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…
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…
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…
With the unemployment rate in Greene County at less than 2% and employers citing a lack of skilled workers as the most significant barrier to expanding employment, Ozarks Technical Community College will offer short-term training courses this summer. The training sessions in welding, heating and air (HVAC), masonry and construction range in length from six…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure contribution from the employee-owners of SRC Holdings Corporation for the SRC Quality Lab inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. “We want the move to Advanced Manufacturing to consider remanufacturing and its profound impact on sustainability,” said Jack Stack, SRC founder and CEO. “This…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure gift from the Gentry Family for the event space inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The Jack & Ann Gentry Family Event Center is named for the Gentry Family’s late father and mother — the founders of Positronic, a Springfield manufacturing company. “My…
More than 700 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in the 2022 Commencement, held Thursday, May 19, at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 2,466 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, including students who have completed or are pending completion of their coursework from the summer 2021 semester through the…
Hollister High School today hosted “Decision Day,” an event at which about 120 graduating high school seniors publicly announced their plans to enroll in college, seek career training, or enlist in the military following graduation. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven were among the leaders who attended the event, along…
Jack Stack, the founder, president and CEO of SRC Holdings, will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 19, at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University Campus. Stack has been called the “smartest strategist in America” by…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will stage its first-ever Lineman Rodeo on Tuesday, May 10, 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 OTC…
To meet the demand for Certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Ozarks Technical Community College and CoxHealth are partnering to offer the community EMT apprenticeships. Students receive the instruction and training free of charge, get paid an hourly wage as CoxHealth employees during the apprenticeship, and those who satisfactorily complete the program are guaranteed employment. There…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host a job fair on Wednesday, May 4 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on the Student Plaza at the OTC Springfield Campus. The event is free and open to the public. The job fair is designed for both career-minded individuals and those seeking seasonal or part-time employment. Several local employers will be…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will host a job fair on Wednesday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The job fair will be inside Casey Hall located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. OTC students, alumni and the general public are welcome to attend. The job fair is designed for both career-minded individuals and…
Ozarks Technical Community College Mathematics Instructor Melissa Wittmer earned the “Teaching Excellence Award” from the Missouri Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MOMATYC). The award was presented at MOMATYC’s annual conference held April 7-9 in Union, Mo. According to the MOMATYC website, the criteria for selection for the MOMATYC Teaching Excellence Award are: Instruction effectiveness and…
Ozarks Technical Community College today (April 15, 2022) announced that it was the victim of a cyber fraud incident that robbed the institution of nearly $900,000 this spring. The college notified law enforcement authorities as soon as the fraud was discovered. Loss of the funds will not affect students, classes or any college operations. The…
According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in 2021, more than 3,500 teaching positions in the state went unfilled or were filled by candidates without the proper qualifications. To help alleviate the teacher shortage in the state, Ozarks Technical Community College is updating its teaching degree to remove barriers and increase accessibility…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States are for technicians who can install, maintain and repair wind and solar equipment. Ozarks Technical Community College’s Alternative and Renewable Energy course in the Electrical Trades program trains students to work on wind, solar and other forms of renewable…
Crystal Brinell, a student at Ozarks Technical Community College, has been named a 2022 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. Brinell, a 2001 graduate of Troy Buchanan High in Troy, Mo., is enrolled in OTC’s Pre-Dental Hygiene Program. This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate…
Ozarks Technical Community College will provide Amazon hourly employees access to all of the college’s academic concentrations through Amazon’s Career Choice program. Amazon employees can pursue one of OTC’s more than 40 degree programs. “Investing in your employees is an effective tool to retain quality workers and recruit new ones,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, OTC…
Ozarks Technical Community College students Stevi Kay Berry and Samuel Boggs were two of 60 college students nominated to represent OTC during the 37th Annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values held February 25-27, 2022, in Jefferson City, Missouri. The forum challenges students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their…
Ozarks Technical Community College is accepting enrollment for its free Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes at nine locations across the Ozarks. Students will attend an orientation and pretesting session before classes begin. The pretest allows students to be individually advised concerning the best placement and course of…
By January of 2023, Ozarks Technical Community College will increase the number of nursing and respiratory therapy students it can educate each year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory therapists were instrumental in saving lives as the medical practitioners who helped patients breathe. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the United States will need more…