By Trey Redfield SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Since its establishment in 1960, Onondaga Community College has been home to nine presidents.
But by the start of the 2022-2023 academic year, OCC will be home to ten.
President Casey Crabill informed her board of trustees that she is retiring on Tuesday, according to a press release sent out by OCC. She says she wants to focus on her.
“I’ll be 66 at the end of the academic year,” Crabill said. “I have things that I would like to do for me.”
Someone who showed up to OCC right around when Crabill did was OCC director of communications, Roger Mirabito. He says her experience in academics helped her thrive on the hills of Onondaga.
“She’s been a community college president for about 25 years or so,” Mirabito said. “Her ability to deal with all sorts of people, she’s one in a million. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have her.”
Her positivity also has spread across the student body. Freshman Caitlyn Souhey says the reason why she chose OCC was because of the words Crabill said at an open house.
“Her speech really inspired me to come to OCC,” Souhey said. “It felt like a comfortable place; a place where I could learn safely.”
Her love for the students is not the only thing that stands out to Crabill. During her time at OCC, the budget dropped from $78 million to $64.5 million.
Despite Crabill announcing her retirement, she does not get to decide her successor.
OCC’s board of trustees hired law firm RH Perry & Associates to help find Crabill’s replacement. It is unknown who the successor is right now.
But if she were able to pick who’s on deck to be at the helm of the OCC, Crabill says it would understanding a connection.
“I would want to make sure that the next president understands how important this college means to this community,” Crabill said. “And by extension, how important our students are to Central New York.
Crabill’s retirement is not abrupt. She will complete the 2021-2022 academic year.
