OCC announces donation to help selected students attend school tuition-free

ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Onondaga Community College (OCC) will use a $250,000 donation from the Lillian Slutzker Foundation to pay for endowed scholarships “which are rare at community colleges.”

OCC’s new “Honors College” selects 15 students each year to attend the college tuition-free, the school said in a Friday news release.

The college also held a Monday morning press conference to announce the donation.

Students who apply to the “Honors College” must submit letters of recommendation, answer essay questions, and commit to attend OCC for two years. The college will then interview candidates before it makes final selections.

The event also marks the beginning of OCC’s $3 million-dollar fundraising campaign, called “Believe in Better.”

About Slutzker

Slutzker was a native of Hungary who immigrated to Syracuse with her husband Emmanuel in 1947. Two years later, they opened Manny’s, an apparel shop on Marshall Street, near the Syracuse University campus.

She sold the store in 1995 but it remains an “iconic part of the [university] area,” OCC said.

Slutzker died in 2016 at age 98. She never had the opportunity to attend college but it was “always her goal to help others with their education,” per the OCC news release.

About “Honors College”

The 15 students chosen for the inaugural class are attending OCC tuition-free. The school also provides a $300 stipend each semester for books and supplies. They’ll also participate in “group activities outside the classroom with fellow scholars,” the school said.

Referred to as “Honors Scholars,” they’ll have access to the Honors suite on the second floor of Coulter Hall. The space includes a common area with computers, a printer, a lounge area, and a study space with smart technology.

When “Honors College” students complete their coursework at OCC, they will be “much more likely to be accepted and receive scholarships to four-year institutions than they would have been out of high school,” OCC contends.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com