About the College

Who we are

Onondaga Community College, Central New York's partner in education for success, is a two-year college located on a 280-acre campus in Syracuse, NY. OCC is a SUNY (State University of New York) school and is locally sponsored by Onondaga County. We are the first public college in the nation to partner with Barnes & Noble College on the "Box of Books program which provides students with flat-rate, predictable pricing for textbooks and technology. OCC is an recognized nationally as “Military Friendly” and “Best For Vets” for our service to Student Veterans. OCC’s chapter of international honor society Phi Theta Kappa is repeatedly recognized as the best in New York State and among the highest performing internationally out of nearly 1,300 chapters. We are proud partners in education with Micron Technology, and Amazon's Career Choice program which provides its employees with a tuition-free path to the associate degree of their choosing. A report titled “The Economic Value of Onondaga Community College” shows students enjoy an attractive 21.7% rate of return on their educational investment. For every dollar of support from state and local governments, taxpayers see a return of $3.90 on their investments. The annual average rate of return for taxpayers is 9.3%. OCC’s 19 athletics teams have won 17 national championships.

Mission + Vision

Mission

Onondaga Community College is Central New York’s partner in education for success. Achieving our mission through:

Student Access, Retention, Completion, Transfer
Academic Excellence
Student Engagement and Support
Career and Workforce Advancement
Responsible Stewardship of Resources
Community Engagement

Vision

Onondaga Community College will be recognized as a dynamic leader in higher education and as one of the nation's most innovative community colleges.

* OCC’s current mission and vision were updated as part of the college’s mission review and strategic planning process in 2014-16 and approved as part of the 2016-21 Strategic Plan by the OCC Board of Trustees on June 21, 2016. The mission and vision were reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees with the approval of the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan on November 28, 2023 (see Strategic Plan for more information). The mission and vision were reviewed by OCC’s College Leadership Council in May 2025, with no additional changes or updates recommended

Our Core Values

Student First – Keep students at the center of all we do.
Learning – Embrace the lifelong pursuit of knowledge and free expression of ideas in a safe environment to advance the individual and the community.
Excellence – Strive for continual improvement and innovation to seek our highest potential.
Diversity – Enrich learning through an inclusive campus environment that respects human dignity and difference.
Community – Foster active and productive participation in building a mutually supportive environment for members of the campus and broader communities.
Responsibility – Build a culture of integrity and accountability to develop both self and others.

Institutional Learning Outcomes

An education at Onondaga inspires students to:

Learn

Skills and acquire knowledge that will benefit them in their academic, professional, and personal lives
Responsible ways to gather information and use technology
Effective ways to exchange ideas with others