The Missouri Community College Association honored Special Agent Sgt. Joseph M. Peters with its Distinguished Alumni Award at a ceremony in Branson this evening. The late Sgt. Peters earned a certificate in electronic media production from Ozarks Technical Community College and went on to serve in the United States Army in the Criminal Investigations Division. …
Long-time Ozarks Technical Community College employee Alice Jefferson received the Missouri Community College Association’s Senior Service Award tonight, Nov. 5. Jefferson accepted the award at the opening ceremony of MCCA’s annual convention at the Hilton Branson Convention Center. Jefferson has served OTC as a custodian since 1991. Prior to that, she worked for the Springfield…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host two Veterans Day events on Tuesday, Nov. 11 to honor veterans and their families. The OTC Springfield Campus event begins at 11 a.m. in the Jared Family Atrium of the Information Commons building. The event at the OTC Table Rock Campus in Hollister begins at 4 p.m. on the…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host the 2014 Innovation Showcase Nov. 10-14. The event will share innovating teaching practices in online sessions led by local educators. OTC hosts the event in collaboration with Missouri Distance Learning Association, Springfield Public Schools, Evangel University, Missouri State University and Drury University. Dr. Jeff Borden, director of Pearson’s Center…
The OTC agriculture department isn’t cooking with gas. Instead, they are cutting with it. The program recently accepted a new propane-powered, zero-degree turn commercial mower that will allow students to study the properties of propane-powered mowers along with learning about efforts to make such landscaping work more environmentally friendly. The mower, valued at more than…
When one talks about a big man on campus, that honor could certainly go to OTC’s Robert Dale, a facilities employee on the Springfield campus for the past five years. When Dale attended Ava High School, he was just a 150-pounder who didn’t play sports. Today, Dale is an imposing figure at a muscular 275…
Hayley Peryer wanted to get a jump on her college career while attending Sparta High School. So, when she learned of OTC’s Dual Credit program, she jumped at the chance and is taking a college math and English composition classes online this semester. “It’s a great way to get your general education classes taken care…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host an informational session about a doctoral program offered at the college by Lindenwood University. The session will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 4 p.m. in the Board of Trustees room on the second floor of the Information Commons building at the OTC Springfield Campus. Lindenwood’s doctorate in…
Ozarks Technical Community College will host a retirement reception to honor Jacqueline “Jackie” McKinsey, a founding member of the Ozarks Technical Community College Board of Trustees on Saturday, Oct. 11. The reception will be held from 3-5 p.m. in the Jared Family Atrium of the OTC Springfield Campus. A short program to thank and honor…
The classroom is packed. Every chair is full and 2 extra seats are pulled in to accommodate the students who want to take this class. We are 6 weeks into the semester and all 32 students who signed up for this U.S. History class are present. I’ve heard good things about Jennifer Bump’s teaching but…
OTC Vice Chancellor Cliff Davis is the new president of the OTC Table Rock Campus. OTC’s Board of Trustees approved the appointment at its monthly meeting today, Monday, Oct. 6. Davis will assume his role as president Nov. 1. Davis takes over for Dr. Jeff Jochems, who has served as Table Rock’s interim president since…
Ozarks Technical Community College recognized Larry and Donna Snyder with the naming of the Larry and Donna Snyder Atrium in a ceremony today, Monday, Oct. 6. The event was held in the newly renovated atrium, located in the Information Commons East building of the OTC Springfield Campus. Mr. Snyder, a strong advocate for workforce training…
When OTC geology instructor Kathryn Shade saw the advantage of moving her classroom outside and off campus, she took jumped at the chance. Shade recently took a group of her students to the Johnson’s Shut-Ins and Elephant Rock state parks in southeastern Missouri where they spent several days hiked several trails, observed rocks and discussed…
Today may mark the start of Banned Book Week, but OTC instructor Lyndsey Strahan and her class at OTC Richwood Valley have been studying the issue of banned books all semester. Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read draws attention to banned and challenged books and highlights persecuted individuals. This is the first semester the…
Ozarks Technical Community College received the annual merit award from the National Board of Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting (NBSTSA) for achieving at least a 90 percent pass rate on its Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) examination during the 2013-14 academic year. OTC Surgical Technology students achieved a 92 percent pass rate on the CST exam.…
Ozarks Technical Community College received more than $1 million as part of a $19.7 million grant awarded to Missouri’s community colleges and the State Technical College of Missouri. OTC’s grant funds, awarded today through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Program, will serve 108 students. These…
Ozarks Technical Community College invites area high school students to attend Discover OTC – an annual, system-wide event that serves as a college visit for hundreds of students. Discover OTC allows students to tour OTC campuses and centers and learn more about the specialized programs OTC offers. Students will also have the opportunity to meet…
OTC employees got an up close and personal look at what poverty looks like in the Ozarks. OACAC’s Poverty Simulation, brought to the Springfield campus by the colleges student services department, put OTC employees in the roles of low-income family members living on limited budgets and with other limited means of support. Participants had four…
Like some students when they first come to Ozarks Technical Community College, Jordan Morgan wasn’t sure what career he was most interested in. But now, he’s sure he’s made the right choice. In May, Morgan graduated with a degree in Computer Information Science. And today, he is the proud developer, creator and owner of a…
My grandfather, Isaac, arrived in the United States in December of 1909. He was only 15 years old when his father sent him across the ocean to bring back his older brother, Richard, who came to the United States for a visit but never returned to Lebanon. Rosie, the older sister, came with Isaac to…
Welcome back to a new semester. On our opening day, we had a few lost and wandering students but overall the semester started with minimal problems and a lot of excitement. Our college wide theme for academics is “Celebrate Potential.” In keeping with this theme, I will be sharing ideas through regular Nourishing the Teacher…
Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, is known for giving her top performers a pink Cadillac. She said, “There are two things people want more than sex and money. They are recognition and praise.” There are many ways we can give our students recognition and praise but nothing is more powerful for…
Transitioning from the battlefield to the classroom can be a difficult journey for college-bound veterans. With 1,000 veterans attending OTC, reaching out to those with a military experience can be a challenge. But its just gotten better with counseling services being available for veterans and their family members starting Sept. 10 on the OTC Springfield…
AED Solutions, a division of Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC), helped secure the donation of a $2,250 automatic external defibrillator (AED) for Crosslines, a service agency of the Council of Churches of the Ozarks. The gift was announced this morning during a news conference at Crosslines. Representatives from OTC’s AED Solutions unveiled the new defibrillator,…
The General Motors Training Center in Ardsley, N.Y. donated a 2013 Cadillac ATS to Ozarks Technical Community College’s (OTC) Automotive Technology program. The Cadillac was delivered to OTC’s Transportation department on Tuesday, Sept. 2. General Motors pledged to donate vehicles to the top automotive winners of the 2014 SkillsUSA Championships, a national competition of career…