Educational Opportunity and Diversity

Contact Information
Contact Information

The Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity (EOD) serves the City University of New York by promoting excellence through diversity in doctoral education and the professoriate. EOD oversees financial and educational initiatives for admitted Graduate Center Ph.D. students from underrepresented groups, including the Provost's Enhancement Fellowship, Harrison Fellowship, and CUNY Pipeline Program.

Our Mission

The mission of EOD is to provide leadership and support to academic programs in the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the doctoral programs at the Graduate Center. This mission is not only directly linked to the mission of the University at large, but also to the mission of the Graduate Center, which is to "strive also to enhance access to doctoral education for traditionally underrepresented groups." At present, EOD fulfills its mission through a series of programs designed to recruit underrepresented groups into CUNY doctoral programs and to provide financial, academic, and social support to promote their retention and degree completion.

EOD aims to:

  • increase the number of students from underrepresented groups pursuing the doctoral degree across disciplines at the Graduate Center;
  • provide academic support in the form of workshops and mentoring to bolster degree completion;
  • provide opportunities for the professional growth of program participants and postdoctoral fellows; and
  • offer opportunities for social and academic networking, both locally and nationally.

In 1970, the Graduate Center established the Office of Expanded Educational Opportunity (OEEO), coordinated by Mr. Dean K. Harrison, to provide leadership in the recruitment and retention of minority students in doctoral programs. The office later included the MAGNET Program (Minority Access/Graduate Networking), which launched in 1990. In addition, OEEO, as an entity in Student Affairs, maintained records on minority recruitment, admission, financial aid, and academic progress. In 1995, the office was reorganized and its name was changed to the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs (OEODP). Currently, EOD (shortened from OEODP in 2014) is under the direction of the executive officer (EO), Professor Herman Bennett, and reports to the associate provost for academic affairs.

CUNY Pipeline Fellows

CUNY Pipeline Program

The Pipeline Program is a CUNY-wide initiative designed to provide educational and financial support to CUNY undergraduates from groups currently underrepresented in our nation's universities who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in preparation for college-level teaching and advanced research.

Learn more about the Pipeline Program
CUNY Pipeline Fellows participating in a lecture

Provost's Enhancement Fellowship

The Provost’s Enhancement Fellowship is designed to recruit and retain doctoral students from underrepresented groups. Each year, 18 five-year fellowships) are awarded on a competitive basis to applicants from underrepresented groups.

Learn more about this fellowship
library-male student-searching-shelves

Harrison Fellowship

Harrison Fellowship awards are one-year dissertation support grants of $10,000 made to Level 2 and 3 students from underrepresented groups, with a goal of helping these students make timely progress toward their defense.

Learn more about this fellowship

Contact Us

Martin Ruck

Executive Officer, Educational Opportunity and Diversity; Professor, Urban Education; Professor, Psychology; Professor, Africana Studies

Eric Frankson

Assistant Program Officer, Educational Opportunity and Diversity