It may be easy for someone who has never suffered from addiction to ask, “Why would anyone start doing drugs? Just don’t start, and you’ll never get addicted.” As soon-to-be OTC graduate Denise Shirley can tell you, addiction isn’t about that first time but how each decision leads to another unfortunate decision. Denise’s substance use…
Ozarks Technical Community College received a $345,725 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for its new automation and robotics program, which will debut in August at the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing (PMC). The grant is funded by the NSF’s Advanced Technological Education program, which focuses on training technicians in advanced technology…
When Ozarks Technical Community College dental hygiene student Sam Patel would give a patient an injection in the OTC Dental Clinic, his hands were always steady. His fellow dental hygiene students took notice. “They would ask me, ‘Why don’t your hands shake when you give an injection?’” Sam chuckled. “I would tell them I just…
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has approved Ozarks Technical Community College’s class “Orientation to the Teaching Profession” as substitute teacher training. Students who complete this introductory course for OTC’s new teacher education degree will be eligible to apply to become substitute teachers in the state of Missouri. “When the college revamped…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure contribution from the employee-owners of SRC Holdings Corporation for the SRC Quality Lab inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. “We want the move to Advanced Manufacturing to consider remanufacturing and its profound impact on sustainability,” said Jack Stack, SRC founder and CEO. “This…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation announced a six-figure gift from the Gentry Family for the event space inside the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing. The Jack & Ann Gentry Family Event Center is named for the Gentry Family’s late father and mother — the founders of Positronic, a Springfield manufacturing company. “My…
More than 700 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in the 2022 Commencement, held Thursday, May 19, at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 2,466 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, including students who have completed or are pending completion of their coursework from the summer 2021 semester through the…
Hollister High School today hosted “Decision Day,” an event at which about 120 graduating high school seniors publicly announced their plans to enroll in college, seek career training, or enlist in the military following graduation. Missouri Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe and Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven were among the leaders who attended the event, along…
In the Jane’s Addiction song “Jane Says,” the song’s protagonist, Jane, utters the words, “I’m gonna kick tomorrow.” She’s saying she’ll “kick” her addiction tomorrow, but when the next day comes, she utters the same mantra — tomorrow is always the next day. For soon-to-be OTC graduate Liz Atchley, tomorrow came on August 17, 2016.…
When Sariah Reed picked up a torch and chose to study welding at Ozarks Technical Community College, some of her family members asked her why she wanted to do “man’s work.” But Sariah didn’t see it that way. “It’s not about being a different gender; it’s about your knowledge and skill in doing the work,”…
Two adjectives accurately describe Ozarks Technical Community College student Audri Moses: bubbly and busy. Her bubbly attributes are apparent as soon as she speaks. Energy, positivity and gratitude infuse her conversation. “I was homeschooled most of my life, but I’m a really social person. So, I started a Kickapoo halfway through my sophomore year,” Audri…
“All kids need is a little help, a little hope and somebody who believes in them.” – Former NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson For Ozarks Technical Community College student Cecily Wright, the help, hope and belief came from a couple of OTC employees. Wright grew up in Archie, Mo., a small town south…
Jack Stack, the founder, president and CEO of SRC Holdings, will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 19, at 5 p.m. The event will be held at the Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University Campus. Stack has been called the “smartest strategist in America” by…
If you drive through Kennett, Missouri, you won’t find an ice arena, and nobody’s playing hockey even if the local pond is frozen over. Kennett native Drew Porterfield grew up a St. Louis Blues fan despite that lack of local hockey action. And a few days after he graduates from Ozarks Technical Community College, Drew…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will stage its first-ever Lineman Rodeo on Tuesday, May 10, beginning at 10 a.m. The OTC Lebanon Center is located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. The event is free and the public is invited to watch. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. First-year students from OTC…
Once solely the domain of students at four-year colleges, Ozarks Technical Community College graphic design students recently brought home awards from the American Advertising Federation’s Heartland Addy Awards. In 2021, Elijah Prewitt earned a silver Addy for his brand style guide. This year, Danielle Hartzler brought home a silver Addy for logo design. “Everyone in…
To meet the demand for Certified Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), Ozarks Technical Community College and CoxHealth are partnering to offer the community EMT apprenticeships. Students receive the instruction and training free of charge, get paid an hourly wage as CoxHealth employees during the apprenticeship, and those who satisfactorily complete the program are guaranteed employment. There…
Ozarks Technical Community College Mathematics Instructor Melissa Wittmer earned the “Teaching Excellence Award” from the Missouri Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (MOMATYC). The award was presented at MOMATYC’s annual conference held April 7-9 in Union, Mo. According to the MOMATYC website, the criteria for selection for the MOMATYC Teaching Excellence Award are: Instruction effectiveness and…
Ozarks Technical Community College today (April 15, 2022) announced that it was the victim of a cyber fraud incident that robbed the institution of nearly $900,000 this spring. The college notified law enforcement authorities as soon as the fraud was discovered. Loss of the funds will not affect students, classes or any college operations. The…
Film-making in Hollywood may be the ultimate glitz and glamour profession. The term “The movie industry” brings film stars, red carpets and fancy awards shows to mind. Those images may tell the story of big-budget Hollywood film premieres, but the process of actually making movies, especially independent films, involves long days and hard work. Around…
At 48 years old, this is not David Walden’s first time pursuing higher education. After graduating high school in the early 90s, Walden began college at a small, private four-year university, but “I wasn’t ready for college,” he said. Later, Walden made his way to the now-defunct, for-profit Vatterott College in Springfield, where he first…
According to the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in 2021, more than 3,500 teaching positions in the state went unfilled or were filled by candidates without the proper qualifications. To help alleviate the teacher shortage in the state, Ozarks Technical Community College is updating its teaching degree to remove barriers and increase accessibility…
Inside the office at Abel’s Affordable Roadside hangs a decorative sign with a small sculpture of a sea captain, and next to him are the words, “Coil up your ropes and anchor here till better weather doth appear.” For Abel’s Affordable Roadside owner Garry Shidler, that small office and OTC Cares served as his port…
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, two of the fastest-growing jobs in the United States are for technicians who can install, maintain and repair wind and solar equipment. Ozarks Technical Community College’s Alternative and Renewable Energy course in the Electrical Trades program trains students to work on wind, solar and other forms of renewable…
Crystal Brinell, a student at Ozarks Technical Community College, has been named a 2022 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,250 scholarship. Brinell, a 2001 graduate of Troy Buchanan High in Troy, Mo., is enrolled in OTC’s Pre-Dental Hygiene Program. This scholarship is the first of its kind to support students at associate…
