OTC unveils new Republic campus, holds ribbon cutting

Enrollment currently stands at 140 students, classes to begin Aug. 24 at newly minted facility
Ozark Technical Community College introduced the public to their new campus in Republic during a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday, Aug. 10. An estimated 50 people attended the event.
James Ackerman, director of the new campus, said the event served to show that OTC was making good on a promise to voters, who in April of 2018 approved an extension of a tax levy funding the college.
“Our hope was to show the public that this center is going to be a really good resource for the community, and that we are putting the tax dollars to great use,” Ackerman said. “It was important for us to show the community that we kept those promises, because one of those primary promises was that, ‘Hey, we’re going to build a public education center in Republic, Mo.’”
Ackerman added that building the campus was a 20-year plan, ‘but we did it in three years.”
The 30,000 square-foot facility has 10 classrooms, including three state-of-the-art science labs. Ackerman said students will be able to pursue degrees in technical or allied health fields, or they can take general education courses and transfer them to any four-year college or university in the state. The campus will also have a dual-credit program in partnership with Republic High School, where high school students can earn general education credit.
“We have a … partnership with the Republic High School, and it’s called ‘College Now,’” Ackerman said. “The Republic High School will be sending students from their high school who will come over here and take classes during the day in lieu of their high school courses. Those (classes) count as college credit, but gives them the authentic college experience, and it is something that we’re really excited about to work with them on.”
A new challenge which has arisen for the campus is the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Ackerman said steps are being taken to protect students and staff from the virus while they are on campus. For example, everyone, no matter who they are, must wear a facemask while on campus. Also, social distancing will be strongly encouraged.
About 140 students are enrolled to take seated courses when classes begin on Aug. 24. Ackerman said the college has taken steps to protect them, as well as the faculty and staff, in the wake of the pandemic.
“Unlike other institutions,” he said, “OTC has a knack for being able to adjust quickly and making sure we’re on the cutting edge of figuring out how to solve problems like, ‘How do we have classes during COVID?’ And … we’ve been able to create a policy where everyone has to wear a mask; it doesn’t matter who you are: faculty, staff, students. And because of that, according to the health guidelines, we are safe to have as many students in the class as we normally would, as long as they’re wearing a mask, which is a requirement.”
Ackerman also said that OTC is excited to have a new campus in Republic, and he believes it will be a great asset to the community.
“OTC has a reputation for having a passion for serving our community, for making sure we’re providing resources to students and to community members at large, to making sure we’re helping to push our community forward and to help make sure we’re a pillar of that. And this new Republic Center is going to be no different. Our job here is to make sure we’re helping Republic, we’re helping the communities surrounding Republic, and we want to make sure that every potential student, every community member knows that we’re here to help them. Whether that’s taking courses here or some other resource that they need, we’re going to do our best to provide that to them, and we’re excited about doing that.”