SUNY Irises

For decades, thee Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) program was designed to increase the number of economically disavantaged students who are pursuing professional licensure and careers in mathematics, science, technology, and health related fields, specifically the profession of optometry. As New York and the country is becoming increasingly diverse, our program has made significant in-roads in making optometry more visible to students seeking entry into the health professions – and helping them get there.

As these changes take place, we seek to continue our efforts and to expand on it by providing services to those students who have made a commitment to enter this profession. As of now, one of our goals in Student Affairs is to find ways to support both former undergraduate CSTEP students who has now matriculated at SUNY Optometry, but also incoming students who are in the high-need category.

As of 2020, our director successfully secured funding from the New York State Education Department to include in the CSTEP grant funds to establish SUNY Irises.

Here are some benefits for qualified* students in our program:

  • NBEO Boards Part I, II, and III support
  • Professional conferences support
  • Participation in NOSA’s Clinical Tutoring program
  • Clinical manuals when transitioning to the clinic
  • Take-a-Break Events for midterms and finals
  • Study groups
  • Be matched with a URM mentor in the 3rd and 4th year
  • CSTEP-specific workshops and events

*Awards will be given based on the degree of need, as well as students’ level of involvement in our vibrant community. For board preparation grants, we will also consider the students’ essay as well.

Eligibility:

  • New York state resident
  • In accordance with New York State Education Department guidance, student eligibility determinations are based on indicators of economic disadvantage, in alignment with applicable state and federal guidelines. Based on this chart.

We are currently focusing on serving our former students first, and will slowly enroll more students as our resources expand.

SUNY Irises Application is currently closed