Empire State University Alum Wins Norman R. McConney Jr. Award 

Empire State University alumnus Daniel Shy ‘25, a recent graduate of the human services program, has received this year’s Norman R. McConney Jr. Award for Student Excellence. The Brooklyn resident is one of 49 students in SUNY’s Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) to take home the honor, which celebrates EOP students for academic achievement and perseverance. Named for the late Norman R. McConney Jr., a former assistant dean at SUNY who helped establish the EOP in 1967, the annual award was conferred in a ceremony on March 9.  

“I was lost for words,” Shy says of the moment he learned he won the award. “It was surreal.” 

Shy began his studies at SUNY Empire in the fall of 2023, three years after he earned an associate degree in general education at SUNY Broome Community College. He credits a friend with encouraging him to pursue his bachelor’s and helping him find the online institution. Once he enrolled at SUNY Empire, Shy says the university made it possible for him to attend classes while maintaining a job.  

“They helped me work around my schedule,” he recalls. “That’s how I was able to get acclimated at SUNY Empire.” 

Now that he’s finished his degree, Shy plans to continue his role as a youth care advocate for a nonprofit that helps young adults access supportive housing and other services. He’s also looking ahead to the future; formerly a paraprofessional, Shy aims to work in a school system as a student advisor or counselor.  

“I’ve been working with kids for 10 years now,” he says. “I feel like that’s where my passion is.”