OTC chancellor receives Pacesetter of the Year award

Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College, has received the Pacesetter of the Year award from the college’s district of the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR). The Pacesetter of the Year award recognizes a community college president or CEO who has demonstrated excellence in leadership and support of the college’s marketing and public relations efforts. The award was presented at the NCMPR District 5 Conference, held September 23-25 in Wichita, Kan.

“We nominated Dr. Higdon for the Pacesetter of the Year award because he has done so much to advance OTC in his short six years as chancellor, and it shows in our enrollment, our growth as an institution, and our impact on the area’s economy,” said Cliff Davis, vice chancellor for Advancement | Student Affairs | Workforce Development. “He understands the importance of communications and marketing, especially in an organization directly supported by the community, and we are thrilled that he has been recognized for his efforts.”

The Pacesetter of the Year award is given annually in each of NCMPR’s seven districts. District recipients are automatically in consideration for the national award, which is presented at the national conference. The next national conference will be held in Chicago in March of 2013.

In addition to the Pacesetter of the Year award for Dr. Higdon, Ozarks Technical Community College’s communications and marketing department brought home six awards for their efforts over the past year. The following awards were received:

• Printed Class Schedule – for the OTC Profile, which is mailed throughout the OTC service area twice each year


• College Video Program – for the college’s monthly video newsletter


• College Promotional Video – for the spotlight video on alumna Jacque Blauvelt, produced as a supplement to the OTC Profile

• Promotional Campaign for a Special Event – for the “Back in Black” campaign, an internal effort to encourage graduating students to participate in the commencement ceremony


• Foundation Annual Report – for the OTC Foundation’s Annual Report document, which is mailed to supporters of the college once each year

• Government/Community Relations Project – for the annual Community Day event

About NCMPR

NCMPR is the only organization that exclusively serves marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. Headquartered in Greeley, Colo., the organization has more than 1,550 members from more than 650 colleges in the United States, Canada, and other countries.