History

The Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center was established in 1966 by the State University of New York as the Urban Center in Manhattan as a result of an act of the New York State Legislature and has been administered by the Borough of Manhattan Community College since establishment.

In 1966 four Urban Centers were established in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Albany and Buffalo to offer “postsecondary school education and training for persons who would have difficulty obtaining such training in existing four-year or community colleges.” We honor and thank the four initial leaders of the four Urban Centers including Mr. John Work of the Urban Center in Manhattan, for without their efforts we wouldn’t have the strong foundation that we have today.

In 1969, seven Cooperative College Centers from Buffalo to Westchester were created.  In 1973, the Urban Centers merged with the Cooperative College Centers to form Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC). The Urban Center in Manhattan became the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center and moved into its current location, the Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. State Office Building, in 1974.

Today, there are ten Educational Opportunity Centers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Westchester, Long Island, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo and two outreach centers in Schenectady and the Bronx. The upstate locations are administered by SUNY and those in New York City are administered by a campus of the City University of New York (CUNY). On average the overwhelming majority (70%) of Manhattan EOC students self-identify as female and Black/African American with 30-40% identifying as Latino/Latina/Latinx or Hispanic. 

For 57 years, the Manhattan EOC has had a rich history of helping New Yorkers improve their English, earn their High School Equivalency diploma, and navigate a pathway to attend college and explore career opportunities.  For over twenty years, since 2001, the Advanced Technology Training and Information Networking (ATTAIN) Lab was established to provide the Harlem community with free access to new technologies, education, and technology training.  Serving about 500 New Yorkers a year, the ATTAIN Lab currently provides the community with access to learn or improve over twenty languages, development employability skills, and become certified in Microsoft® software, and/or QuickBooks.

One of the initial programs of the Manhattan EOC was the College Adaptor program, which provided the academic supports necessary to transition to college for adults who had been out of school or work. Continuing in this tradition, the Manhattan EOC offers a College Connections program for all college bound students in our programs and community residents.  Each year we support 1,000 students and computer residents with the college application process from start to finish including the FAFSA and other financial aid applications, accepting the admissions offer, and enrolling in classes.

In 2015, Anthony Watson was appointed Executive Director of the Manhattan EOC.  Watson holds a master’s degree in social work from Hunter College/CUNY as well as a training certification in Seminar in Field Instruction.

Today, the Manhattan EOC offers robust Career Trainings for individuals looking to work in healthcare, including Certified EKG Training, Certified Phlebotomy Training, Certified Nursing Assistant, Certified Electronic Health Records (EHR), Certified Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA) and Direct Support Professional (DSP).  In addition, Hospitality training, Security Officer Training, and OSHA training are offered. The Manhattan EOC offers post-secondary and employment placement assistance for those who complete their program.