Ozarks Technical Community College will confer 2,575 degrees and certificates to graduates this week, which includes students who have completed, or are pending completion of, their coursework from the summer 2019 semester through the spring 2020 semester.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college postponed its previously scheduled ceremony on May 14. Instead, graduates will have the opportunity to participate in a commencement ceremony on August 19 at JQH Arena. Additional details about the event will be released in the coming weeks.
Students will have the opportunity to pick up their caps and gowns at a drive-thru event held May 20 and 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in front of the OTC Bookstore at the Springfield campus. In addition to receiving their caps and gowns at the event, students can ask commencement-related questions and take pictures in their regalia.
OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon addressed OTC’s Class of 2020 in a statement released earlier this month.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has forced all of us to adapt, and the skills you have learned this past semester will serve you well going forward,” he wrote. “Whether you are preparing to enter the workforce or transferring to earn your bachelor’s degree, I wish you the very best, and I look forward to celebrating your accomplishments in August.”