Institutions around New York state face some of the same unprecedented disruption: new technology designed to bring impact at scale, changes in local industry needs and a student body increasingly hungry for the promise of economic and social mobility through education.
At Onondaga Community College (OCC), we see that the prosperous future of our community requires us to challenge the status quo and lead significant change. Our commitment to transformation comes from all levels of the College, including the president, administrators, faculty and staff.
OCC was awarded a US DOE Title III Grant in 2018 to build institutional capacity to dramatically impact student success. The grant provides support to extend our current work with the SUNY Guided Pathways Consortium and to implement Guided Pathways to Success (GPS) for our students. The grant provides nearly $3 million over the next five years to support faculty and staff as they further expand our efforts to increase retention and degree completion rates.
We’re crystal clear on our mission. Our Lazer Focus: 2016-2021 Strategic Plan reflects the College’s ongoing commitment to ensuring equitable access and success for students through clear academic and career pathways, student-focused services, including advising, collaboration with educational and business partners in the community, and engaged employees. OCC’s key strategies to meet those goals, informed by the work of the Achieving the Dream network, focus on supporting a healthy transition to college, persistence through essential coursework, and retention to the completion of a degree or certificate.