Media Advisory: Educational Opportunity Center opens new home

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo’s Educational Opportunity Center will unveil its new 68,000-square-foot, $26-million facility at 10 a.m. Friday, June 14, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours of the state-of-the-art building and testament from graduates whose lives were changed by the center’s commitment to serving students lacking traditional educational resources.

WHAT: The new EOC represents the newest link in the expanding Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus complex and another example of UB’s commitment to downtown Buffalo. The new building and training center to support lifelong learning is connected to the UB Downtown Gateway building at 77 Goodell St. (the former M. Wile building) via a 5,000-square-foot connector.

WHERE: The new EOC is located at 555 Ellicott St. (near Goodell Street), adjacent the UB Gateway building.

WHO: The formal opening includes presentations by EOC officials including Executive Director and Buffalo native Julius Gregg Adams, UB President Satish K. Tripathi, and UB Council Chairman Jeremy M. Jacobs. Cherie Lias, a recent graduate of two EOC programs, will also speak about her experiences at the center.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT: The state-of-the-art EOC facility renews SUNY and UB’s commitment to serve underprepared students and produce lifelong learners who are self-directed, empowered and committed to excellence. It also will allow the EOC to emphasize academic and vocational programming for the various allied health fields expected to be in great demand in the community. It is a vital ingredient in the network of university services and health care facilities providing health services, jobs and educational options on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

The opening of EOC is another milestone in UB’s expansion in downtown Buffalo.  In September, UB opened its Clinical and Translational Research Center in the joint UB-Kaleida Health building at Goodrich and Ellicott streets, and in 2016 the university plans to open a new medical school on Main Street.

The building projects, as well as UB’s plan to hire an additional 250 faculty members, are part of the UB 20202 strategic plan, which is funded in part by the NYSUNY 2020 legislation and $35 million challenge grant signed into law by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo

CONTACT: Charles Anzalone in UB’s Office of University Communications at 716-645-4600, anzalon@buffalo.edu or 716-440-8824 on site.