Welcome back to a new semester. On our opening day, we had a few lost and wandering students but overall the semester started with minimal problems and a lot of excitement. Our college wide theme for academics is “Celebrate Potential.” In keeping with this theme, I will be sharing ideas through regular Nourishing the Teacher…
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, is known for giving her top performers a pink Cadillac. She said, “There are two things people want more than sex and money. They are recognition and praise.” There are many ways we can give our students recognition and praise but nothing is more powerful for…
Transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom can be a difficult journey for college-bound veterans. With 1,000 veterans attending OTC, reaching out to those with a military experience can be a challenge. But its just gotten better with counseling services being available for veterans and their family members starting Sept. 10 on the OTC Springfield…
Tiffany Brunner has seen the groundbreaking work Ozarks Technical Community College has been doing for young students during her tenure as assistant principal at Republic High School. This year, she decided to join the OTC team. Brunner is the new director of the OTC Middle College program, which provides a variety of career education opportunities…
The five OTC campuses and centers will be alive today with thousands of students who will be working toward fulfilling their educational goals. One former OTC student has already seen his dream come true is Brandon Davis, now the owner of French Davis Collision in Nixa. A dozen years ago, Davis was taking automotive collision…
With more than 51,000 people using Crosslines every year, the Springfield charity organization never knows when a serious medical issue like a heart attack could arise among their clients. Now, thanks to OTC, their concerns are greatly eased. On Sept. 8, Crosslines, which helps families in the crisis situations, will receive an arterial defibrillator and…
While community colleges are primarily for local residents to use to enhance their education, more and more international students are enrolling. “I knew Missouri State had a lot of international students but OTC was a better economic choice for me,” said Daniel Lee, a South Korean who grew up in Lamar. Lee and about 40…
J.E. Cornwell has taken his talents in both cooking and publishing to offer readers an inside look into the secrets behind some of the popular dishes offered in the Ozarks. Cornwell, who teaches classes at the OTC Community Enrichment Center, is releasing “What’s Cookin’ Local,” a compilation of more than 130 recipes including more than…
Kat Allie, department chair of fine arts and humanities at Ozarks Technical Community College, didn’t take art classes growing up but today, she’s using her skills as an artist to teach others. Her abilities as an encaustic artist are featured this month in the Missouri Arts Councils magazine. “I am honored to be one of…
Don’t look now, but OTC’s Electronic Media Production program is quickly becoming one of the best in the country, if the recent results at the national SkillsUSA Championships are any indication. For the second straight year, the EMP’s broadcast news production and television video production teams earned gold medals as the best in the country…
Recently, national universities, including Ivy League institutions, have received unwanted headlines for their handling of sexual assault cases. Those high-profile cases have shone a light on the issue. Ozarks Technical Community College has been a leader in offering its staff and personnel from other institutions in-depth training in investigating Title IX reports. In June, more…
There are more than 4,500 families in the Ozarks who home school their children and when they look for advanced education, they can look to OTC for those opportunities. Recently, the Southwest Home Education Ministry (SHEM) and representatives from OTC’s Dual Credit Program met at the Library Center in Springfield to review what’s available for…
Learning the ins and outs of class car restoration can be costly and time-consuming for beginners. But Stephen Biermann, dean of technical education at OTC, believes a new the new Classic Car Restoration workshop being offered this summer can offer those who have been thinking about fixing up some classic car a chance to learn…
Brice Clark may not look it, but he’s been in business almost half his life. Thanks to his class work and the A+ scholarship at OTC, he’s been able to become an even better business operator. Clark started his DJ music business Spark Sound & Entertainment when he was in the eighth grade and decided…
The $2,500 first-prize check couldn’t have come at a better time for OTC student Dylan Hall of Nixa. Hall was working two jobs and selling his plasma in order to make ends meet when he learned he had was the grand-prize winner in the Missouri Lottery’s “Tools 4 School: The A+ Giveaway” promotion. The random…
By Stephen Arringdale Its a normal day for OTC student Amber Attaway. She carries the same hopes, desires and ambitions as her classmates to do well in her classes. There is one difference. Amber has been blind from birth and she is accompanied at the OTC Springfield campus with her service animal Macie, a quiet,…
When Wade Southwell had a chance to come from San Francisco to Springfield, he took it. When he had a chance to attend OTC, he took that, too. Now, with a chance to spend a year in South Africa, the OTC student will take advantage of that opportunity as well and head there this summer…
Every graduate who walks in Thursday’s OTC Commencement at JQH Arena will have a story of accomplishment and self-fulfillment when they receive their degree or certificate. But few will eclipse Alex Heisterman’s pure joy when he receives his associate transfer degree. Listen for Alex’s name toward the end of the program. Alex is autistic. He…
Kelly Peachey wanted to be a pediatrician since she was in grade school. Now, with the help of the new Innovation Campus – Health Professions Academy at Ozarks Technical Community College, the 17-year-old from Glendale High School has received a big boost toward achieving her goal. “The Academy has been very good preparation for working…
As the spring semester rushes to a close, the OTC Fine Arts department is offering a pair of public performances to add to the calendar. On Tuesday, the OTC Choirs will present “American Songs: A Tribute to Our Nation’s Composers” at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Art Museum. “Concert goers can expect to hear everything from…
Phillip Nolan was known as the man without a country. OTCs Katherine Mantonya can be called with the student with two countries. Mantonya will be leaving in a less than two weeks for Brazil, her second homeland, and where she lived for many years while her father worked as a second-generation missionary. He also grew…
What may seem to be serious science to some is fun to others and both fun and science will be on display later this month at the fifth-annual OTC Community Day on April 26. Jared Durden, an adjunct physics instructor at OTC, and other science students will be demonstrating their homemade hovercraft and a second…
There are plenty of movie plots based on someone breaking a sophisticated code of a government agency, and instead of prosecuting the culprit, the agency offers him or her a job. That wasn’t quite the case when it comes to Cory Benda, but it was close. Benda, who works full-time as an information technology server…
Lessons learned by college students take place outside the classroom as well as inside as a group of occupational therapy students from OTC recently learned. Nearly two dozen students traveled to Jefferson City last month to participate in “OT on the Hill Day.” This was a day of advocacy sponsored by the Missouri Occupational…
The spark inside Jason Bills to excel at his craft is matched only by the sparks that fly from the metal when he applies his welding torch to the material. Bills, a welding student at OTC, will take his talents to the state SkillsUSA competition April 3-4 where he will try to repeat at the…