*This essay by OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon first appeared in the Springfield News-Leader on Sunday, June 4. The headlines can be staggering: “Lack of skilled applicants hinders job growth in Missouri.” “Top barrier to more jobs in Missouri is lack of skilled workers, state survey finds.” “No end in sight to the worker shortage.” …
When Keisha Dean spoke to the hundreds of students and donors gathered at the Ozarks Technical Community College donor reception in April, she discussed what her OTC education would mean for her family. “I know there is a well-paved path of livelihood for my children and my husband because of what I have gained at…
Growing up in Climax Springs, Samantha Patton would watch cooking shows with her grandmother. Television programs like “Martha Bakes” and “The Great British Baking Show” sparked her passion for baking and cooking. Samantha’s passion flourished when she enrolled in the Lake Career and Technical Center in Camdenton to pursue culinary arts. “I love making bread,…
Growing up, 2023 Macks Creek High School graduate Chase Whitworth knew which doctor’s offices had the best toys in the waiting room. Unfortunately, being a connoisseur of waiting room toys means he spent a lot of time in hospitals and doctor’s offices. Chase and his family even visited the famed Mayo Clinic in Minnesota to…
More than 750 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in the 2023 Commencement ceremony, held Thursday, May 18, at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 2,243 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, including students who have completed or are pending completion of their coursework from the summer 2022 semester through…
Walking the halls at Ozarks Technical Community College’s Richwood Valley Campus, visitors will see what they expect to find on a college campus. There are classrooms with desks and whiteboards and laboratories with microscopes and Bunsen burners, but one room stands out. Inside that lab, students work with weights, exercise balls and other fitness equipment…
Ozarks Technical Community College will offer two no-cost, short-term training courses at its Springfield campus in the summer of 2023. Students can choose from an information technology boot camp or an entry-level computer numerical control (CNC) machine class. The Information Technology Boot Camp prepares students to complete the A+ Certification exam. The A+ Core 1…
After more than three decades of teaching students, multiple generations of families have walked the halls at Ozarks Technical Community College and earned degrees. But, parents and their children rarely graduate simultaneously. Three members of the Thomas family, Kelli, Wayne, and daughter Lauryn, will all receive their associate degrees this Thursday, May 18, at OTC’s…
For many teenagers, the path from high school and directly into college is relatively smooth. An 18-year-old with supportive high school counselors and help from parents can find their way to a college or university with a little effort. However, for someone who delays college for just a few years and accumulates responsibilities like a…
Missouri Governor, Commissioner of Education Among Those Gathered to Recognize Graduates, Encourage All Students to Create Strong Plans for Life After High School Bolivar High School today hosted its inaugural “Decision Day,” an event at which 201 high school seniors announced their plans to enroll in college, seek career training, or enlist in the military…
The Ozarks Technical Community College commencement ceremony will be on May 18, at 5 p.m., at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. Michael Parson, the 57th Governor of Missouri, will give the commencement address. Before joining the executive branch, Mr. Parson held office in the Missouri House and Senate and was…
Ozarks Technical Community College graduate Bryanna Shaffner never thought of herself as a trailblazer for women in the workplace — she was just looking for a good job. But when Springfield’s Stainless Fabrication Inc. (SFI) hired Bryanna as a welder in 2019, she was the company’s first female welder. “It was a little nerve-wracking at…
High school students can train as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) while still in high school through the Ozarks Technical Community College Career Center. The OTC Career Center allows students from 18 different school districts to attend OTC for half their school day and their sending school for half the day. The EMT program for high…
Michael Parson, the 57th Governor of Missouri, will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 18, at 5 p.m. Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus is the site for the commencement ceremony. “Governor Parson is no stranger to OTC. We’ve had the pleasure to host him…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will host its second annual Lineworker Rodeo on Tuesday, May 2, beginning at 10 a.m. The OTC Lebanon Center is located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. The event is free, and the public is invited to watch. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. First-year students from…
The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) honored Ozarks Technical Community College Provost Dr. Tracy McGrady with its Distinguished College Administrator Award. Dr. McGrady received the award during PTK Catalyst 2023, held April 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio. Catalyst is the society’s annual convention. Dr. McGrady is one of just 30 college administrators nationwide to receive…
Ten Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 13, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon at Stephens College in Columbia. The PTK All USA Team recognizes high-achieving two-year college students who demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual rigor, leadership, and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit…
While attending Ozarks Technical Community College, Dr. Kyle Cottrell met his future wife in his Spanish class. That is the best of the positive things that happened to Kyle while attending OTC, but it wasn’t the only good thing. “OTC was a chance for me to rewrite my academic history,” Kyle said. Kyle says he…
The last time the Ozarks Technical Community College choir was scheduled to perform in New York City was in March 2020. “We were on our way to the airport, and the college called me and said, ‘Things are shutting down. You can’t go to New York,” said Alberta Smith, OTC choir director. A little more…
During the fall semester of 2022, community resource specialists at Ozarks Technical Community College helped 604 students with non-academic needs such as food insecurity, housing insecurity and affordable childcare. Community resource specialists are relatively new positions at OTC. Their job is to remove barriers that might prevent students from completing their educational goals. “An expensive…
Herschend Entertainment owns amusement properties all over North America, but its roots and founders are firmly planted in the Branson area. Jack and Peter Herschend founded Silver Dollar City in 1960, and for most of the company’s first 50 years, Jack Herschend was the company’s President, Chairman and CEO. Despite his success and the success…
Students across the Ozarks Technical Community College system can attend a broader variety of classes thanks to the college’s implementation of Live Online courses. Live Online allows students to attend a class in person with the instructor in a classroom, via Zoom from another OTC location, or on any device connected to the internet. Live…
Dr. Trish White welcomes students to her calculus class at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday and dives right in with an equation. “What would have to be true for the numerator and denominator to be greater than zero?” White asks. The class is like any traditional math class, but only two students sit in front…
The Ozarks Technical Community College student group Politically Active will host a candidate forum on Wednesday, March 22, from 5:30–7 p.m. in Lincoln Hall, Room 211. The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. The election is Tuesday, April 4. All candidates running for Springfield Mayor, Springfield City Council, and the school…
In a recent State of the Student survey, 55% of undergraduate college students said they struggle to remain interested in their classes. A quarter of students said they would be more interested if instructors could relate the course material to their future careers. When Ozarks Technical Community College Instructor MaryAnn Morris needed to develop a…