The 2022-23 school year marks the fifteenth year of operation for the Middle College at Ozarks Technical Community College. In 2007, Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Norm Ridder approached then-new OTC Chancellor Dr. Hal Higdon with an idea to lower the high school dropout rate and help credit-deficient students get back on track. The Middle…
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” Ozarks Technical Community College graduate Kaila DeJonge has suffered, and she has found meaning. In 1999, at just six months old, another driver hit the car carrying Kaila, her mother and two older sisters.…
Ozarks Technical Community College is partnering with Arizona State University to provide students with a seamless transfer experience through the MyPath2ASU program. MyPath2ASU™ allows students to take the steps needed early in their college experience to successfully plan their transfer to ASU, ensuring a smooth transition process and student success. MyPath2ASU™ is a customized tool for transfer students from…
Ozarks Technical Community College trustees and administrators honored the 2022 Excellence in Education Award recipients at the November Board of Trustees meeting. Candidates were nominated by staff members and selected by a college-wide committee. Each winner was presented with a plaque and monetary award, made possible by a donation from the Turner Family Foundation. Full-Time…
Trisha Tindall, a 2022 Ozarks Technical Community College graduate, was awarded a fellowship from the American Respiratory Care Foundation (ARCF) for research. Tindall’s project analyzing the efficacy of flow sensors on ventilators for neonatal patients earned the ARCF’s 2022 Vyaire Fellowship for Neonatal and Pediatric Therapists. “I was shocked when I received the email that…
For Ozarks Technical Community College student Joe Nachtigal, OTC wasn’t just the first college he attended. It was the first school of any kind he ever set foot inside. “I’d never attended school,” Joe said. “School used to be on the couch.” At just 19 years old, Joe will finish a degree in Information Technology…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s free Eagle Breakfast program helped students achieve better grades and persist in their courses during the 21-22 school year. Eagle Breakfast is a no-cost meal for any OTC student at all of the college’s locations. “It’s allowed me access to food in the morning when I normally didn’t eat breakfast,” said…
Ozarks Technical Community College graduate Tyler Kahler is a big fan of the late chef, author and television host Anthony Bourdain. Tyler and Bourdain have a lot in common. They both have a passion for preparing good food. They’re also both storytellers. But while Bourdain’s stories involve food, drink and good company, Tyler’s tales come…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Richwood Valley Campus will host a 5K Run and Fall Festival on Saturday, October 8. The 5K Fun Run and Walk begins at 5:30 p.m. The Fall Festival kicks off at 6:30 p.m. The OTC Richwood Valley Campus is located north of Highway 14 between Nixa and Ozark. The Physical…
Fewer than 2% of teenage mothers graduate college by age 30. When Dee King heard that statistic, she knew she couldn’t do anything about being a teen mom, but she was determined not to become a part of the 98%. Her son, Shane, was born in Dee’s hometown of Missoula, Montana, just before Christmas, during…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Veterans Upward Bound program can now serve veterans in 15 Missouri counties. The U.S. Department of Education renewed OTC’s Federal TRIO Grant for an additional five years at $1.4 million. The initial grant in 2017 established a Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program to assist Greene County veterans with their pursuit of postsecondary education. With…
Autumn Seely from Ozarks Technical Community College is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named a 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Seely graduated from Glendale High School in 2021 and is beginning her second year at OTC. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi…
The future of manufacturing and technical education in the state made its debut at Ozarks Technical Community College today, Monday, August 15. The college hosted the grand opening of the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing (PMC). The PMC is the largest building project in OTC’s history. “We have people who want to go…
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…
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…
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…
