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.…
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…
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…
The Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) honored Ozarks Technical Community College Provost Dr. Tracy McGrady with its Distinguished College Administrator Award. Dr. McGrady received the award during PTK Catalyst 2023, held April 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio. Catalyst is the society’s annual convention. Dr. McGrady is one of just 30 college administrators nationwide to receive…
Ten Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 13, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon at Stephens College in Columbia. The PTK All USA 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…
Autumn Seely from Ozarks Technical Community College is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named a 2022 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Seely graduated from Glendale High School in 2021 and is beginning her second year at OTC. The Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholarship Program helps new Phi…
By Stevi Kay Berry, OTC Class of 2022 In the spring of 2020, the pandemic altered the course of my life forever. I begrudgingly enrolled here at Ozarks Technical Community College. After being told by nearly everyone that community college meant giving up on myself, my success and my dreams – something I’m sure we’ve…
Five Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored today, Thursday, April 28, at the Missouri Community College Association (MCCA) Student Leadership and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Awards Luncheon. At the event, hosted by Stephens College in Columbia, one OTC student was recognized for his leadership; four other students were named to the Missouri All-Academic Team.…
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…
Eight Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored for their academic success and student leadership at the Missouri Community College Association’s Phi Theta Kappa and Student Leadership Virtual Celebration, held April 21. Student Leadership Award At the virtual event, three OTC students received MCCA Student Leadership Awards. The awards are presented annually to an outstanding…
OTC’s Phi Theta Kappa Chapter Alpha Psi Tau emerged from PTK Catalyst 2021 with several awards in hand. Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, broadcast its annual convention live from Orlando, Florida April 8-10. For the second year in a row, Alpha Psi Tau was named a Distinguished Chapter, placing it…
Initially, Kila Butts resisted the idea of going back to school. She would have to quit her job, survive off her husband’s income and find a way to pay tuition. But, after eight years in the telecommunications business, she decided it was time. Kila pushed her doubts aside and enrolled at OTC. “I couldn’t let…
OTC graduate Igho Ekakitie is now one step closer to fulfilling his dream. The aspiring diplomat received a full-tuition scholarship to attend Webster University in St. Louis this fall. He plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in international relations with an emphasis in human rights. “I want to help people,” he said. “I want to…
Phi Theta Kappa, the international honor society for two-year colleges, recognized OTC’s Alpha Psi Tau Chapter at its first-ever virtual convention held April 16. The chapter’s Honors in Action Hallmark Award entry, “Historic Route 66: Transforming Geographic and Psychological Connections,” was selected from among 495 entries to be included as one of sixteen articles in…
Before Keith Crisman graduated from Bowling Green (Missouri) High School in 2001, he was told that he wasn’t “college material.” Nearly 20 years later, Keith, an Ozarks Technical Community College graduate, is a candidate for a Ph.D. in Human Centered Design through the Florida Institute of Technology. What is Human Centered Design? According to Keith,…
Misuse of prescription opioids and stimulants has become a serious public health problem in the United States. This epidemic has become an issue for Ozarks. According to the Greene County Health Department, the rate of opioid overdose deaths quadrupled between 2000 and 2015. Just recently, in Springfield, emergency personnel responded to 13 drug overdoses in…
Jorgie Teaster was destined to become a farmer. After all, her name means “tiller of the soil.” Farming runs deep in Jorgie’s family, too. She spent much of her childhood helping out on her grandparents’ farm and exploring the greenhouses where her mother worked. “There’s something about being in that environment and mass producing all…
Seven Ozarks Technical Community College students were honored for their academic success and student leadership at the Missouri Community College Association’s PTK and Student Leadership Luncheon. The event was held today, April 24, at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. At the event, three OTC students received MCCA Student Leadership Awards. These awards are presented annually…
For the first time in OTC’s history, two students are entering the final rounds of candidacy for international office positions through Phi Theta Kappa, the world’s largest honor society for two-year colleges. OTC student Igho Ekakitie is running for International President and Sarah Rife is running for International Vice President of Division III. The two…
Ozarks Technical Community College’s Alpha Psi Tau Chapter has been named a 2019 REACH Chapter by Phi Theta Kappa, an international honor society for two-year colleges. The organization’s REACH Rewards Program recognizes Phi Theta Kappa chapters that excel in the area of membership development. As a result of the REACH award, OTC’s Alpha Psi Tau Chapter…
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) will recognize Dr. Joan Barrett, OTC’s vice chancellor for student affairs, with the Distinguished College Administrator Award during PTK Catalyst 2019, the society’s annual convention, held April 4-6 in Orlando, Florida. The Distinguished College Administrator Awards are presented to college vice presidents, deans, or directors serving at post-secondary institutions…
Suicidal thoughts, much like mental health conditions, can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or background. More than 41,000 individuals die by suicide each year, leaving behind their friends and family members to navigate the tragedy of loss. Too often, the feelings of shame and stigma prevent them from talking openly about their feelings. This week,…
Ozark Technical Community College instructor Steve Fritts was appointed by the Phi Theta Kappa Honors Society (PTK) to serve on its Honors Program Council. In this role, Fritts will help direct PTK’s honors programming for the next four years. Fritts was one of five college faculty members chosen internationally to serve on the council. Each…
OTC alumnus Brice Clark’s job is to give couples the best day of their lives. No pressure, right? Just plan and execute the party of a lifetime – or in Brice’s case, 250-plus parties each year. The 23-year-old entrepreneur is the founder and Chief Experience Officer at Spark Events. He and his team provide fun,…
More than 750 Ozarks Technical Community College graduates walked in the 2018 Commencement held Thursday, May 17 at JQH Arena on the Missouri State University campus. OTC conferred 2,945 degrees and certificates to graduates this year, which includes students who have completed, or are pending completion of, their coursework from the summer 2017 semester through…