Nigel Holderby will never forget the events of July 8, 2011, that changed his life and his career forever. Even today, as Holderby ponders the incident, the OTC graduate gets a hitch in his voice as emotions bubble up. “That one event altered my future,” he said speaking for students in a speech he gave…
The Speckman Tutoring and Learning Center at Ozarks Technical Community College has been named the winner of the Blackboard Catalyst Awards program’s Teaching and Learning Award, which honors outstanding use of technology for instructor efficiency and learner engagement. Jacob Lewellen, director of the Speckman Tutoring and Learning Center, and his team will be honored during…
Ozarks Technical Community College awarded degrees to a total of 1,420 graduates in the spring 2013 semester, an increase of 51 percent over the spring of 2012, when only 940 students graduated. A number of factors have contributed to the increase in graduates, but administrators point to two key influences. First, many of the recent…
Branson Mayor Raeanne Presley has been selected as the new chair of the Board of Directors for the OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ozarks Technical Community College. Outgoing chair Jeffrey Gower, president of Wil Fischer Companies, served in the position from 2012-2013. The transition was finalized at the May meeting of the OTC Foundation…
Two years ago, Amado Antonini and his brother, Ronald, came to Ozarks Technical Community College from Venezuela to get their GED. Now, after two years in the College’s Honors program, Amado Antonini is about to continue on his dream to become an engineer. He received word by email earlier this month that he had been…
Ozarks Technical Community College is seeking volunteers for Adult Education and Literacy classes in a nine-county area. Volunteers can assist adults in preparing for the high school equivalency test, learning English as a second language or learning to read. The OTC Adult Education and Literacy programs help the citizens of southwest Missouri to increase their…
Kids’ College summer classes at Ozarks Technical Community College are enrolling now! This year’s schedule includes plenty of unique options designed to develop new interests, teach meaningful skills and excite students about learning. This year’s summer opportunities include “Mad Science Mondays and Fridays” workshops throughout June and July, Sign Language for families, and an ACT…
Dennis Peters, OTC’s Veteran Student Services representative, has a bullet from the Civil War sitting on his desk that he looks at every day. “It sits right under one of my monitors so, when I type, it is in my line of sight. It helps remind me that someone, somewhere is in a position to…
OTC instructor James Sheldon went out of his way recently to emphasize “long” in the term long-distance learning when he conducted a class from the Bahamas last week with his students who were sitting in a science lab at the Richwood Valley campus. Shelton, who teaches environmental science and biology, was in the Bahamas earning…
Anyone heading out to a job interview wants to look their best to make a good impression but so some, owning a professional outfit can be a challenge. But a group at Ozarks Technical Community College is trying to assist those in need of professional clothing with a drive to collect suits, dressing shirts, dresses…
When the lights go up later this month on OTC’s presentation of “Clue: The Musical,” there will be some deep sighs of relief. The effort of the College’s Fine Arts Department to put on its first musical production in six years of stage performances has been filled with lots of hard work by students and…
A gift of 50 acres adjacent to the existing OTC Lebanon Center has been presented to the OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ozarks Technical Community College. The property, which is valued at more than $500,000, was gifted to the college by Reuben and the late Mary Lou Casey of San Clemente, Calif. The Caseys…
United States Senator Roy Blunt will present the commencement address at the 2013 ceremony for Ozarks Technical Community College, to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. In addition to all graduates and their families, the public is invited to attend the ceremony. “As…
Students from the Turf and Landscape Management program at Ozarks Technical Community College have brought home several awards and a scholarship from their field’s national competition. The students competed against 62 other colleges and universities at the 37th annual Student Career Days, informally known as the “Landscaping Olympics,” an event sponsored by the Professional Landcare…
Ozarks Technical Community College will hold an event to announce a major gift to benefit the OTC Lebanon Center on Thursday, May 9, at 10 a.m. The announcement event will be held at the OTC Lebanon Center, located off of Interstate 44 at 22360 Highway MM. The major gift has been presented to the OTC…
A team of students from the Ozarks Technical Community College Surgical Technology program has taken first place at the Missouri Association of Surgical Technologists’ Annual Scrub Bowl. The competition consists of a written examination made up of questions taken from the Surgical Technologist Certification exam. This is the fourth time OTC’s Surgical Technology students have…
More than 100 students representing the various technical programs of Ozarks Technical Community College participated in two days of competition at the State SkillsUSA Skills and Leadership Conference, held recently on the campus of Linn State Technical College in Linn, Mo. In the end, OTC’s students brought home 34 first place medals, 16 second place…
Ozarks Technical Community College will present its fourth annual Distinguished Alumni Award to Missouri state Rep. Diane Franklin. The award will be presented during the college’s commencement ceremony, to be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. Franklin, a Republican, represents parts of Camden and…
Alpha Psi Tau, Ozarks Technical Community College’s chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, recently placed fourth in the world among more than 1,300 chapters of the international academic honors society at the the 95th annual International Convention in San Jose, Calif. In addition to the high overall ranking, the chapter also brought home a number of…
SPRINGFIELD, MO. – The Enactus (formerly SIFE) team from Ozarks Technical Community College placed first at the Enactus USA Regional Competition, held last week in Rogers, AR. This is the ninth Regional Championship for the College’s team. This year’s members competing include Wesley Marr, Brooke Morrow, Tucker Tillis, from OTC’s Branson Education Center; Kimberly Underhill…
Nick Kennedy can’t remember the last time he went to the zoo. He thinks he might have been 7 or 8 years old. But Kennedy isn’t likely to forget his most recent trip to the Dickerson Park Zoo, which he took last week with other students in his OTC biology class for a behind-the-scenes look…
The fourth-annual OTC Community Day will offer visitors a chance to experience how to survive a zombie attack, donate to a worthy cause and check out the latest in beautifully restored cars and trucks. Community Day is April 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the OTC Springfield Campus. Dozens of programs will conduct…
Thanks to a new outreach pilot program, tutors from OTC’s Speckman Tutoring and Learning Center are expanding their services to younger students in need of a bit of assistance. Working in conjunction with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Springfield, a number of tutors from the tutoring center are spending several hours on Tuesdays helping students…
Students usually head to the library to find a required book or some other printed study materials. At the OTC Richwood Valley Campus learning resource center, anatomy students can now get the materials they need for their studies body parts. A number of body-part replicas are available for human anatomy classes offered at Richwood Valley…
This month, the Ozarks Technical Community College Fine Arts department will take “center stage” in Park Central Square. From 6-10 p.m. during First Friday Art Walk on Friday, April 5, OTC will provide live music and entertainment in the center of downtown Springfield. Plus, the OTC Fine Arts department’s students and faculty will promote the…