Onondaga Community College's Board of Trustees welcomed home a distinguished alumnus May 9, swearing-in Dr. Daryll Dykes '83 as its newest member.
Dr. Dykes is Associate Vice President of Orthopedic Surgery, Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, and Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY Upstate Medical University.
His love of medicine started early in life. As a young boy he enjoyed visiting his mother while she worked as a nurse. After graduating from the Syracuse City School District's Fowler High School, he joined the United States Marine Corps as a way of paying for college. After completing his military obligation, he came to OCC where he earned a Mathematics & Science degree in 1983.
In recent years Dr. Dykes has been recognized numerous times for his contribution to the college and the community. OCC named him a distinguished Alumni Faces honoree. In 2018 he received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the American Association of Community Colleges. And in 2022 he was recognized by the New York Community College Trustees, receiving the award for Professional Contribution.
Dr. Dykes was nominated for a position on OCC's Board of Trustees by Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II, and was approved by the Onondaga County Legislature.