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As ������ϲ����� celebrates Homecoming the weekend of Oct. 13–15, the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) will honor two retirees and legends of the program, former senior counselors Westley Van Dunk ‘74, liaison to the Decker School of Nursing (now the College of Nursing and Health Sciences), and Vanessa Young ‘78, liaison to the School of Management, as part of their 55th Anniversary celebration.

“The opportunity to see EOP alumni on this campus and to engage with them is extremely important for our current students,” said Director of EOP Karima Legette ‘01, MA ‘05. “They can see themselves in our alumni. They can network and connect, find a mentor or a summer internship. The possibilities are endless.”

After graduating from ������ϲ����� in 1973, Van Dunk served the ������ϲ����� community for over 40 years, including three decades in ������ϲ�����’s EOP where he most recently served as a senior academic counselor, impacting students by guiding them through the college experience and on to successful careers. “[Van Dunk] was the driving force behind the EOP for many years,” said Legette. “He made such a difference to so many people on this campus and in the ������ϲ����� community.”

Young graduated from ������ϲ����� in 1978 as an EOP student and returned as a professional, working in the EOP for 35 years before retiring in 2022. Young impacted generations of students during her tenure and earned the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Professional Service in 2017.

“Vanessa would remind us of what Michael Boyd would say to his students, ‘Someone dreamed you here,’ and it always stuck with her students and colleagues,” said Yulanda Whyte Johnson, EOP associate director and senior EOP academic counselor. “The phrase said everything that she and EOP wanted to express in regards to the desire to see students persist, thrive and succeed through graduation.”

The EOP 55th Anniversary celebration will be held in the Mandela Room on Saturday, Oct. 14 to celebrate 55 successful years of the EOP at ������ϲ����� and to honor VanDunk and Young while allowing current EOP students and EOP alumni to meet, network and share their experiences at ������ϲ�����.

“The goal is to create a space during the weekend that offers remembrance of something special,” said Legette. “The goal is for everyone to have a nostalgic visit that is coined by celebrating this program that has paved the way for so many of us.”