Meet James Ackerman, OTC communication instructor and Speech Communication Center director. This fitness guru/Harry Potter fanatic/Zoolander fan will be serving up your favorite Starbucks drinks on Monday, April 17 from 11 a.m. to noon. When you stop by for your favorite drink on Monday, be sure to grab a photo with Mr. Ackerman and post…
Students representing the various technical programs of Ozarks Technical Community College brought home 47 medals from the SkillsUSA state competition, held recently on the campus of State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, Mo. Approximately 90 OTC students participated the event, where thousands of technical education students from across the state competed in a variety of categories…
Keshia Guffey is attending OTC intent on becoming a social worker to help those with substance-use disorders. It’s a topic close to Keshia’s heart because she lived the life of an addict for a number of years. An Ozark High School graduate, Keshia later became addicted to opioids for two years after she started using…
Meet Dr. Zachary Zweigle, OTC social sciences department chair and history instructor. In addition to his teaching duties, student advising, departmental leadership and curriculum design, Dr. Zweigle will serve up your favorite Starbucks drinks on Wednesday, April 5 from 10 to 11 a.m. Fun fact: Dr. Zweigle was an actual Starbucks barista back in the day, and…
Ozarks Technical Community College will dive into collegiate sports with the launch a Division II skydiving team in the fall of 2017. College officials unveiled their plans to the National Junior College Athletic Association today, Saturday, April 1. The new skydiving team, called the OTC Screamin’ Eagles, will compete at the regional and state level…
I would like to share a story with you about a young man from a low-income, single-parent home; a young man who was the first person in his family to graduate college; a young man who worked 30-50 hours a week in addition to being a full-time student. This extraordinary young man also came to college…
Melanie Johnston has enjoyed the best of times as a student at OTC after suffering the worst of times in an abusive marriage. Melanie is now an honors student and vice president of publicity and outreach for the college’s Honors Program. She also works as a tutor at the Carol Jones Writing Center, which suits her…
When it came to cooking, James L. Johnson, Jr. always felt he was missing the recipe to success. Granted, he’d built lucrative careers for himself in the trucking industry and restaurant business, but James knew he could do more to reach his full potential. He needed a high school diploma. Today, James can proudly say…
OTC’s academic department is on a mission to spread kindness and happiness across the OTC System. A recent study by John Gottman found that for every negative feeling or occurrence, five positive — or happy — feelings can help replace the negative. Bishop’s Bunch is challenging you to pay it forward by sharing five happy things (today, this week, this month…
Meet Dr. Tracy McGrady, OTC provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. Dr. McGrady handles all things academic-related at OTC, and she’ll be serving up your favorite Starbucks drinks on Tuesday, March 28 from 10-11 a.m. In other words, Tuesday is the perfect day to grab some Starbucks and chat with Dr. McGrady. Be sure to grab a…
Representatives from Ozarks Technical Community College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, recently returned from the organization’s annual Missouri Regional Convention with several awards in hand. The students and advisors of the college’s chapter were honored with 17 awards and three regional officer positions during the event, held in…
A group of OTC surgical technology students won first place in the 2017 Missouri Association of Surgical Technologists Scrub Bowl competition. The event was held earlier this month at the annual Missouri Association of Surgical Technologists conference. The jeopardy-like competition prepares surgical technology students to take their certification exam upon graduation. We would like to…
Sarah Tindell looks to the sky for her future career path, and she will soon take off in that direction with the help of OTC’s new aviation program. Sarah, 16, is expected to be one of the first students to enroll in OTC’s aviation-focused associate degree program starting in the fall. The degree is being…
Local professionals who are interested in becoming part-time instructors for Ozarks Technical Community College can learn more about teaching opportunities on Saturday, April 1 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Adjunct Faculty Career Fair at the OTC Springfield Campus, Jared Family Atrium. The college is recruiting general education and technical instructors to teach part…
And cut — that’s a wrap for OTC’s first-ever film festival. Nineteen teams competed for 48 hours straight to create a 5-minute film. The catch? Each film had to contain a set of creative elements that included specific visual cues, props, lines of dialogue and music. You can view the films in their entirety here. Keep scrolling for the complete list…
Students representing the various technical programs of Ozarks Technical Community College brought home more than 90 medals from the SkillsUSA district competition, held recently in Monett, Carthage and Joplin. Approximately 130 OTC students attended the event, where hundreds of local technical education students competed in a variety of categories including graphic communications, culinary arts, television production, computer…
If you ask a female friend or relative, it’s likely she can tick off a list of funny or embarrassing stories about “that time of the month.” But for thousands of homeless women across the country, periods are no laughing matter. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, more than 50,000 women…
Battlefield firefighter Kevin Newton loves to talk about his job and the education he received at OTC. He often tells people that two days a week he lives in a multi-million-dollar house, drives a $500,000 vehicle and wears a $6,000 suit. “Then I tell them, I’m a firefighter and you can become one too at…
Tracy McGrady did not dream of being the provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs at OTC until Steve Bishop, the then-current provost, told her that he was going to call it quits. “I wasn’t really thinking about the position but then Dr. Bishop said he was retiring. He also told me he thought I’d…
The OTC Richwood Valley campus marks its 10th anniversary Sunday, Jan. 22. Before Richwood Valley opened, OTC had been offering classes in a small storefront. A decade after its opening, the gleaming, state-of-the-art structure is a fixture in Christian County. It was the college’s first facility located away from the main campus in Springfield, and,…
In January 2007, the OTC Richwood Valley Campus opened its doors for the first time to 547 students. Ten years later, more than 12,000 students have taken classes on campus. Let’s take a look at the impact of the OTC Richwood Valley Campus over the past decade. What a difference a decade makes. To…
A new line of prosthetic devices is coming to the world market this year, and Ozarks Technical Community College faculty member Susan Griffitts was involved in testing and suggesting ideas for the cutting-edge technology and the design of the devices. Susan, who has taught in the Licensed Practical Nursing program at OTC for five years after…
As the spring semester gains momentum, know that OTC has lots of free resources available to you. Whether you need homework help, personal support or job-search assistance, we’ve got your back. Check out the following infographic for five free resources you should know. You can also view a complete list of student resources here. With these…
Students who complete 12 or more credit hours are eligible for the Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List. Recognition is based on the grade point average attained during the 12-credit-hour increment. The Dean’s List requires a GPA of 3.50 to 3.84, and the Chancellor’s List requires a GPA of 3.85 or higher. Chancellor’s List and Dean’s List recipients can expect a…
Students, have you recently received a voicemail message like this? “This message is from the Department of Education. In regards to Donald Trump becoming President, all programs for student loan forgiveness will be stopped immediately as soon as he takes office in January. In order for you to qualify, you must apply within the next…