About 500 students are expected to walk across the stage at Onondaga Community College Saturday to mark their achievements and a milestone in the school's history.
OCC is celebrating its 60th commencement and the first for Dr. Warren Hilton as the college's president. He says he can tell an endless number of stories about students who’ve overcome the odds to earn their degrees.
“I find myself tearing up every year at this time," Hilton said. "Because we have stories of someone who's single parent with multiple kids who was going to have to drop out of school, but because of our emergency funds here, didn't have to drop out of school, and now she's going to be able to walk across the stage in front of those three kids, right? That's changing the whole family's life.”
Hilton says the children learn that they, too, can succeed even under the most challenging circumstances. He says one of the biggest challenges for community colleges and even four-year institutions is, in fact, student retention.
Hilton says they’ve actually hired a student success staff to help track student progress.
“We have a lot of part-time students," Hilton said. "And when you go to school part-time, life happens. Most of what you've seen us do over the last, you know, couple years, is really about helping our students not only get here, but retain and walk across the stage.”
Hilton says that can also lead to higher enrollment, which was up this spring, and appears to be trending higher for fall. He credits a revised curriculum tied to the semiconductor industry, and coursework in fields with critical worker shortages such as construction management and health care.
Saturday’s commencement ceremony begins at 11 am. Earlier in the morning, OCC will hold a nurse pinning ceremony for about 30 students who’ve earned their degrees.
