Campus, News

Cal State Long Beach celebrates 50 years of its Educational Opportunity Program

Cal State Long Beach is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Educational Opportunity Program Friday with a panel discussion open to CSULB students, faculty, staff and community members.

According to a university press release, the EOP provides assistance and resources to low-income and first generation college students.

Students who qualify for EOP receive help with admission and financial aid applications, free tutoring services and can participate in the Laptop Loan Program, among other services.

The program at CSULB helps about 2,500 students every year, according to CSULB’s EOP website.

To celebrate the anniversary, CSULB is holding a panel event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Pointe inside the Walter Pyramid.

Opening the event will be Willie Brown, a former mayor of San Francisco and also the 58th Speaker of the California Assembly.  

Congressman Alan Lowenthal, D, will be giving a speech titled “State of Students of Color in Higher Education.”

CSULB ranks fifth nationally among universities and colleges for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to minority students, according to the press release. The university has also received national recognition for for its work in reducing the opportunity gap for students of color.

The event will also be a time to honor Joseph White, a former CSULB professor who helped found the program in the 1960s. One of the panel talks, which will be delivered by professor’s White mentored, will focus on White’s time as a CSULB professor and the early days of EOP.  

Additionally, around 200 former CSULB EOP students are expected to attend the event and present a commemorative video.

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