LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Rider University's Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) will host a one-day academic conference intended to highlight the long-term success of the program on Friday, November 20 in the Student Center Fireside Lounge.

Sponsored by the EOP and the department of English at Rider and funded by the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund, the focus of the conference will be relating academic achievement within the EOP to larger concerns at Rider, such as affirmative action, multiculturalism, and academic standards.

"We want to demonstrate the success, excellence, and longevity of the program and others like it." said Rubin Joyner, director of Rider's EOP. "The success of these EOP programs is an investment in our country's future."

The conference will begin with opening remarks by Rider President Bart Luedeke and Anthony Tillman, president of the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund Professional Association, from 9:30 to 10 a.m. The session will honor three members of the Rider community for their contributions to the EOP: Dr. Howard Schwartz, chairperson of Rider's department of communications; State Senator Shirley Turner, associate director of career services; and Whitney Bullock, vice president of federal tax audits for American Express and member of Rider's class of 1970.

Among the featured presenters during the day are syndicated columnist Roger Hernandez, who will give the luncheon keynote speech on "Confusion Made Masterpiece: The Mess of Hispanic Identity" from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., and Lana Hooks, director of the Global Leadership Institute at Bloomfield College, who will speak on "Perspectives on Quality Education: Developing Shared Achievement Levels for All Students" from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

For more information on the conference or the EOP program, call (609) 896-5381.

The EOP, implemented in 1968 by Rider and six other institutions, is a state program that helps low-income residents attend college. It provides educational opportunity for students who may normally be denied an education due to academic preparation, financial resources, environmental circumstances, or lack of role models to aspire to higher educational goals. The EOP provides academic support with financial aid assistance. Students are admitted into the EOP when they have demonstrated academic readiness and potential, determination, a genuine desire to learn, and a need for financial assistance.

In addition, a recent grant from American Express supported the creation of a five-week pre-freshman summer program. The program will include a trip to New York to see a Broadway production and a museum visit.

Rider University's Lawrenceville campus is located five miles south of Princeton and three miles north of Trenton on Route 206 in Lawrence Township, NJ. The campus is one-half mile south of exit 7A of Interstate 95.