Ozarks Technical Community College’s 2024 commencement ceremony was historic. The 2024 graduation marked the first time in history that a Missouri community college has awarded bachelor’s degrees. Daniel Bowles, Samantha Gonzalez and Jade Humphreys each earned a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy. In 2021, the Coordinating Board for Higher Education approved OTC and St.…
Just over a third of Americans have bachelor’s degrees, and this year, Ozarks Technical Community College will directly contribute to the number of people with four-year degrees. At OTC’s 2024 commencement, the college will make history by awarding three Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy degrees to Daniel Bowles, Samantha Gonzalez and Jade Humphreys. This…
Ozarks Technical Community College dedicated the Rick’s Automotive Student Lounge today, Thursday, May 9. The lounge is in the newly remodeled Industry and Transportation Technology Center. In 2022, Rick and Karen Hughlett donated to the new Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing to establish a student lounge in the PMC. “We continue to donate…
IRONTON, Mo. (May 6, 2024)— Arcadia Valley High School today hosted Decision Day, an event for the 81 high school seniors to announce their plans following graduation, which ranged from enrolling in college, undertaking technical training, and enlisting in the military. Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven joined the event in recognition of the…
The 2024 Ozarks Technical Community College commencement will be historic. The May 16 graduation ceremony at Great Southern Bank Arena will be the first time in the state’s history that a community college confers bachelor’s degrees. Three OTC students will receive a Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Therapy. “This is a point of pride for…
In light of recent layoffs at the Tracker Marine manufacturing plant in Lebanon, the Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center and the Lebanon Job Center will host an event to help those workers explore their training options. The event is on Tuesday, April 30, at 10 a.m. The OTC Lebanon Center is located at…
The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will host its third annual Lineworker Rodeo on Monday, April 29, 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…
Growing up in Versailles, Mo., Jordan Williams always planned to become a physician. But in high school, he began working at a dental office in his hometown, mostly cleaning and stocking shelves. Occasionally, Jordan would help out during a procedure. “I saw a woman receive dentures, and she started crying,” Jordan said. “She was…
Local information technology firm JMARK and Ozarks Technical Community College partnered to create the JMARK Cybersecurity Lab. JMARK’s strategic investment in the college’s cybersecurity program helps create career avenues for students to work at JMARK or other local companies. Cybersecurity debuted at OTC in the fall of 2022. Immediately, cybersecurity was one of the most…
Karli Hedge has always been interested in the World. “My older brother bought me an encyclopedia set when I was little,” Karli said. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read it.” However, the Clever High School student’s natural curiosity had a drawback. “When I went to schedule classes for my junior year at…
The 2024 Ozarks Technical Community College Commencement Ceremony student speaker is Robert-Thomas Gumersell. The 21-year-old Springfield native is receiving his Associate of Arts in General Studies and a Certificate of Specialization in Honors Studies. Robert-Thomas, known around campus as R.T., started attending OTC as a dual-enrolled home school high school student when he was 18.…
Nine Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 11, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon at Stephens College in Columbia. The PTK/MCCA All-Missouri Team recognizes high-achieving two-year college students who demonstrate academic excellence, intellectual rigor, leadership, and service that extends their education beyond the classroom to benefit society. …
JMARK CEO Tom Douglas will give the commencement address at Ozarks Technical Community College’s graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 16, at 5 p.m. Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus is the site for the graduation ceremony. JMARK is a Springfield-based information technology company with a “People First, Technology Second” philosophy. “Good people aspire…
The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) awarded Ozarks Technical Community College Table Rock Campus President Dr. Robert Griffith with the Paragon Award for New Presidents. Dr. Griffith was honored during PTK Catalyst 2024, held April 4-6 in Orlando, Fla. Catalyst is the society’s annual convention. Dr. Griffith is one of just 24 college presidents…
Educators devote limitless time, and often their own resources, to helping students pursue their passions. To recognize the contributions of Missouri’s leading agricultural teachers, Nationwide and the Missouri FFA Foundation are honoring exceptional teachers as semi-finalists for the Missouri Golden Owl Award. This was the inaugural year for the Golden Owl Award contest in Missouri.…
Robert-Thomas Gumersell, an Ozarks Technical Community College student, has been named a 2024 Coca-Cola Academic Team Bronze Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Gumersell graduated from Home School in 2022. He plans to graduate from OTC in May 2024 with an Associate of Arts degree and a Certificate of Specialization in Honors Studies. The…
It will come with little fanfare other than a quick mention in the news and an even quicker cutaway to the floor of Congress, but this September will mark 30 years of the Violence Against Women’s Women Act. Since its enactment in 1994, VAWA has been instrumental in supporting survivors, enhancing legal protections and fostering…
Ozarks Technical Community College student group Politically Active will host “Springfield Votes” on March 20. The event will allow voters to meet with all candidates running for the Springfield School Board in the April 2 election. “Springfield Votes” will run from 5-7:30 p.m. in the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing on the OTC Springfield Campus. …
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Graphic Design Technology students earned 21 medals, two prestigious Judges’ Awards and Best of Show at the 2024 Heartland Addy Awards. The event recognized the top advertising of 2023 for the Heartland Chapter of the American Advertising Federation. The 2024 Addy Awards were held on Saturday, March 2, at Downstream Casino…
Ozarks Technical Community College students Mitchell Eddings and Robert-Thomas (R.T.) Gumersell represented OTC during the annual Missouri Governor’s Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values held February 16-18, 2024, in Jefferson City, Missouri. The Forum challenges students’ character development by encouraging them to reflect on their own decision-making skills, values, and belief systems. Students learn…
Many people can recall spending hundreds of dollars on a college textbook and then choosing to sell it back for pennies on the dollar at the end of the semester or keep it. Now, thanks to Open Education Resources (OER), students never have to make that choice. Open Educational Resources are no-cost teaching, learning…
The number of Ozarks Technical Community College students receiving a financial aid instrument targeted at adult students pursuing training in high-demand fields more than tripled during the last school year. The Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant is primarily designed for students 25 and older who desire careers in fields like nursing, manufacturing and teaching. For…
Like many people who study healthcare later in life, their child’s medical challenges trigger an interest in the profession. That is the case for Ozarks Technical Community College student Arica Timmons. When her son was born in 2007, he suffered a brachial plexus injury during delivery, which affected his ability to use his right arm.…
The annual Innovation Celebration featured ideas to support student success and awards for Ozarks Technical Community College’s top employees. OTC’s full-time employees gathered at the White River Conference Center to celebrate the college’s student-centered culture on Tuesday, Feb. 20. At OTC, faculty and staff continuously create new ways to support students, improve on-campus life…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s first bachelor’s degree program experienced dramatic growth in its second year. The bachelor’s in respiratory therapy debuted in January of 2023 with a handful of students, but when classes began for the Spring 2024 semester, the new program had 16 first-year students. “This year, we’ve had more time to attract students,…
