OTC vice chancellor sets retirement date

provided by Ozarks Technical Community College

Joan Barrett is set to retire from her vice chancellor role at OTC this summer.

Longtime Ozarks Technical Community College staffer Joan Barrett is retiring from the higher education institution after roughly a quarter-century of service.

Barrett, vice chancellor for student affairs, said her last day is scheduled June 28.

"I feel like it's been a fantastic run of being passionate about the ways we look after students and the services we provide," she said. "I'll miss the people. I'll miss the day to day."

Barrett said she first started at OTC in 1996, working at the school for three years before going to graduate school full time. She returned to OTC in 2001.

Barrett's work at OTC has included roles as dean of students and registrar, as well as assistant registrar and academic advising, financial aid advising and registration, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. Her LinkedIn profile indicates she was named vice chancellor for student affairs in 2015.

This morning, Barrett recalled OTC's work in student affairs to become more proactive, a move she said now calls on school officials to reach out to students first with resources and information before they ask.

"It's holistic care. It's looking at the whole person. Already, we've seen improvement in our yield numbers, the people who have applied and made it to the first day of class," she said, pointing to increases in students staying in and completing classes and higher GPAs, as well. "We are already barreling down that road of improvement. This will just continue."

Barrett said a national search would be conducted to find her successor, with a goal of aligning student affairs more closely with the office of strategic planning and student success.

"The next person's job will be to keep that work going," she said.

After her retirement from her role as OTC vice chancellor next month, Barrett, 55, said she would take at least a semester off. However, she said she would teach a couple classes during the fall for OTC.

"I don't see this as pure retirement. I've never not worked full time as an adult," Barrett said.