Nathan Thomas traded his blue police uniform for a set of black physical therapy assistant scrubs and he hasn’t regretted the decision for a minute. Thomas, with nearly 15 years of experience on the Springfield Police force and a U.S. Navy veteran, graduated from OTC last week with a physical therapy assistant’s degree. He recently…
Nearly 700 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in Thursday evening’s commencement ceremony at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 3,153 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, which includes students who have completed their course work from the summer 2014 semester through the summer 2015 semester. Neal Spencer, retired CEO of…
Brandi Keltner came to OTC a few years ago thinking she would just be one of the thousands of students who would quietly go about getting her degree. That didn’t happen. Keltner went from wallflower to an active member of the student body, thanks to her involvement in the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society. She…
Neal Spencer, retired CEO of BKD, will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s graduation on Thursday, May 14 at 6 p.m. at the JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. In addition to all graduates and their families, the public is invited to attend the ceremony.
Sophia Arvizu-Rice will graduate from OTC’s Middle College next week with much more than a certificate for her two years of hard work. Middle College showed Sophia her path to the future. “Without Middle College, I would have been unmotivated to go to college,” she said. “I am a lot more motivated now. I feel…
OTC’s Phi Theta Kappa chapter was honored by the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society during NerdNation 2015, the society’s annual convention held April 16–18 in San Antonio, Texas.
The OTC Hearing Instrument Science classroom took its mobile lab unit on the road recently to gain experience in screening hearing patients, specifically Greene County employees. Students and the mobile lab recently spent several days at the Office of Emergency Management screening Greene County deputies, phone operators and highway department employees. “The partnership with the…
OTC Online will offer a free online course to anyone in the community who would like to experience the online learning environment before enrolling in an online course for credit. The course, “Preparing to Learn Online,” opens for registration today, Monday, April 27. Enrollment will be offered through July 31, 2015.
Technical education students at Ozarks Technical Community College will showcase their skills through a series of community-focused events that include a plant sale on April 23-24 and a car show and welding event on Saturday, April 25. Plant Sale — OTC will host its annual plant sale on Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24…
After working for 25 years as a fitness director on a cruise ship, Janice Zerbe was ready to stand on some dry land for a while. Janice didn’t get that far from the water, choosing some dry land near the lakes in Branson, where she is studying at OTC Table Rock to become a physical…
When 21 OTC dental students returned from spring break, they had big smiles on their faces because of the hundreds of smiles they left behind in Nicaragua. For the third year in a now, a group of dental students gave up their spring break vacations to take much-needed assistance to residents in and around Masachapa…
Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching Three instructors from Ozarks Technical Community College received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching from the Missouri Community College Association. Tristin Hooker, Angie McChesney and Trisha White accepted the award at a ceremony in Holts Summit on Wednesday, April 8. The Excellence in Teaching award, presented annually by…
Branson residents will benefit from in-district tuition at Ozarks Technical Community College after Tuesday’s election. Branson voters agreed to join the OTC taxing district by a 61 percent to 39 percent vote.
Springfield entrepreneur and publisher Jeff Schrag will be the recipient of the 2015 Excellence in Business Award, to be presented by Ozarks Technical Community College on Friday, April 10. The award ceremony will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. at the White River Conference Center, 600 West Sunshine Street in Springfield.
There are a lot of ways to describe Jeff Schrag: entrepreneur, beer maker, innovator, real estate investor and businessman. But the title the 48-year-old Kansas native likes the most is a simple one: friend. “How about Jeff Schrag is my friend?” he asked during an interview. “I’ll take that one.” Lots of Schrag’s friends and…
If local residents were asked what single act has had the most impact on the region over the past 25 years, what happened on April 3, 1990, has to rank near the top. A quarter-century ago, voters approved the formation of the Junior College District of Central Southwest Missouri. What has taken place as a…
Ozarks Technical Community College will commemorate its 25th anniversary with a celebration on Friday, April 3 at 2:30 p.m. on the student plaza of the OTC Springfield Campus.
The Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus and the Hollister School District have partnered to offer new educational opportunities to Hollister students. OTC Table Rock Campus President Cliff Davis and Hollister School Superintendent Dr. Brian Wilson signed a memorandum of understanding today, Thursday, March 26.
Matthew Hernando remembers the first time he came across a group called the Bald Knobbers. “I rode ‘Fire in the Hole’ at Silver Dollar City and read ‘The Shepherd of the Hills,’” said Hernando, an instructor at the OTC Table Rock Campus.
WHO: The Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus and Hollister Public Schools. OTC Table Rock President Cliff Davis and Hollister Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Wilson will both be in attendance.
Students in the Table Rock area will soon be able to complete a Missouri State University bachelor’s degree at the Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus. OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon and Missouri State President Clif Smart signed a memorandum of understanding today, Thursday, March 19.
Ozarks Technical Community College honored the late Bill G. Williams and his wife Marie Williams with the naming of the Bill G. and Marie Williams Classroom in a ceremony today, Wednesday, March 18 at the OTC Lebanon Center.
Brie Jenkins has never shied away from competing against the best when it comes to displaying her skills as a welder. The OTC student earned a job as a machine shop welder at the Paul Mueller Co. by being a standout student. Then, she wowed a lot of experienced welders by finishing second in the…
Kevin Kloppenburg likes to joke that he is “a giant in his field” and one of OTC’s newest adjunct instructors is just that. At 6-8, 300 pounds with a size 17 shoe, the long-time Springfield Public Schools art instructor is making an impact at OTC in just his first semester working for the college and…
Local professionals who are interested in becoming part-time instructors for Ozarks Technical Community College can learn more about teaching opportunities on Saturday, March 21 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Adjunct Faculty Career Fair at the OTC Springfield Campus.