Onondaga Community College

Onondaga Community College is a two-year educational institution that provides higher education opportunities to students throughout Onondaga County. The main campus is spanned over 280 acres of hills and countryside on the outskirts of the city of Syracuse on the West Seneca Turnpike. There is an additional campus located in Liverpool, slightly to the north of the main campus. It is a college of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, meaning that it is one of the thirty sponsored community colleges spread throughout the state.

Onondaga offers one-year certificates in human services, fire protection technology, mechanics, law enforcement, early child care, and more. The wide selection of associate degree options range from accounting and business administration to health information technology and nursing. The music program is one of the college's most recognized programs, with the faculty being comprised of accomplished musicians from the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and Society for New Music. Nine buildings across the wooded terrain house nearly 50 different education programs, along with four state of the art residence halls to provide the full college experience for students.

Although the college is accredited for awarding students certificates and associate degrees, OCC also has unique partnerships with surrounding four-year baccalaureate degree institutions. Of the 12,797 students on the school's campus, around 65 percent transfer to a four-year college after graduation to achieve even higher dreams. With Onondaga's regional higher education center, these students can go on to earn bachelor's degrees from superior surrounding schools, including SUNY Cobleskill, SUNY Empire State College, and Keuka College to just name a few. The school is proud to distinguish their over 40,000 alumni students that have gone on to make tremendous strides in the workforce. Some of the most notable alumni to succeed at Onondaga include writer Laurie Halse Anderson and District Judge Sandra L. Townes.

Onondaga Community College is well-known for being a diverse educational learning environment, with students ranging from age 17 to 70. Not only is individuality recognized, it is encouraged throughout the array of campus organizations and clubs to enrich student life. Learning communities are also a way for freshmen students to make friends fast and build supportive relationships with other students taking the same classes. Students can add an exciting international dimension to their education through the overseas study abroad programs held in the summer or during the semester too.

Several of the athletic teams at Onondaga, nicknamed the Lazers, are nationally ranked. In both 2006 and 2007, the OCC men's lacrosse team brought home the NJCAA National Championship after dominating opponents 445-80 throughout the seasons. In 2008, the men's tennis team was victorious in claiming their first National Championship, after being consistently ranked in the top five nationally. In addition, the college offers intercollegiate or intramural baseball, football, basketball, soccer, softball, and volleyball to get students involved no matter what their interests are.