FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Court, Public Affairs s3

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Kim Court, Public Affairs November 30, 2010 (315) 498-2054 or (978) 404-9582

Onondaga Community College and President Debbie L. Sydow Receive 2010 President’s Award from CNY Chapter of American Institute of Architects

SYRACUSE, NY – In recognition of the College’s efforts to integrate sustainability principles into its Strategic Plan, Onondaga Community College President Debbie L. Sydow, Ph.D. recently accepted the 2010 President’s Award by the American Institute of Architects, CNY Chapter on behalf of the College. Peter Sorber, AIA CNY President, presented the award to Dr. Sydow at the annual “Celebration of Architecture” dinner on November 13.

“Each year, the president of the AIA CNY Chapter has the great pleasure of awarding the President’s Award for efforts or achievements in an area of personal interest. My interest is in the preservation of our environment and, accordingly, sustainable architecture and building construction,” said Mr. Sorber. “We’ve watched the College blossom over the years and believe that Dr. Sydow’s initiative to integrate many of these principles into the College’s strategic plan and her participation in the effort to move toward a sustainable future merit acknowledgement through this award.”

In 2007, Dr. Sydow signed the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. Since then, many important campus initiatives have occurred which visibly demonstrate the College’s ongoing commitment, including:

 Implementation of a Sustainable Landscape Plan  Nearly 30 percent of the College’s campus electricity is purchased from renewable sources  Less paper, more electronic communication mediums  “Green office suites” that serve as models to the campus in their recycling efforts  Compost site and compost collection stations  Non-disposable table settings for events  Carry-in/carry-out policy for classrooms  Sustainability-related campus events  LEED requirement for all buildings including the new SRC Arena, which is scheduled to open in late 2011.

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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