OTC to recognize Turner Family Foundation with naming ceremony

Ozarks Technical Community College will recognize the Turner Family Foundation with a ceremony to officially name the Turner Family Foundation Student Lounge on Monday, November 14, at 2 p.m.  The ceremony will be held in the Turner Family Foundation Student Lounge, located in the Information Commons West at the OTC Springfield Campus.  The public is invited to attend.

“The Turner Family Foundation has made it possible for us to provide a much-needed resource for our students, and we are grateful for their continued support of OTC,” said Dr. Hal Higdon, chancellor of the College. “We are pleased to be able to honor their generosity with the naming of our new student lounge.”

Since 1999, The Turner Family Foundation and the Turner family have made 27 gifts to the OTC Foundation, the fundraising arm of 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 investments that the Turner Family Foundation and the Turner family have made in OTC have helped to provide many financial and facility resources for our students,” added Cliff Davis, vice chancellor for Institutional Advancement and executive director of the OTC Foundation.  “We look forward to working with them in serving our community for years to come.”

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 held a position on the Board 2006-2011.

The OTC Foundation, now in its 14th 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.