FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Court, Public Affairs

April 27, 2009 (315) 498-2054

FULL TUITION SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

OPEN TO LOCAL FEMALE HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

SYRACUSE, NY – The Data Key Communications – Vera House scholarship, together with all available federal and state grants-in-aid, covers the full cost of tuition and fees, on campus room and board, as well as books and supplies for one full
academic year. It is renewable for a second year of study. Applications for the 2009-10 academic year are now being accepted.

The award was established in 2007 by Data Key Communications, Inc. of Dewitt, NY in collaboration with Vera House to empower women living in a world impacted by domestic violence to live safe, self-sufficient lives through higher education at Onondaga Community College. The scholarship is funded entirely by Data Key Communications. Judy Flanagan is president and CEO of Data-Key Communications and she also serves on the OCC Foundation Board of Directors.

“This scholarship is so important to Onondaga because it carries out one of our core values of transforming the lives of our students,” said Thomas A. Burton, Executive Director of the OCC Foundation, Inc. “Thanks to Judy Flanagan and Data Key Communications, we are able to put an education into the hands of those who need it most.” The OCC Foundation administers over one hundred scholarships that directly support Onondaga students.

Applicants must be female high school seniors, attending any public, private, or parochial high school in Onondaga County. In addition to applying for admission to Onondaga Community College, applicants must also submit an essay on what domestic violence and/or sexual abuse means to them or how it has affected their lives.

Applications are available at high school guidance offices, at Onondaga Community College’s Student Central (Campus Map), and
Vera House.

Applications are due by Friday, May 8, 2009 and should be sent to:

Onondaga Community College

Financial Aid Office: Attn: Nancy Connery

4585 West Seneca Turnpike

Syracuse, NY 13215

For questions or additional information, contact Nancy Connery in the Financial Aid office at (315) 498-2291 or go to sunyocc.edu and click on “Admissions” and then “Financial Aid.”

With more than 11,000 students, Onondaga Community College is the second-largest undergraduate institution in Central New York and was named one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country by Community College Week. 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 partnership with Keuka College, and more than 80 other transfer agreements with four-year colleges and universities. Home to the 2008 NJCAA national champion men’s tennis team and the 2006 and 2007 NJCAA national champion men’s lacrosse team, Onondaga has nine intercollegiate men’s and women’s athletic teams.

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