Adams Named Director of UB's Educational Opportunity Center in Downtown Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Julius Gregg Adams, PhD, has been named director of the University at Buffalo's Educational Opportunity Center (EOC), which provides programs to prepare low-income and non-traditional students for higher education and jobs.

His appointment is effective June 1.

Adams joins UB from Daemen College, where he chairs the Education Department and is associate dean for special initiatives in education. He previously held teaching and administrative positions at St. John Fisher College in Rochester and Fredonia State College, where he was director of the School of Education and an associate professor of education. He also worked as a school psychologist in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Additionally, Adams served as associate dean for teacher education in UB's Graduate School of Education from 2002-06. During that time, he also was interim executive director of the Office for University Preparatory Programs, an organization that works to enrich the education provided to local children and teenagers.

"Dr. Adams' educational background, experience and knowledge of the Buffalo-Niagara region make him an outstanding choice to lead the Educational Opportunity Center," said Bruce D. McCombe, UB's interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "Under his leadership, the EOC will continue to offer educational programs and services that support students in achieving their full potential."

Founded in 1973, the EOC is part of a statewide network of 10 Educational Opportunity Centers and two Outreach and Counseling Centers that operate under SUNY's University Center for Academic and Workforce Development.

UB's EOC annually serves about 2,000 students ages 16 and older. It offers programs in literacy training, English as a second language education, General Educational Development (GED) training and college preparation, as well as career training in health care, information technology, green technologies and the service industry. It also provides programs, such as tax preparation and assessment testing, to roughly 3,000 community members each year.

As director, Adams will lead about 70 faculty and staff members.

"I'm very excited about this opportunity," he said. "The EOC provides a very valuable service to the university and this community."

McCombe thanked Danis J. Gehl, the EOC's associate director, for her service as interim director since last November, following the retirement of Sherryl D. Weems.

Adams' appointment comes as the EOC prepares to move into a new $46-million, environmentally friendly building in downtown Buffalo next year. The 64,000-square-foot structure, which will replace the EOC's current home at 465 Washington St., will enable EOC officials to increase community programs and services.

The new facility will connect to the renovated M. Wile building to form the UB Downtown Gateway Complex on Goodell Street. The complex, which borders the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, includes UB's Office of Economic Engagement, Regional Institute, Center for Educational Collaboration, the administrative offices of Millard Fillmore College and the Department of Family Medicine in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

UB anticipates the new EOC building will be certified gold—the second-highest designation possible—under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Construction of the new EOC and renovation of the UB Gateway complex are part of the UB 2020 plan to develop a campus in downtown Buffalo and increase the university's impact on Buffalo's economy and quality of life.

Adams received a bachelor's degree in psychology, and master's and doctoral degrees in educational psychology, all from UB. He has received numerous awards, including a SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1993. He also serves on the New York State Education Department's Board of Regents Professional Standards and Practices Board, as well as a working group that is developing new teacher exams.

A Buffalo native, Adams resides in Amherst with his wife, Carmon, and daughter, Lisa.

More information about the EOC is available at http://eoc.buffalo.edu.