Ed.D. student invited to White House, highlighting National Partnership for Student Success  

(SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — NOVEMBER 7, 2024) Danielle Emeny’s work with the National Partnership for Student Success is reaching beyond the State University of New York campuses. Emeny, a student in Empire State University’s Doctor of Education program, was recently invited to the White House by President Biden and Vice President Harris to celebrate the success of that partnership and paint the way forward for educational equity across the country.  

The National Partnership for Student Success is a public-private partnership led by the U.S. Department of Education, AmeriCorps, and Johns Hopkins University, that focuses on evidence-based student support. The partnership connects school districts with local, state, and federal agencies and resources while connecting students to community and service-oriented activities. Emeny helped pilot the program at SUNY Upstate as a member of their professional staff, in collaboration with staff at SUNY Onondaga Community College and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.  

“Together, we organized our student employees into federal work study positions that meet the National Partnership for Student Success goals such as tutoring, post-secondary education coaching, and several other categories,” Emeny said.  

Emeny was able to organize partnerships with NYS GEARUP, OnPoint for College, the New York State Financial Aid Administrators Association, the Higher Education Services Corporation, Reading Buddies, Book Buddies, and United Way. Their involvement has increased the number of adult volunteers in pre-school through grade 12 settings and increased federal work study spending to 15 percent towards community service.  

Educational equity is at the center of Emeny’s personal, professional, and academic goals. At Empire State University, Emeny is working toward a Doctor of Education degree and focusing on research surrounding graduate students with disabilities in higher education. This is a personal mission for Emeny, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2022 shortly before her studies began.  

“This changed how my brain processed data as well as nearly obliterated my ability to read printed text,” Emeny said. “Fortunately, I can read for short periods of time on a computer if the text is inverted white on a black background, but this sudden shift in my adult life made me realize that accessible does not necessarily mean equal. I wish to focus on this topic to make sure that other students who need support services can get services that are useful in a timely fashion and to make accessibility mean access.” 

Emeny also represented SUNY as the system was recognized for having the highest campus involvement across the partnership, with 14 campuses under the coalition. As this work continues, Emeny said she hopes to bring the program to other campuses and bring financial resources to other students that could help keep them in school.  

Emeny said they are planning events for next fall to connect grade school students with college resources and possible opportunities at SUNY Upstate, OCC, and ESF as well as other SUNY campuses.  

“This will need to be a multi-day event where programs of study and trade options will be showcased to the students based on their interests indicated in the initial intake survey,” Emeny said. “I am in the process of working on few grant applications now to make that hope a reality.”  

Emeny said these events and connecting students to resources before they graduate high school can help connect students to career options closely linked to their interests, something Emeny believes could help her community in Syracuse in particular.  

“With more students graduating and having a sense of purpose and wrap-around services such as tutoring, mentoring, and access to additional evidence-based supports, it is our hope to pull the district and city out of its poverty cycle,” Emeny said.