Tompkins Cortland Community College’s Lexie Loveless has been recognized by the SUNY Board of Trustees and Chancellor John King Jr. with the Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for Student Excellence. The award recognizes outstanding Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students for their academic merit and perseverance. It was presented at a ceremony in Troy last week.

Loveless, who is from Groton, graduated from TC3 in December 2025 with a general studies degree. She plans to continue her education at SUNY Delhi in their event management program.

“Over nearly 60 years, SUNY’s EOP has supported tens of thousands of students and empowered them to achieve their full potential,” said SUNY Chancellor John B. King, Jr. “I am honored to recognize this year's recipients of the Norman R. McConney, Jr. Award for Student Excellence. Our McConney award winners’ hard work as they move forward on their path to academic excellence and upward mobility makes them an inspiration for all of our students, faculty, staff, and administrators.” 

Loveless is the second TC3 student to receive this honor, which is named in honor of Norman R. McConney, Jr., a former assistant dean for special programs at SUNY who helped create EOP as a statewide program.  Since its inception in 1967, SUNY’s Arthur O. Eve Educational Opportunity Program has provided access, academic support, and supplemental financial assistance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. In its 59-year history, EOP has graduated more than 90,000 students and evolved into one of the country's most successful college access programs.

Photo (l to r): TC3 DIrector of EOP Shadayvia Wallace; Award-winner Lexie Loveless; TC3 President Amy Kremenek