Educational Opportunity Fund

EOF students attend Summer Academy and form strong friendships to help them through their first year of college.
EOF students attend Summer Academy and form strong friendships to help them through their first year of college.
Community service is an important part of EOF Summer Academy, such as this 2021 project to collect trash at the Absecon Lighthouse.
Community service is an important part of EOF Summer Academy, such as this 2021 project to collect trash at the Absecon Lighthouse.
Then-director (now President) Harvey Kesselman advising students through the EOF Program in the 1980s.
Then-director (now President) Harvey Kesselman advising students through the EOF Program in the 1980s.

In 2018, Stockton celebrated the 50th anniversary of the legislation that created the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program, an initiative that has helped thousands of students obtain a college degree. That same year, Stockton welcomed two groups of EOF students, 75 in Galloway and the first 50 to its new Atlantic City program.

The EOF program provides financial assistance and support services to students from educationally and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. But, just as important, the program provides a safety net, a counseling center, and a family of support. Students share lasting connections with their EOF cohort, as they arrive on campus for the Summer Academy before their first year for intensive classes, service opportunities, and team-building events.

Stockton President Harvey Kesselman led the EOF program at Stockton in the 1980s and said it was the lessons and experiences he had with that program that helped prepare him for his role as President. Stockton EOF students have become active leaders throughout campus: in the classroom, student clubs, community organizations, and as Student Trustees.

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