The Percy Ellis Sutton SEEK program at New York City College of Technology recognizes the potential in every student, regardless of his or her educational and economic background. Our program introduces students to the culture of higher education and provides services and resources intended to help students envision themselves as successful student learners.
The mission of the SEEK program is to:
Provide students with the tools they need to create their own success;
Empower students to assume greater responsibility for their learning and their lives;
Enhance students' awareness of themselves; and
Foster among students a sense of identity and community within the SEEK program and the college at large.
We believe that through the partnership formed by the students' hard work and our program's support, students will become active, engaged learners who graduate from college and pursue fulfilling, productive, and healthy lives.
The SEEK Program (Search for Education and Elevation and Knowledge) at CUNY was a major achievement and victory for the fierce civil rights struggles of the '60s. In New York state, civil rights leaders and communities saw their demands accepted that a college education be made available to young people long excluded because of ethnicity or economic status. The performance and achievements of this pioneering, carefully chosen group of students soon led to a policy of open admission in all CUNY colleges.
Through the years, SEEK and has served as a model for the development of innovative tutoring, financial aid, and support services throughout the university. Students in these programs understanding the importance of their roles have aided in bringing educational opportunities to their communities as well as in the creation of ethnic studies programs throughout CUNY.
SEEK today continues its mission to bring educational opportunities and enhanced economic opportunities to as many young people as possible. SEEK understands that in these difficult days, colleges must provide in addition to academic classes the tutorial, counseling, economic and other support services that students need to succeed. Thus they, and our whole society will benefit from having a confident, educated generation of young people with the potential to create economic self-sufficiency for themselves and their families.
