Joy Alonge, a SUNY Old Westbury senior majoring in Business Administration, has received the inaugural Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence from the State University of New York. Alonge, an Elmont, N.Y. resident, was one of the 42 statewide recipients recognized in an award ceremony this month in New York City.
Named in honor of the late Norman McConney, the award recognizes students participating in SUNY's Educational Opportunities Program (EOP) for their academic achievements. McConney (1946-2016) had a long career dedicated to improving conditions for the state’s underserved populations, and was an early champion and drafter of the legislation that created EOP in New York State. EOP provides supplemental financial assistance and services to students from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
“Through the EOP, SUNY has changed the course of so many lives and has given so many students the chance to excel and pursue their dreams,” said SUNY Chancellor Kristina M. Johnson. “We are enormously proud of the students receiving these awards. Many of them have overcome enormous obstacles to fulfill goals that once may have seemed unattainable. I applaud every one of them for demonstrating perseverance and determination.”
In the current academic year, SUNY has more than 11,000 EOP students on 48 SUNY campuses. Since its inception in 1967, the EOP has served more than 75,000 students and evolved into one of the country’s most successful college access programs.