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EOP’s 38-year history at UCSB has been enriched by the thousands of alumni who have made their mark on campus and have gone out into the world to accomplish great things. Many alumni are in careers where they are giving back to those people and programs that helped them learn how to make positive changes in today’s world.
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Supporting Success
EOP alumni have become successful educators, administrators, physicians, attorneys, businesspersons, politicians, engineers, and social workers. Through these and other important career paths, EOP alumni are playing key roles in today’s society. Many have begun to send their own sons or daughters to follow in their footsteps at UCSB. This cycle is one of the objectives EOP has sought to realize, i.e., to make higher education available to family and friends who follow. |
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Creating EOP out of Student Activism
Early activists comprised of students, staff and faculty successfully directed the University of California to take action to safeguard the opportunity for first-generation and low-income students to complete a college education at UCSB. Many programs and services that sprang from these efforts—including EOP—are still in effect today. |
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Growing with the Times
Alumni of the ’60s and ’70s may recall that EOP started out as one department serving only three students in 1966. In time, the department evolved into separate components serving large numbers of students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. This component structure endured into the ’90s. |
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Reunifying
In 1997, the components unified to become one department again. The reunified department now provides many of EOP’s original programs and services, but to a much larger population (most recently 4,310 enrolled students in fall 2003). This fall, EOP is serving about 1,200 new freshmen and 500 new transfer students. |
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Creating a Common Vision
In the early ’90s, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Michael Young, and former
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Gene Awakuni (now Chancellor at the
University of Hawaii, West Oahu), asked each department in the Division of Student
Affairs to revise its mission statement to strengthen sensitivity and receptivity
to all students. Through this process, departments discovered that they shared many
of the same goals, which enabled the division to work toward a clearer common vision. |
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Keeping Current
Advances in technology within all departments have created an almost paperless campus. Although online access has strengthened the EOP’s ability to effectively and efficiently serve more students, we value and continue to maintain our personal one-to-one contact. |
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Serving Students in the new Millennium
Today, EOP’s new cultural services allow students to establish social and learning communities and appreciate theirs and other’s culture. To learn more about our cultural services, see information on this Web-site. |
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Continuing the Tradition of EOP Excellence
For six of the last ten years, a graduating EOP senior has received the campus’ highest student award, the Thomas More Storke Award. This award is annually given to a top student who has achieved excellence in academics, research, and community service. |
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Remaining Strong
The economic future of the University of California remains a puzzle. Despite the obstacles of rising registration fees, decreasing financial aid, and an unpredictable economy, EOP students and their families continue to demonstrate resilience and resourcefulness by not backing off from difficult challenges. |
EOP staff is accustomed to hearing good news about our alumni and their many successes. Hearing about our alumni creates a sense of pride, for alumni are the best evidence of success yet for all of our combined efforts. Thank you for keeping us informed about you and your family’s success. Your stories are the ones that must be told.
Please write us and let us know about your career and your family’s educational path. If you were at UCSB during EOP’s formation, we’d love to hear your recollections of that important time. Were you part of an EOP component? What did your component help you to achieve at UCSB? Are you a recent graduate? We don’t want to lose touch with you—we’d appreciate knowing what you are doing now.
What does the future hold?
Achieving Parity and Securing Educational Equity - The numbers of underrepresented students in higher education—and at UCSB—has not yet reached parity, despite efforts made in the 45 years since California’s Master Plan for Higher Education was developed. EOP will continue striving to make higher education available to all students. By serving as a mentor, providing career information to students pursuing your field, and numerous other ways, you can assist us in working toward educational equity
Building for the Future - Good news! Students representing about ten student affairs departments, including EOP, received approval in 2003 from the Student Fee Advisory Committee to pursue the development of a one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art building to be called the Student Resource Building. The building currently is in the design and development phase.
The future may hold additional obstacles to EOP, however, with your encouragement and support we know that we have the means to endure any challenge. We welcome your help and involvement as we continue our mission which is, first and foremost, to help EOP students achieve success.
Seeking Your Support – Budget reductions over the last decade have forced EOP to become more creative and resourceful. EOP is committed to providing the same level of service despite a shrinking budget, a reduced staff and an increase in students; we have persevered in meeting our objectives primarily because of a staff dedicated to “doing whatever it takes to get the job done”.
If you are in a position to support EOP, we would most gratefully welcome any gift you could make. To discuss support, please contact me at (805) 893-4089.
Sincerely,
Pete Villarreal, Executive Director
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