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…
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…
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…
Since 2019, Ozarks Technical Community College has saved its students nearly $1 million through Open Educational Resources (OER). Open Educational Resources are no-cost teaching, learning and research materials. OER learning tools are either in the public domain or are released under an intellectual property license allowing their use. “Open Educational Resources are high-quality, peer-reviewed materials…
Beginning in the fall of 2023, juniors and seniors at Branson and Hollister High Schools can start their education for a career in healthcare at the Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus. There is no cost for students who enroll in the OTC Career Center Health Sciences Program. Students who complete the health sciences…
Students in Ozarks Technical Community College’s Graphic Design Technology Program earned 25 medals at the 2023 Addy Awards. The event recognized the top advertising of 2022 for the Heartland Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. The 2023 Addy Awards were held on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Downstream Casino near Joplin, Mo. Overall, OTC students brought…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees approved funding for two major building projects for the Springfield campus at its monthly meeting on Monday, February 13. The two facilities will enhance the college’s ability to train much-needed professionals in healthcare and plumbing. Grant funding will pay for more than 70% of the cost of…
Ozarks Technical Community College saw a 38% year-over-year increase in dual credit enrollments in the fall of 2022. Dual credit courses are high school classes that count for college credit because they meet OTC’s learning objectives and standards. OTC’s increase in dual credit students reflects a national trend. While community college enrollment overall has declined…
Between the spring and fall of 2022, Ozarks Technical Community College more than doubled the number of students receiving the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant. Fast Track pays the tuition and fees for non-traditional students pursuing programs such as welding, nursing and teaching. In the fall of 2022, OTC had 111 students receiving Fast Track…
To meet the workforce needs of local plumbing companies, Ozarks Technical Community College will debut a plumbing program in 2024. To help cover the program’s startup costs, OTC received a $1.3 million grant from the Missouri Department of Economic Development for construction, equipment and scholarships. “OTC developed this program in conjunction with local plumbing companies,…
To help students prepare for the upcoming spring semester, all Ozarks Technical Community College locations will be open Saturday, Jan. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon. Student services staff will be available at each campus and center to assist students with last-minute admissions, enrollment, advising, financial aid and student accounts services. OTC’s spring semester begins on…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Jazz Band will make its concert debut on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at Drury University’s Stone Chapel. The “Winter Joy” concert will also feature holiday favorites performed by the OTC choirs. The Jazz Band came into existence when Philip Forrester, an OTC music instructor, applied for and received…