Public

Ten Onondaga Community College faculty and staff members were named winners of SUNY Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence. The system-level honors acknowledge and provide recognition for consistently superior professional achievement and encourage the ongoing pursuit of excellence.

“Faculty and staff who receive the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence have served their students, fellow faculty and staff, campuses, and communities with the utmost distinction,” said SUNY Chancellor Nancy L. Zimpher. “It is a great honor to be able to recognize them.

Music has always been part of former Onondaga student Ben Mauro’s life. In middle school he played French horn and was a member of All-County Band. At age 16 he started playing guitar wherever and whenever he could and never stopped. Today he’s at the top of his profession, a highly sought-after live guitar player who has performed in some of the world’s biggest arenas on-stage with industry giants.

During a break in his hectic touring schedule Mauro returned to the Onondaga campus in May.

The OCC Foundation is proud to announce that a record 30 scholarships were awarded to students enrolled in classes this past summer. With limited financial aid available during the summer session, the need for summer funding is an important one. To support this important initiative, National Grid provided  OCC with generous funding and Kevin & Kathleen LaGrow, owners and operators of Learn As You Grow Child Care Centers, established a new summer scholarship endowment. Kathleen LaGrow is a 1979 graduate of OCC.

Students, families, and friends who attended OCC’s 51st Commencement ceremony were treated to a new exhibit inside the SRC Arena and Events Center. The accomplishments of 15 graduating students were highlighted in vibrant 30 inch by 40 inch posters positioned around the upper ring of the arena. From Nancy Stevens who earned her Onondaga degree 33 years after graduating from West Point, to Commencement speaker Melinda Agnew who worked tirelessly while raising three daughters as a single parent, it was a diverse and outstanding group of graduates.