NEWS RELEASE

Immediate: April 11, 2019

Leslie and Mark Sillcox to Receive Honorary Degrees at Nassau Community College Commencement on May 22, 2019

Garden City, NY – Nassau Community College (NCC) is pleased to announce that Leslie Sillcox and Mark Sillcox will receive honorary degrees from the College at its commencement on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. The Sillcoxes have been exceptional supporters of students from underserved communities who attend NCC. The Sillcox Scholar Program provides mentoring, financial and administrative support to assure that students accomplish their academic and career goals. To date, the Tortora Sillcox Family Foundation has assisted 194 Sillcox Scholars to attend Nassau Community College, where they succeed in attaining their associate degree and then transfer to four-year institutions and attain their bachelor degree. The Scholars’ 89% graduation rate at NCC and then at their senior colleges has been outstanding and is a result of each student’s dedication, strong advisement and the personal care the Sillcoxes assure every student. Mark and Leslie have been the single largest sponsors of students in the history of Nassau Community College.

Leslie graduated Trinity College (Hartford, CT) in 1978 with Honors in history.  She worked at Software International and General Electric before joining Goldman Sachs’ Technology Division in 1984.  She became a partner in 1992 and retired in 2001 after serving nine years as the firm’s Chief Information Officer and on its Operating and Management Committees.

Mark graduated Cornell University College of Engineering (Ithaca, NY) in 1974 with majors in computer systems design and applied statistics.  Following nine years at General Electric in information technology, he joined the electronics manufacturing firm, Bourns, Inc., as Vice President of Corporate Information Systems and then became President of Bourns Instruments.  In 1992, he became Vice President of Operations or President of various divisions of Scientific Games, Inc., retiring in 2001.

Leslie and Mark Sillcox will each receive an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters.

About Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College is an institution where more than 19,000 full-time, part-time, Workforce Development and continuing education students start and continue their successful journey through higher education. More than 80 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island. As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State SUNY System, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence. For more information, visit www.ncc.edu.

Media Contact
Charmian Smith
Marketing and Media Relations
516.572.7249
ncc.edu/newsreleases

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