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December 20, 2010 (315) 498-2054 or (978) 404-9582

PRESIDENT DEBBIE SYDOW
AWARDED HONORARY DEGREE
FROM KEUKA COLLEGE

SYRACUSE, NY – At Keuka College’s mid-year conferral of degrees held yesterday, Onondaga Community College President Debbie L. Sydow, Ph.D. was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Don Wertman of Keuka College’s Board of Trustees. Dr. Sydow also delivered the address at the ceremony.

Dr. Sydow is the seventh president of Onondaga Community College, and has served since 2000. Complete Biography of Dr. Sydow

"Dr. Sydow is one of the finest community college presidents in the country," said Keuka College President Dr. Joseph G. Burke. "Under her leadership, Onondaga Community College has become one of the premier community colleges in the State University of New York system and one of best in the country. She is a perfect role model for our graduates, both in terms of her career accomplishments and commitment to community and professional service. On a personal note, she has played an instrumental role in the establishment and enhancement of Keuka's Accelerated Studies for Adults Program at OCC. This has enabled many OCC alumni and others to earn bachelor's and master's degrees from Keuka.”

Under Dr. Sydow’s leadership, Keuka College became the first college to partner with Onondaga Community College’s regional higher education center, which offers students the opportunity to earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees through partner institutions right on the Onondaga campus.

An active professional and civic leader, Dr. Sydow served as President of the Association for Presidents of Public Community Colleges in New York, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Institute for Community College Development at Cornell University, and Chair of the American Council on Education’s Commission on Leadership and Institutional Effectiveness. She serves on several community boards, including the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Development Association, ProLiteracy Worldwide, the Excellus Advisory Board, and the M&T Bank Syracuse Regional Board. In recognition of community and college leadership, Dr. Sydow has received the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) 2008 CEO of the Year Award for the Northeast Region, Women in Business Award, YWCA Diversity Achievers Award, Girls Scouts Women of Distinction Award, The Zonta Club of Syracuse’s Crystal Award, and The Post-Standard Achievement Award.

With nearly 12,000 students, Onondaga Community College is the second-largest undergraduate institution in Central New York and one of the nation’s fastest-growing community colleges. Founded in 1961, it is a comprehensive two-year college operating under the State University of New York (SUNY) and is locally sponsored by Onondaga County. Onondaga offers nearly 50 programs of study, bachelor and master’s degrees available on campus through a regional higher education center, and more than 80 transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Home to four-time NJCAA national champion men’s lacrosse and 2009 NJCAA women’s lacrosse teams, Onondaga has fifteen intercollegiate men’s and women’s athletic teams.

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