Hannah Ramirez Receives SUNY EOP Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence

Stony Brook University student Hannah Ramirez was one of 49 students statewide in SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) to receive the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence.

The award, now celebrating its seventh class of honorees, recognizes outstanding EOP students for their academic merit and perseverance.

The honor is named in memory of Norman R. McConney Jr. (1946–2016), a graduate of the University at Albany and former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY. McConney, alongside former Assembly Deputy Speaker Arthur O. Eve, helped create the EOP as a statewide program.

“Hannah is incredibly deserving of the SUNY Norman R. McConney Jr. Award,” said Pamela Matzner, director of Stony Brook’s Educational Opportunity Program/Advancement on Individual Merit (EOP/AIM). “Throughout her time at Stony Brook, she has demonstrated outstanding leadership, dedication and a deep commitment to uplifting others. She truly embodies the spirit and mission of EOP. Hannah has made a meaningful impact within the EOP community at Stony Brook University and has also served as a leader and powerful voice for EOP students across New York State. We are tremendously proud of her and excited to see the continued impact she will make.”

“Over nearly 60 years, SUNY’s EOP has supported tens of thousands of students and empowered them to achieve their full potential,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. in making the announcement on March 10. “I am honored to recognize this year’s recipients of the Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence. Our McConney award winners’ hard work as they move forward on their path to academic excellence and upward mobility makes them an inspiration for all of our students, faculty, staff and administrators.”

Since its inception in 1967, SUNY’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program has provided access, academic support and supplemental financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 58-year history, EOP has graduated nearly 90,000 students and served as one of the country’s most successful college access programs. EOP eligibility is based on income and academic readiness, and currently serves more than 9,000 students across 55 SUNY campuses.

SUNY recognizes Educational Opportunity Program students for their academic achievements in honor of Norman R. McConney Jr. due to his legacy of public service, which encompassed several statewide initiatives to benefit underrepresented New Yorkers, including programs to prepare minority high school students for careers in the sciences and medicine and scholarships for students underrepresented in the licensed professions. Mr. McConney is also credited with helping found the Black and Puerto Rican Legislative Caucus, which later became the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Asian Legislative Caucus.