Milton Santiago ’78 gives CUNY students a sense of community

When Milton Santiago ‘78 transferred to Binghamton University after spending his first year at the University at Albany, he discovered a community. Since then, he has spent his professional life in social work and higher education working to give students that sense of community in their own lives and on their own campuses.

Since graduating from Binghamton with degrees in both sociology and Latin studies, Santiago has gone on to earn his master’s degree in social work and doctorate of education, focusing on higher education and higher education administration. In 1993, as part of the 25th anniversary celebration of Educational Opportunity Programs (EOP) across New York state, Santiago was selected from a field of all of New York’s EOP program graduates as one of the state’s 25 Most Outstanding EOP Graduates in the history of the program.

Santiago credits EOP, at least in part, for his success as an undergraduate.

“EOP provided the counseling, both academic and personal in terms of just someone that intimately cared about your success,” said Santiago. “To those of us who were [first-generation students] muddling through the college experience, that was critical.”

Influenced by his experiences with the Binghamton EOP, Santiago began his career in higher education as an Educational Opportunity Fund (New Jersey’s equivalent to the New York EOP program) at Montclair State University.

“It was the influence of the individuals in the Binghamton program that made me want to pursue a professional career providing the same types of services to others,” said Santiago.

Currently serving as interim president at City University of New York (CUNY) Bronx Community College, Santiago has made it a point to provide the same kinds of support that he received during his time at Binghamton to the students at his institution.

“From food insecurity to mental health issues, or even supporting the students in the CUNY system who are parents themselves, we’ve put support in place for those students,” said Santiago. “It’s different today than it was when I was in school, but the goals are still the same.”

Santiago has stayed true to his roots, returning to Binghamton to participate in the EOP 55th Anniversary Celebration at Homecoming in October 2023 as the program honored Vanessa Young ’78 and one of Santiago’s EOP counselors and mentors, Westley Van Dunk ’74. He even purchased tickets for current EOP students to attend the ceremony as well.

“It was important for me to be there to celebrate my classmate, Vanessa, and my mentor, Westley,” said Santiago, “But I also wanted our current EOP students to be there and share this moment with the EOP alumni, the graduates of the program. For our current students, I wanted them to see that these were individuals that succeeded with the help of the EOP and that they could maybe get a glimpse of their future selves. It meant a lot to me to be able to give back and give those students that opportunity.”

As a higher education administrator, Santiago recognizes the importance of programs like the EOP and hopes to continue to beat the drum for the students that these programs support.

“Investing in students in the EOP pays off in the long run, not only for an institution but for society as a whole,” said Santiago. “When we educate those with limited opportunities, we can create a generational benefit. Not only are they achieving excellence, but their children are likely achieving excellence because of the example they have set and so on. That has certainly been the case for my family.”

Santiago credits Binghamton University and the EOP for much of his success and has shown his thanks in his dedication to the program.

“I’m very grateful to Binghamton and the EOP program,” he said. “If it wasn’t for that program, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”