The U.S. Department of Education has renewed funding for Rogers State University’s Educational Opportunity Center, which is one of the nation’s largest for this national effort to improve college readiness.
RSU has been awarded a $592,789 grant, which was formally approved last week by the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, RSU’s governing body. The EOC program provides counseling and information on university admissions to qualified adults who want to enter or continue postsecondary education.
EOC grants, five years in duration, assist adults in gaining the skills necessary for pursuing postsecondary credentials. The RSU EOC program serves more than 3,200 participants, making it one of the five largest such programs when ranked by number of participants served. Community College of Denver is the only other top five program operated by an individual institution, with most large programs being served by cooperatives among several universities. Other renewed EOC programs included Carl Albert State College, East Central University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Tulsa Community College and the University of Central Oklahoma.
“The power of a college degree or post-secondary education is transformational for individuals as well as the economic well-being of our state,” said RSU President Dr. Larry Rice. “The Educational Opportunity Center helps prepare participants for college, and that aligns with the university’s goal of increasing the number of Oklahomans with college degrees.”
EOC provides participants with admission and financial aid applications to any postsecondary college, university or career technology center in the country. For those who may not have finished high school, help is offered on secondary school re-entry or high school equivalency exam programs – or other alternative education programs for secondary school dropouts.
EOC projects also provide services to students traditionally underrepresented in postsecondary education, including first generation students, those with disabilities, and other disadvantaged groups, such as those who are incarcerated, may be homeless, veterans or those exiting foster care. All services are provided to eligible participants at no cost.
The RSU EOC program office is located on RSU’s Claremore campus and performs outreach to twenty-seven counties including Tulsa, Oklahoma City and other rural counties throughout Northeast Oklahoma.
For more information about RSU’s EOC program, visit www.rsu.edu/educational-opportunity-center or call 918-343-7760.