Ozarks Technical Community College has received the largest gift in school history, and the donation will be used to establish a full campus in Lebanon.
The OTC Foundation announced the $2.6 million gift Thursday from Reuben and Mary Lou Casey, of San Clemente, Calif. The Caseys decided to donate the property to OTC because of a Rotary Club friendship with the former director of the school's Lebanon Education Center.
The donation comprises two buildings and more than 13 acres of land in Lebanon, which will eventually replace OTC's Lebanon Education Center and allow for significant growth in the area.
"This gift will allow us to expand our offerings in Lebanon in both credit and workforce development programs,” OTC President Hal Higdon said in a news release. “As demand for education in the Lebanon area has continued to increase, we have encountered physical space issues. We look forward to having the necessary facilities to meet the community’s needs.”
One of the two buildings will offer workforce development training in the spring, while the other will open for credit classes in fall 2010.
The gift fulfills the $3 million goal for the OTC Foundation's Workforce Development Initiative, part of the school's first Major Gifts Capital Campaign. Other initiatives in the campaign include a $2 million goal for the Center for Health Education, $2 million for Student Support Programs, $2.5 million for student scholarships.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Article comment by:
J Howard Fisk
This gift will allow OTC to expand general education classrooms and workforce development space in Lebanon. One building will focus on general education classrooms, computer labs and student support services while the other will focus on workforce development and continuing education programs. This is a great opportunity for the citizens of Lebanon to help build out this education center to a college campus for their families and for OTC. I am very proud of OTC as the choice for this gift and for the faith that the Casey family has placed in us that we will make them proud of their gift.
