campus.

At the ceremony, some 170 students are expected to don caps and gowns to receive licenses and certifications for industry-recognized skills that enhance their employability and provide them a path to college entry.

All told, 439 students completed their coursework, earning a total of 363 professional/industry/academic certifications and licenses during the 2025-26 academic year.

The ceremony’s keynote speaker will be attorney Leecia Eve, daughter of former state lawmaker Arthur O. Eve, who spearheaded legislation in the 1960s to create educational opportunity centers to provide occupational training and college preparatory programs to underserved populations in New York State.

The commencement comes as SUNY, elected officials and others celebrate 60 years of educational opportunity centers empowering adult learners towards upward mobility.

SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. said educational opportunity centers “are a part of SUNY’s mission to support New Yorkers with access to a high-quality education” and “set our EOC adult learners on a path towards higher education and careers within their community.”

State Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said that what EOCs have done for adult learners across New York State “cannot be properly quantified. Championed by Buffalo’s own Arthur O. Eve, EOC has provided opportunity – opportunity that had not existed previously for many people living in urban centers across New York State.”

State Sen. April N.M. Baskin said that “Arthur O. Eve’s legacy lives on through the program” and called it “a testament to his vision and enduring commitment to opening doors for students of all ages and backgrounds.”