SPRINGFIELD, MO — The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation was awarded a $25,000 grant to fund scholarships for female students pursuing education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Coca-Cola Foundation Women in STEM Scholarship will give 25 students a $1,000 scholarship ($500 each semester) for the 2021-2022 academic year. “We’ve seen women thrive…
Ozarks Technical Community College hired Daniel Ogunyemi as the institution’s first college director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Ogunyemi began his duties at OTC today, Feb. 8. “More and more people from underrepresented groups are choosing OTC to further their education,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, OTC chancellor. “It’s important to have someone who focuses on…
Dr. Dustin Childress has been named president for education centers at Ozarks Technical Community College. In this role, Dr. Childress oversees the operations of the college’s Lebanon, Republic, Waynesville and Fort Leonard Wood locations. He began his new duties on Jan. 7, 2021. “Dr. Childress has been a driving force at our Lebanon Center, and…
In an effort to help students prepare for the upcoming spring semester, all OTC locations will be open Saturday, Jan. 9 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 account services. Current and prospective students can…
Ozarks Technical Community College and Burrell Behavioral Health have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to provide mental health services, free of charge, to OTC students and employees. Burrell will provide the following services: A part-time mental health counselor for students at the OTC Springfield Campus. A part-time mental health counselor for students at the OTC…
The largest capital investment in the history of Ozarks Technical Community College will bear the name of the late businessman and philanthropist Robert W. Plaster. The announcement came at the groundbreaking for the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing (PMC) today, Nov. 12 at the OTC Springfield Campus. The stated goals of the Robert…
The Lewis Family Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) at Ozarks Technical Community College will expand to serve infants and toddlers beginning in the fall of 2021. The expansion is made possible by a $180,494 grant from the Missouri Department of Social Services. The ECEC currently serves children between the ages of 2-5 years old and…
For many years, the Ozarks Technical Community College Agriculture Program was housed amongst the pavement and concrete of the Springfield campus. Its recent move to the Richwood Valley campus in Christian County brought about a more rural setting, featuring 84 acres of prairie, woods and even a spring. Now, with the donation of five steers…
Ozarks Technical Community College is accepting enrollment for its free Adult Education and Literacy (AEL) classes held at several locations across southwest Missouri. The classes provide individualized learning programs for adults who want to prepare for the High School Equivalency (HSE) exam, learn English as a second language or improve their reading, math and writing skills. To…
OTC administrators and trustees, local community partners and state legislators celebrated the grand opening of the OTC Republic Center today, August 10. The new 30,000-square-foot facility is located on a 7.69-acre property near the west side of the city. The land was donated to OTC in 2015 by the Bussey, Cox and Lipscomb families. “It…
In an effort to help students prepare for the upcoming fall semester, all OTC locations will be open Saturday, Aug. 15 and 22 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. Student services…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Career Services will host an outdoor job fair on Wednesday, August 5 from 9 a.m. to noon in Lot K of the OTC Springfield Campus. The parking lot is located at the northeast corner of Central Street and Hampton Avenue. The job fair is free and open to the public. Physical…
Thanks to a new agreement between Ozarks Technical Community College and Southwest Baptist University, OTC paramedic graduates will have the opportunity to seamlessly transfer into SBU’s Associate of Science in Nursing program. “By establishing this pathway with SBU, we give our paramedic graduates the opportunity to build upon the education and experience they already possess,”…
Ozarks Technical Community College canceled its commencement ceremony scheduled for Aug. 19 at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. This was the make-up event for the previously scheduled May 16 graduation, which was postponed due to COVID-19. “We spent the last three months planning, reimagining and doing everything in our power to create…
In an effort to maximize student safety and preserve high-quality learning opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ozarks Technical Community College is adjusting its fall semester. The college will begin the semester as originally planned on Aug. 24, and the last day of final exams will be Dec. 18. However, the following changes have been made…
Emerson, a global technology and engineering company based in St. Louis, donated $500,000 to Ozarks Technical Community College’s Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM). “The next-generation of workers is vital for continuing to serve our customers with solutions and components for energy-efficient air-conditioning systems,” said Keith Calhoun, director of operations for Emerson’s compressor manufacturing locations in…
The OTC Richwood Valley and Table Rock campuses will be under new leadership beginning July 1. Dr. Cliff Davis has been appointed president of the OTC Richwood Valley Campus, and Dr. Robert Griffith has been named president of the OTC Table Rock Campus. Griffith replaces Davis as president of the Table Rock Campus, while Davis…
Dr. Megan Weaver will serve as OTC’s Dean of Academic Services beginning July 1. The OTC Board of Trustees approved Weaver’s promotion at its monthly board meeting in June. She assumes the role previously occupied by Dr. Vivian Elder, who now oversees the college’s Bioclinical Sciences Department. As dean, Weaver will lead the college’s Academic…
Enrollment in summer classes at Ozarks Technical Community College increased by 15 percent for 2020 compared to 2019. That’s equivalent to 477 full-time students. All summer classes, with a few exceptions, were moved online this summer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ten-week and five-week summer classes at OTC began today. Eight-week summer courses start Monday,…
Ozarks Technical Community College will confer 2,575 degrees and certificates to graduates this week, which includes students who have completed, or are pending completion of, their coursework from the summer 2019 semester through the spring 2020 semester. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college postponed its previously scheduled ceremony on May 14. Instead, graduates…
OTC’s own James Ackerman will be the new director of the OTC Republic Center. The OTC Board of Trustees approved Ackerman’s promotion at its monthly board meeting in May. Ackerman will begin his new duties on June 1. The OTC Republic Center is slated to open in August of 2020, and Ackerman will serve as…
Ozarks Technical Community College is offering $100,000 in scholarships this summer for students impacted by COVID-19. OTC will distribute 200 scholarships worth $500 each on a first-come, first-served basis for its summer session, which begins Monday, June 1. The scholarships are open to current OTC students, or students from another college whose spring semester was…
In an acknowledgement that almost all OTC courses have an online element, the Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees voted to eliminate online course fees beginning June 1, 2020. Currently, online students are charged a $65 fee for each course they attend. The board made the decision at its monthly meeting on Monday, April…
With a goal of increasing retention and graduation rates for its allied health programs, Ozarks Technical Community College cut the ribbon on the Allied Health Student Success Center today, March 9. The new facility provides students with advising and academic counseling, along with a study lounge. The center is located in Lincoln Hall on the…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Center for Workforce Development and general contractor, Branco Enterprises, Inc., have entered into a partnership to administer and provide instruction for Branco’s Carpentry Apprenticeship Program based in the Springfield, Missouri area. The apprenticeship program provides on-the-job experience and classroom instruction to select employees. “The job market is tighter than ever. We…
