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…
Joan Barrett, the associate vice chancellor for student affairs at OTC, will become the vice chancellor for student affairs beginning July 1, 2015. Her promotion was approved by the OTC Board of Trustees at its regular monthly meeting on Monday, June 8.
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Department of Life Science, in cooperation with several business sponsors, invites students entering grades 6–12 to attend STEAM Days: a one-day, activities-based event that allows students to test, observe and explore the fields of science, technology, engineering, art or mathematics (STEAM). STEAM Days will be held on Friday, June 19 for…
Jared Lightle, former human resources information systems manager at NPC International, has been named the Coordinator of Scholarships and Alumni for the OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ozarks Technical Community College. In his new role, Lightle will manage the foundation’s scholarship award process, build the alumni association, and assist with the foundation’s recently announced…
Community colleges are often touted for their capability to educate students of all ability levels, but often the students who seek community college education are not ready for college-level coursework. In response to this issue, community colleges offer developmental education courses, which are required, noncredit courses for students who score below a certain level on…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Adult Education and Literacy program received the High Quality Program award from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The award recognized five out of 38 AEL programs in the state for achieving positive student outcomes while maintaining a high degree of fiscal integrity in program operations. Missouri’s Office of…
The OTC Middle College has named CoxHealth its Employer of the Year. The health system was selected for its constant assistance and support in providing Middle College students internships in the fields of health services and early childhood education. “CoxHealth gives our students the opportunity to study several different careers and options available to them…
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.