A familiar face has stepped into an important role at Ozarks Technical Community College. Joyce Bateman is OTC’s new Dean of Students. As dean, she will serve as the primary student conduct officer. However, Joyce says her position involves so much more than that.
“Yes, it’s my job to hold students accountable for their behavior,” she explained. “At the same time, I get to help them move forward – and I love exploring those possibilities together.”
In addition to upholding OTC’s Standards of Student Conduct, Joyce will also provide leadership and guidance to the following offices: Academic Advising, Counseling Services, and the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). She will work closely with OTC’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Joan Barrett.
“I see the Dean of Students as OTC’s Encourager-in-Chief,” Dr. Barrett said. “The position is meant to be one of approachability for students, faculty and staff. Joyce’s breadth of experience in counseling and higher education will serve her well in this new role.”
About Joyce
Joyce has worked at OTC for 21 years. She was hired in 1997 as the college’s first full-time counselor. Throughout her time at OTC, Joyce has served as the Director of Counseling & Career Resources, Director of Counseling and Advising, and Assistant Dean of Students. In these roles, she helped create OTC’s first personal and career counseling service. She also assisted in the implementation of OTC’s first group academic advising and faculty advisory training programs. Joyce played a significant role in the development of OTCCares and the BIT, too.
OTCCares is a set of resources established to protect the health and safety of OTC students, faculty and staff – the Behavioral Intervention Team is one of the many resources that falls under the OTCCares umbrella. The team works with students who need assistance with issues ranging from class absenteeism to threats of self-harm. Joyce says its introduction in 2010 has taken the college’s culture of care to new levels.
“The BIT has been a significant win for students, faculty and staff,” she said. “Each year, more among us understand how to recognize, respond and refer students who may be having a tough time with school or with life. BIT has allowed us to reach more students early – before life stressors affect their progress at OTC.”
In addition to her work in student affairs, Joyce served 10 years as an elected board member of the American College Counseling Association. She has also given hundreds of local, state and national presentations on student mental health and academic success.
Authored Works
In her spare time, Joyce enjoys research and writing, particularly in the areas of college student mental health and personal resilience. She has also written about best practices in college counseling, behavioral intervention and threat assessment. Her authored works include the following:
- Self-help articles for students, several of which are located on OTC’s Counseling Services web page
- “Strategies for small-staff college counseling centers” in the book College Counseling: Issues and Strategies for a New Millennium (American Counseling Association, 2000)
- An online continuing education course for college counselors about working with students with test anxiety
- Co-author of “A model of service and training: Threat assessment on a community college campus” in the Psychological Services Journal of the American Psychological Association