Educational Opportunity Fund Professional Association of New Jersey, Inc.
A 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization
Advancing College Access, Affordability & Success for Underrepresented Scholars
Mission
The Mission of the Educational Opportunity Fund Professional Association of New Jersey, a non-profit organization, is to be the official liaison between the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) campus based programs, the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education in New Jersey. EOFPANJ advocates on behalf of EOF Programs, which serve educationally and economically, disadvantaged students. The EOFPANJ keeps abreast of and monitors legislation and policy decisions that may have a direct or indirect effect upon the EOF constituency. The EOFPANJ provides a venue for professional development of its members and a clearinghouse of resources relevant to the achievement of our mission.
History
EOF’s history is rooted in the civil rights movement. Through protests and legislative advocacy, young students used their voices to earn access to educational opportunities.
In November 1967, in the aftermath of the Newark riots, New Jersey’s Chancellor of Higher Education, Ralph A. Dungan, directed a memorandum to the presidents of all the state’s higher education institutions. He proposed a program of special assistance to young men and women from economically and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Select Commission on Civil Disorders (the Lilly Commission) made its report to the Governor and to the New Jersey State Legislature, calling for a broad range of programs to address the basic conditions that contributed to the protests. Among those programs was the Educational Opportunity Fund, established by legislation in 1968, sponsored by legislator Thomas Kean.
EOF set the pace for many initiatives which are widely incorporated into college life. Among the many powerful strategies implemented by EOF are pre-college articulation, basic skills testing and remediation, systematic retention efforts, peer counseling and peer tutoring, academic support courses, multicultural curricula and human relations programming, student leadership development, and outcomes-based program evaluation.
Today, the EOF program serves low-income, first-generation students who have demonstrated commitment, motivation, and potential for success in every county of the state.
Source: State of New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
2023 - 2025 Executive Board
Al-Lateef Farmer
President
[email protected]
Dr. Andre Turner
Past-President
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Terrence Harris
Vice-President
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Arthur Horn
Treasurer
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Faheed Washington
Financial Secretary
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Dr. Debora Rivera
Recording Secretary
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Florangel Cabrera
Corresponding Secretary
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Ruben Melendez
Parliamentarian
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Marie Sanjurjo Lopez
Public Relations Officer
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Members at Large
Christine Millien
Special Initiatives
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Dr. Alexis Delgado
Technology
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Khayriy Tilghman
Assessment
[email protected]
Viviana Zambrano
Emergency Fund
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Dr. Jenice Sabb-Dumas
Ambassador Coordinator [email protected]
Kim Quick
Arrigo O. Rogers Scholarship Chair
Sector Representatives
Ms. Natalie Quiñones
State Colleges/Universities (North)
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Mr. John Marshall
State College/Universities (Central/South)
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Ms. Lissette Herrera
Public Research Colleges/Universities (North)
[email protected]
Brett Pulliam
Public Research Colleges/Universities (Central/South)
[email protected]
Joanna Romana
Community Colleges (North)
[email protected]
Ivory Luke
Community Colleges (Central/South)
[email protected]
Jose Rodas
Independent College/Universities (North)
[email protected]
Liz O'Brien
Independent Colleges/Universities (Central/South)
[email protected]
2023 - 2024 Board Meetings
- June 8th: Rider University/CTI
- September 20th - 22nd: Ocean Casino & Resort (Board Retreat)
- October 14th 10am - 12pm: Mercer County Community College
- November 17th 10am- 12pm: The College of New Jersey (TCNJ)
- December 8th 10am - 12pm: Kean University
- January 12th 10am - 12pm: Virtual
- February 9th 10am - 12pm: Rowan College at Burlington County (RCBC)
- March 8th 10am - 12pm: Rowan College at Gloucester County (RCSJ-G)
- April 12th 10am - 12pm: Ramapo College of New Jersey
- May 10th 10am - 12pm: Bergen Community College
- June 6th 10am - 12pm: Rider University/CTI
Advocacy
EOF Student Day at the Capital 2019
On March 5th over 150 EOF scholars and professionals participated in our annual EOF Day at the Capitol in Trenton. The attendees were greeted by Senator Thomas Kean, Jr., Assemblyman Anthony Bucco, Senator Steven Oroho, Senator M. Teresa Ruiz, Senator Sandra Cunningham, Assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter, Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, Senator Vin Gopal, Senator Troy Singleton and Asst. Secretary of Higher Education, Diana Gonzalez. Students also had the ability to meet key legislators and ask insightful & provoking questions.
Thank you all, and we look forward to continuing our advocacy efforts on behalf of this great program! Here's to another 50 Years of EOF's success.
Advocacy Videos
Thank you to the EOF students from the County College of Morris for sharing your experiences!
Partnerships
The EOFPANJ is Proud to Partner With the Following Groups and Organizations!
New Jersey's Office of the Secretary of Higher Education - EOF Central Office
EOFPANJ works closely with the State of New Jersey's Office of the Secretary of Higher Education EOF office to develop student programs and professional events.
The Tri-State Consortium represents educational institutions, state education agencies and others involved in the administration of state-supported educational opportunity programs in post-secondary education in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. At these institutions, opportunity programs serve tens of thousands of college students from educationally and financially disadvantaged backgrounds.
It is our goal to produce a cadre of educated citizens who will be well versed, sensitive to issues of cultural diversity, and have a heightened sense of social responsibility as they set forth to enhance the quality of life in the respective communities they serve.
The National Association of State Coordinators for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NASCEHCY) was established in 1989 to ensure that children and youth residing in temporary living situations received equitable and excellent services through the public schools across the country. The Association also encouraged the development and dissemination of strategies for effective instruction, pupil services, and research.
For more information on NAEHCY's Higher Education Networks, contact NAEHCY’s National Higher Education Liaison, Cyekeia Lee, at [email protected]