The SUNY Jamestown Community College Foundation honored Robert Oddy and Marilyn Zagora during its annual awards gala held Nov. 2 at the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel.
Oddy, a former JCC faculty member and administrator, and Zagora, JCC’s vice president for academic affairs and a longtime college employee, were recipients of the John D. Hamilton Award. The award was established in 1995 to recognize individuals whose contributions exemplify those of Hamilton, a past president and trustee emeritus of JCC.
In honor of Zagora’s more than 40 years of contribution to JCC, the Foundation also announced the establishment of the Dr. Marilyn Zagora Scholarship for Excellence in Student Leadership. This scholarship will support students who exhibit the leadership qualities for which Zagora is well known – accountability, passion, dependability, professionalism, and work ethic.
Oddy joined JCC in 1965 as a member of the business faculty. He transitioned to student affairs, where he worked in the financial aid office and then as a counselor. He also served as coordinator of the counseling and career development center and division chair for human development and educational services.
As a member of the student affairs faculty, Oddy played an important role in the Developmental Studies program for which he taught courses such as Achievement and Self for several decades. He was also instrumental in implementing the college’s Life Experience Credit Assessment program and the Master Student course. He also served as the faculty’s chief negotiator for several successful contracts.
Oddy was the chair of the curriculum committee for many years and also chaired the academic standings committee. He received the Administrative Award for Excellence from JCC.
In recent years, he has taken a special interest in the college’s growing efforts to expand study abroad and international recruitment.
Oddy earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from Northeastern University, where he was a teaching fellow during his graduate study. He was selected to participate in a National Defense Education Act (NDEA) program which culminated in an M.Ed. in counselor education from the University of Hawaii.
Zagora has been the vice president of academic affairs at JCC since 2007. Over the past several decades, she has served the college in many leadership roles, including dean of student development and marketing, dean of student affairs, division chair for human development and educational services, and ad hoc associate dean of instruction.
She was a faculty member at JCC prior to joining the administration, serving as a counselor in the counseling and career center. Among her areas of leadership have been academic program development, student retention initiatives, global initiatives, the dual enrollment program with area high schools, the strategic planning process, and the Middle States re-accreditation process. She has also been instrumental in the acquisition of numerous grants targeted to the enhancement of college programs and services, increased college access for high school students, and the internationalization of the college experience.
Zagora studied at the State University of New York at Buffalo, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling, and a doctorate in counseling psychology.
She has been the recipient of both the Faculty Award for Excellence and the Administrative Award for Excellence from JCC. She also serves on the board of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.
Established in 1983, Jamestown Community College Foundation, Inc. exists for the exclusive purpose of benefiting Jamestown Community College. The JCC Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit organization which develops, maintains, and manages an endowment to support projects and activities deemed to be compatible, complementary, and consistent with the mission of the college.