OTC Foundation receives $30,000 from Bill and Ann Turner and the Turner Family Foundation

The OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of Ozarks Technical Community College, has received a gift of $30,000 from Bill and Ann Turner and the Turner Family Foundation.  The funds will be used for the expansion of the Information Commons West on the College’s Springfield campus, and the new Turner Family Student Lounge will be named in the family’s honor.

“The Turners and the Turner Family Foundation have been supporters of OTC for many years, and we are honored that they have chosen to be involved with our Springfield campus expansion,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, president of Ozarks Technical Community College.  “Their generosity and dedication to higher education is appreciated, and we are pleased to have an opportunity to recognize them for it.”

Bill Turner, President of Great Southern Bank, and his wife, Ann, have been closely involved with the College and the OTC Foundation for many years.  Mrs. Turner served as a founding member of the OTC Foundation Board of Directors from 1996-2006, including one term as president. Additionally, daughter Julie Turner Brown has held a position on the Board since 2006.

“The OTC Foundation, and the College as a whole, have benefitted greatly from the involvement of the Turner family,” added Cliff Davis, vice president for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the OTC Foundation.  “Their gifts of time, energy and funding have all demonstrated their support of our students, our faculty and staff, and our mission.”

Since 1999, The Turner Family Foundation and the Turner family have made 27 gifts to the College, with this most recent gift bringing the total to more than $165,000 in support of student scholarships and of outstanding faculty and staff through the annual Excellence in Education Awards.  Additionally, in 2008, OTC honored Bill Turner with the OTC Excellence In Business Award for his distinguished service on behalf of the College and to our greater community. 

The OTC Foundation, now in its 13th year of operation, works to meet the ever-increasing needs of Ozarks Technical Community College through the funding of scholarships, new programs, and capital improvement projects.  The current Major Gifts Capital Campaign includes efforts to raise money for scholarships, as well as for a Center for Health Education, Student Support programs, and Workforce Development.