I write to you on the eve of a transformational event for the people of the Ozarks and the state of Missouri. Tomorrow, August 15, 2022, Ozarks Technical Community College will hold a grand opening for the new Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. This state-of-the-art facility is a game changer for our economy,…
The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is a relatively new state financial aid tool designed to help non-traditional age students seek a college education in subjects that are in high demand throughout the state. Students must be 25 or older or, if younger than 25, have been out of school for two years or more.…
Like most Ozarks Technical Community College students, Andrew Foell was a first-generation college student. No one in his immediate or extended family graduated from college. And before attending OTC, Andrew’s knowledge of the state’s colleges and universities was pretty limited. “I knew Mizzou was in Columbia, and I knew about Missouri State because of (former…
To help students prepare for the upcoming fall semester, all Ozarks Technical Community College locations will be open Saturday, Aug. 13, from 9 a.m. to noon. Student services staff will be available at all campuses and centers to assist students with last-minute admissions, enrollment, advising, financial aid and student accounts services needs. OTC’s fall semester begins on…
Inaugural recognition part of statewide effort to place dedicated advisors in rural high schools to help students develop and achieve strong plans for lifelong success A college and career advisor at Cape Central High School in Cape Girardeau has been named “Advisor of the Year” for her efforts to help high school students in rural…
MEDIA ADVISORY: August 1, 2022 WHAT: Grand opening event for the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing WHEN: Monday, August 15, 10 a.m. WHERE: Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield Campus at the corner of National Avenue and Chestnut Expressway. WHO: OTC Chancellor Dr. Hal Higdon, Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe, State Senator Lincoln Hough,…
Ozarks Technical Community College graduate Stevi Kay Berry is a recipient of the prestigious Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year. Berry will use the $5,000 annual grant to pursue a bachelor’s degree in speech and theatre education at Missouri State University. Managed by the Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation, the Purdy Emerging…
Ozarks Technical Community College graduate Noah Duwe is a recipient of the prestigious Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship for the 2022-2023 school year. Duwe will use the $5,000 annual grant to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting at Missouri State University. Managed by the Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation, the Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship…
Our friends at the Hamra Family Library have great suggestions for summer reading. We’re sure you’ll find these books entertaining and surprising, with something for the lover of serious, true-life scenarios as well as fun, escapist fiction. You can check them out from the OTC library (some in multiple formats, such as audiobook), so feel…
OTC students have brought home the gold again. The SkillsUSA National Championships were held in Atlanta during the 58th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference on June 20-24, 2022. Students, teachers, education leaders and representatives from 650 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions were participants. OTC is proud of and congratulates all…
It may be easy for someone who has never suffered from addiction to ask, “Why would anyone start doing drugs? Just don’t start, and you’ll never get addicted.” As soon-to-be OTC graduate Denise Shirley can tell you, addiction isn’t about that first time but how each decision leads to another unfortunate decision. Denise’s substance use…
Ozarks Technical Community College received a $345,725 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its new automation and robotics program, which will debut in August at the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing (PMC). The grant is funded by the NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program, which focuses on training technicians in advanced technology…
When Ozarks Technical Community College dental hygiene student Sam Patel would give a patient an injection in the OTC Dental Clinic, his hands were always steady. His fellow dental hygiene students took notice. “They would ask me, ‘Why don’t your hands shake when you give an injection?’” Sam chuckled. “I would tell them I just…
Ozarks Technical Community College is delighted to announce the return of OTC Weekend @ The Zoo, celebrating OTC’s conservation collaboration with Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Missouri. On June 25-26, OTC employees and students with a college ID can visit the zoo for free, and bring up to four guests at half price. Children age…
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has approved Ozarks Technical Community College’s class “Orientation to the Teaching Profession” as substitute teacher training. Students who complete this introductory course for OTC’s new teacher education degree will be eligible to apply to become substitute teachers in the state of Missouri. “When the college revamped…
With the unemployment rate in Greene County at less than 2% and employers citing a lack of skilled workers as the most significant barrier to expanding employment, Ozarks Technical Community College will offer short-term training courses this summer. The training sessions in welding, heating and air (HVAC), masonry and construction range in length from six…
Homeschooling expanded massively during the height of the pandemic and is still growing in popularity. To help current and future homeschooling families explore training and credentialing options for their students, OTC is offering a new Homeschool Open House on Thursday, June 16. Events begin at 6 p.m. in Lincoln Hall on OTC’s Springfield campus. OTC…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure contribution from the employee-owners of SRC Holdings Corporation for the SRC Quality Lab inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. “We want the move to Advanced Manufacturing to consider remanufacturing and its profound impact on sustainability,” said Jack Stack, SRC founder and CEO. “This…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure gift from the Gentry Family for the event space inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The Jack & Ann Gentry Family Event Center is named for the Gentry Family’s late father and mother — the founders of Positronic, a Springfield manufacturing company. “My…
Congratulations to our Spring 2022 Chancellor’s List, Dean’s List and Provost’s List recipients! Students who complete 12 or more credit hours in a fall or spring semester are eligible for the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List. Recognition is based on the grade point average during that semester. The Dean’s List requires a GPA of 3.5…
More than 700 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in the 2022 Commencement, held Thursday, May 19, at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 2,466 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, including students who have completed or are pending completion of their coursework from the summer 2021 semester through the…
Hollister High School today hosted “Decision Day,” an event at which about 120 graduating high school seniors publicly announced their plans to enroll in college, seek career training, or enlist in the military following graduation. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven were among the leaders who attended the event, along…
In the Jane’s Addiction song “Jane Says,” the song’s protagonist, Jane, utters the words, “I’m gonna kick tomorrow.” She’s saying she’ll “kick” her addiction tomorrow, but when the next day comes, she utters the same mantra — tomorrow is always the next day. For soon-to-be OTC graduate Liz Atchley, tomorrow came on August 17, 2016.…
When Sariah Reed picked up a torch and chose to study welding at Ozarks Technical Community College, some of her family members asked her why she wanted to do “man’s work.” But Sariah didn’t see it that way. “It’s not about being a different gender; it’s about your knowledge and skill in doing the work,”…
Two adjectives accurately describe Ozarks Technical Community College student Audri Moses: bubbly and busy. Her bubbly attributes are apparent as soon as she speaks. Energy, positivity and gratitude infuse her conversation. “I was homeschooled most of my life, but I’m a really social person. So, I started a Kickapoo halfway through my sophomore year,” Audri…