Ozark Technical Community College officials and community members celebrated the grand opening of the OTC Table Rock Campus Technical Education Center today, August 13. The 10,500-square-foot building, located north of the Table Rock campus, will house classrooms and labs for the college’s HVAC and construction programs. The newly renovated center will open its doors to students Aug. 20.
At the grand-opening event, OTC Chancellor Hal Higdon spoke to the college’s ability to meet local workforce demands.
“This is progress as promised,” he said. “By joining the OTC district, the citizens of Branson and Hollister said ‘yes’ to new educational opportunities and workforce training programs – our new Technical Education Center is open and ready to prepare students for great careers.”
In October of 2017, the OTC Board of Trustees unanimously agreed to enter a memorandum of understanding with the city of Hollister for 5.5 acres of land and two buildings along Missouri 165, north of the 9-acre Table Rock campus. The agreement allowed the college to lease and renovate a former public works building on the property for a five-year period. That building, now the Technical Education Center, will be used to educate and train students in the college’s HVAC and construction programs. OTC plans to buy the entire property, which also includes a police station, at the end of the five-year lease.
During the ceremony, OTC Table Rock Campus President Cliff Davis thanked the city for its partnership and collaboration on the project.
“The city of Hollister has been an outstanding partner to OTC from the very beginning,” he said. “Its leaders understand the importance of investing in technical education, and the region’s economy will only continue to grow as we educate and train the next generation of workers.”
In addition to its HVAC and construction programs, the OTC Table Rock Campus recently expanded its offerings to include computer information science, emergency medical systems and behavioral health support. More information on the new programs can be found at tablerock.otc.edu/newprograms.
Classes for the fall 2018 semester begin Monday, August 20.