OTC names director for new Republic campus

Ozarks Technical Community College selected a 10-year staffer to lead its nearly completed Republic campus.

James Ackerman, who's currently director of OTC's Speech Communication Center and a communications instructor, is slated to take on the role in Republic starting July 1. The campus is scheduled to open to students in August, according to a news release.

“I believe the OTC Republic Center will provide real change, with limitless possibilities for Republic and the westward rural communities,” Ackerman said in the release.

Ackerman will be paid a salary of $69,940 for the director role, according to OTC spokesperson Mark Miller. As director, Ackerman will serve as the operational and academic leader for the Republic campus.

Construction on the $7.3 million Republic Education Center at 584 W. U.S. Highway 60 wrapped up earlier this month, Miller said. Rich Kramer Construction Inc. in February 2019 broke ground on the project, which is funded by an April 2018 vote that gave the green light for new and renewed tax levies over a 20-year period.

OTC’s 30,000-square-foot facility is named the Bussey-Cox-Lipscomb Hall in honor of a property donation. It's located on 7.7 acres in the southwest part of Republic.