Central California Educational Opportunity Center
History
Central California Educational Opportunity Center is a TRIO outreach program funded through the U.S. Department of Education and sponsored by Fresno State that provides services to over 1,300 participants each year living within our Central Valley. We are dedicated to assisting individuals with a desire to further their education, gain knowledge about post-secondary educational options and financial aid opportunities that will allow them to pursue their dreams.
Our goal is to increase the number of under-represented populations in post-secondary educational institutions, especially low income and first-generation students. Additionally, we focus on providing services to participants from both urban and rural areas, single parents or Heads of Households, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, Veterans, aged-out foster youth, and under-resourced populations.
| # | Facts and Milestones |
|---|---|
| 1. | Educational Opportunity Center programs were established as part of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to help underrepresented individuals gain access to colleges and universities. |
| 2. | In 1976 Central California EOC (CCEOC) was funded by the U.S Department of Education and established through the Fresno State Foundation with continued funding through 2021. |
| 3. | Each year we provide services to over 1,300 individuals with over 858 or 2/3 of the total being BOTH low-income and first-generation students, and the majority are 28 years or older. |
| 4. | For over 40 years CCEOC has provided services to residents of our Central Valley desiring to continue their education and enter post-secondary educational programs. |
| 5. | From its inception in 1976 to today, CCEOC has assisted more than 46,250 Central Valley residents and their families gain knowledge on accessing and financing higher education. |
| 6. | CCEOC provided services to over 6,000 program participants during our last grant cycle (2016-2020), including 250 identifying as having limited English proficiency. |
| 7. | Through our community outreach efforts this Grant Cycle, CCEOC is providing post-secondary education information to over 3,500 individuals each year to ensure equitable access to higher education for themselves, family members, friends, and neighbors. |
| 8. | During this time, we have helped over 1,000 individuals enroll into post-secondary educational programs leading to vocational certificates and/or degrees (2 and 4 year), with the majority entering as older students. |