OTC Foundation receives $30K donation

Bill and Ann Turner and the Turner Family Foundation have donated $30,000 to the Ozarks Technical Community College Foundation, the fundraising arm of the school.

The funds will go toward the expansion of the college's Information Commons West building on the Springfield campus, with the Turner Family Student Lounge to be named in the family's honor, according to an OTC news release.

Since 1999, the Turner Family Foundation and Turner family have made 27 donations to OTC, with the most recent gift bringing their total donation amount to more than $165,000.

Bill Turner is president of Great Southern Bank. His wife, Ann, was a founding member of the OTC Foundation Board of Directors from 1996-2006, including one term as president. Their daughter, Julie Turner Brown, has held a position on the board since 2006, the release said.

“The Turners and the Turner Family Foundation have been supporters of OTC for many years, and we are honored that they have chosen to be involved with our Springfield campus expansion,” OTC President Hal Higdon said in the release. “Their generosity and dedication to higher education is appreciated, and we are pleased to have an opportunity to recognize them for it.”

Renovations of the Information Commons West building are set to begin in February. The $2 million project will add 10 classrooms and three faculty offices, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.