Educational Opportunity Center (Southwestern PA)

Loss of Funding

It is with great disappointment that I write to inform you of EOC-SWPA's loss of funding. At the end of this academic year, the Educational Opportunity Centers of Southwestern Pennsylvania will be ending its twenty year run as a United States Department of Education project. EOC is a federal program that is renewed to grantees every five years in a competitive proposal process. Penn State has two such programs, one that serves Philadelphia and ours, which serves nine counties of southwestern Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the three-member review panel that read our proposal did not rate our project well enough for the U.S. Department of Education to continue funding us.

My staff and I are shocked by this turn of events, but do understand that this is the nature of competition. Our Department of Education funding will end on August 31, 2012. Over the next few months, I will be working on managing this transition for our participants and staff and will provide updates on a regular basis. With the help of our many partners and supporters, my staff and I have enjoyed year after year of exceeding each of our programming objectives. It is important to us that this track record of excellence in participant service be upheld for the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania.

We are thankful for the outpouring of support so many of you have offered to the program. We truly appreciate your efforts and will be in touch to let you know how you can help us as we look to ensure that the 2,000 participants we serve in this region are afforded the opportunity to better themselves via the power of education.

We wish EOC of Philadelphia much success in their coming grant cycle and are proud of our sister program's status as a funded project. The 1,000 people they serve each year are fortunate to have such a great team of education professionals working on their behalf.

Tahirah Duncan, Director

What is the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC)?

The Educational Opportunity Center is a Federal TRIO program. It is designed to provide information and counseling to adults who would like to go to college or other post secondary education institutions.

How is the EOC Funded?

The Educational Opportunity Center is funded by a grant from the US Department of Education. It is sponsored by Penn State University, as part of the University's land grant mission to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Who is Eligible?

EOC program participants are eligible US Citizens who are 19 years of age or older and who are considered low income by federal guidelines and/or whose parents did not receive a bachelor's degree.

Application to the Program

Application for Entry into the EOC-SWPA Program - [ On-line form ]

What are some of the EOC Services?

EOC provides educational assistance services for participants including workshops at various collaborating agencies and/or one-on-one sessions in the following areas:

• Admissions assistance
• Financial aid assistance
• College Visits and Tours
• Referrals to GED programs/testing centers
• Various related services

All the services offered by the EOC are Free

Where are the EOC Target Areas?

EOC serves 2,000 participants every year from the following 9 counties:

• Allegheny
• Armstrong
• Beaver
• Fayette
• Greene
• Indiana
• Lawrence
• Washington
• Westmoreland