The term “robot surgery” may conjure up images of droids tending to humans in “Star Wars.” But robot-assisted surgery is not a fantasy a science fiction writer conjures up. It is a surgical technique growing in popularity among health professionals. Previously, Ozarks Technical Community College students could only read about robot surgery in textbooks…
Ozarks Technical Community College earned three awards at the MCCA Annual Convention on Thursday, Nov. 9; including OTC partner SRC and its CEO Jack Stack, the OTC Game Changer Grant Committee and rootEd advisor Nicole Thomas. Distinguished Business & Industry Award: SRC and Founder/President/CEO Jack Stack SRC Holdings and Founder, President and CEO Jack Stack…
Three Ozarks Technical Community College students won writing awards for work published in the college’s literary magazine “Go Anywhere: Time(s).” The OTC English department entered the 2022-23 edition of the publication in the Community College Humanities Association’s (CCHA) literary magazine competition. The CCHA selects first, second and third-place winners for individual student work in five…
Ozarks Technical Community College broke ground on its new Airframe and Powerplant (aviation maintenance) training facility at the old Springfield-Branson National Airport terminal today, Monday, Oct. 23. The Airframe and Powerplant program will teach students to service, maintain and repair everything on the aircraft from nose to tail, including engines, the airframe body and mechanical…
Three Ozarks Technical Community College students were named 2023 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholars and will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi Theta Kappa members defray educational expenses while enrolled in associate degree programs. Scholars are encouraged to assume leadership roles by participating in Society programs…
In a noteworthy nod to the health of its professional environment, confidence in its leadership, and overall employee satisfaction, Ozarks Technical Community College earned the distinguished Honor Roll status in the 2023 listing of Great Colleges to Work For. The listing, produced yearly by the national Great Colleges to Work For® program, ranks colleges nationwide.…
rootEd Missouri, a statewide initiative designed to boost outcomes for students in rural communities by placing dedicated advisors in rural high schools to provide students with college and career planning support, today announced Steven Fouse will serve as its first executive director and will guide the next chapter of the successful initiative. Fouse brings to rootEd Missouri more than 15…
Four of our region’s leading institutions announced the creation of the Alliance for Healthcare Education on Aug. 29. The Alliance is a bold, collaborative approach that will develop the talent to meet – and exceed – our region’s health care workforce needs for decades to come. The new entity is an unprecedented partnership between CoxHealth,…
Ozarks Technical Community College released its new Strategic Plan, “Dream.Plan.Build. 2023-2028,” at an employee kickoff event, today, Wed., Aug. 16. The new plan focuses on three commitments for the college: Student Success, Institutional Excellence and Local Communities. College leadership created the guiding document to establish OTC as a national leader among community colleges. “OTC is…
All Ozarks Technical Community College locations will be open Saturday, Aug. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon to help students prepare for the upcoming semester. 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 Monday,…
Cassie Mathes is the new chief marketing and communications officer for the Ozarks Technical Community College System. A Joplin native, Ms. Mathes has more than two decades of experience as a higher education communicator and journalist. She began her duties on July 25. “We are lucky to bring someone with Cassie’s breadth of experience in…
A college and career advisor at Monett High School was today surprised with rootEd Missouri’s “Advisor of the Year” award, which recognizes exemplary efforts to help high school students in rural communities develop and achieve strong plans for life after graduation. Samantha Towles was announced the winner at a special ceremony hosted by rootEd Missouri…
During the just completed school year, Ozarks Technical Community College’s Eagle Breakfast program served over 800 more students than it did in the previous year. Program participants continued to achieve better grades and persist in their courses during the 22-23 school year. Eagle Breakfast is a no-cost meal for any OTC student at all college locations.…
Ozarks Technical Community College students competing at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference earned three bronze medals. The event was held June 19-23 in Atlanta, Ga. OTC sent 27 students to the competition, including five high school students. The three medalists were: Brennan McNabb, a 2008 graduate of Republic High School, won a Bronze…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) program will host open houses for veterans and active military members to learn how VUB can help them access postsecondary education. The VUB event at OTC Springfield is on July 18. On July 19, VUB will host an open house at the OTC Waynesville Campus. Both sessions…
Ozarks Technical Community College received two grants from the Jeanette L. Musgrave Foundation totaling nearly $86,000. The two grants will benefit the college’s nursery at Study Elementary and a student group focused on civic engagement. As part of the Musgrave Foundation’s “Change for Children” program, OTC received a $50,000 grant for the college’s Study Nursery…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…