C of O among 15 employers to receive Defense award

The U.S. Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve office selected College of the Ozarks to receive the 2015 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

Given to honor employers that support National Guard and Reserve employees, Point Lookout-based C of O is one of 15 nationwide chosen for the award and the only honoree from Missouri, according to a news release.

C of O was noted for:

• providing benefits, including a full salary and retirement funding, during a service member’s deployment;
• sending emails and other correspondence to faculty and staff while the service member is deployed, holding donation drives, sending care packages to the service member’s unit, and arranging a Skype call on Veterans Day for a special recognition breakfast;
• encouraging faculty and students to volunteer time and money to help the service member’s spouse with a home renovation, as well as a monthly gift card and meal certificate;
• awarding a service member with a professional development award during the 2014 commencement ceremony; and
• providing documentation, training and support for staff on the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act.

"I am truly honored to recognize these 15 organizations for their unwavering support of our military men and women and their families,” Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said in the release. “Their accomplishments are a vital piece of our national defense and a high standard toward which all employers of Guard and Reserve members should strive."

Additionally, C of O in April dedicated an on-campus Vietnam War memorial, which the state legislature voted in as the official site in Missouri, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.