Onondaga Community College (OCC) is an accredited, two-year educational institution that serves Onondaga County, New York, at two campuses. Part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, OCC is one of 30 locally sponsored community colleges in New York State.
History
The college was founded in 1961 in Syracuse, New York. OCC opened its first Residence Halls in August 2006.
Campuses
The college has two campuses. The main campus is on West Seneca Turnpike in the hamlet of Onondaga Hill, west of Syracuse; OCC@Liverpool (formerly called the North Site) is on Route 57 in Liverpool, New York.
Organization and administration
Onondaga Community College is a college of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and one of 30 locally sponsored community colleges throughout New York State.
Academic profile
The College is a Training Center for the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium.
Student life
Arts
The music program is one of OCC's most well-known and it offers various opportunities. The faculty is made up of accomplished musicians, such as members of Symphoria (previously the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra) and of the Society for New Music. The school offers extra-curricular activities, such as an indoor drumline, which has competed in the WGI world prelims in the Independent Open Class. The school holds music festivals such as JazzFest and the Central New York Day of Percussion, where world class acts such as Victor Wooten, Tommy Igoe, Aretha Franklin, and others come to perform and to give clinics.
Media
Students in the Electronic Media Communications department learn how to tape video, to edit, to direct, and to produce shows for television, many of which are broadcast across the campus' television network. Students can choose one of three curricula: television, digital audio, or digital media. The facilities of EMC include a full TV studio with Program Control and Master Control rooms, audio recording rooms, and non-linear editing (NLE) and digital audio workstation (DAW) labs. The EMC program also offers students the opportunity of taking part in its student run internet radio station, known as Supermix. The station follows an alternative and independent rock format and it also includes various specialty shows that range from sports, hip hop, metal, and country. The station also broadcasts Onondaga Lazers home games and. The station is broadcast through its website Supermix.us, iTunes, the campus' television network, and the Tune In app on smart phones.
Athletics
OCC's athletic teams are nicknamed the Lazers. Several of Onondaga's athletic teams are consistently nationally ranked. Onondaga is a member of the Mid-State Athletic Conference.
- Lacrosse
The 2006 and 2007 men's lacrosse team won the NJCAA national championship in May 2006 and 2007. It has been said that the team may have had the most dominant season in college lacrosse history, finishing the season with a record of 18-0, and 33-game winning streak. They outscored their opponents 445-80. Head Coach Chuck Wilbur has compiled a career record of 83-11. Onondagas 2008-2009 Men's and women's lacrosse teams won the national championships for JUCO. The men's lax (lacrosse) team won the NJCAA National Championship in 2010. In the 2015 season, the Men's Lacrosse Team won its seventh straight NJCAA National Championship with its fifth straight perfect season. The men's lacrosse team set the lacrosse record for consecutive wins with 107 wins, spanning 2010 through 2016.
- Tennis
In 2008 The Men's Tennis Team won their first National Championship, after being ranked in the top 5 nationally the past 4 years. The Men's Tennis Team went 24-0 with 1st singles through 6th singles winning their league championship respectively. Head Coach John LaRose was inducted in the NJCAA Hall of Fame as one of the most successful coaches in NJCAA history. 4 out of 6 starters were individual national champions and went on to play on some top college teams. John Larose is currently under investigation for allegedly groping 3 student athletes in 2011.
- Basketball
The men's basketball program won the 1993 NJCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship. Erik Saroney became the new men's basketball coach in April 2016*. Mike Wheeler is entering his fifth season as the women's basketball coach.
- Football
In 2011 alumnus Derek Demperio started an unaffiliated club football program at OCC known as the Onondaga Ogres. The club participated in its first intercollegiate football game on September 17, 2011 against the Clarkson University Golden Knights losing 25-12. The club gained recognition as a designated club sport from OCC under the rules of the NJCAA the following year and changed its name to the Onondaga Community College Football Club. In 2013 OCC defeated the Southwestern Connecticut Prep. Grizzlies 18-15 in overtime to win the "Yankee Bowl" and the Yankee Collegiate Football Conference (YCFC) Championship. The 2013 squad would then defeat the Columbus State Cougars 22-14 in the Intercollegiate Club Football Federation (ICFF) "Canton Bowl" capturing its first National Championship.
- Ice Hockey
The men's ice hockey team is a member of the Upstate New York Club Hockey League, having joined in 2013. The Lazers are the only community/junior college member of the UNYCHL. However, OCC did not field a team in the 2016-2017 season and the status of the team going forward is up in the air.
Notable alumni
- Laurie Halse Anderson, author
- Grace Jones, singer, model and actress
- Mike Randall, actor and meteorologist
References
External links
- Official website
- "Henninger's Erik Saroney named men's basketball coach at Onondaga Community College," Syracuse.com.