Ozarks Tech nears final design for ‘grand central station’ of Springfield campus

A complicated plan to renovate the Springfield headquarters for Ozarks Technical Community College has advanced to the rendering stage.

Work on the Information Commons building along Chestnut Expressway, just east of Sherman Avenue, is expected to start in early 2027 and take two years to complete.

“This building is now literally the center of campus. It has become grand central station,” said Rob Rector, executive vice chancellor of administrative services. “Not only is it going to be a place to house classrooms as well as services for students and employees, it becomes a central point of transportation so we have to make the most of it.”

Amy Bacon, chief of staff at Ozarks Tech, said the project is expected to cost up to $25 million – based on the final design – and will be paid for by college funds and private donations.

Information Commons is home to the Ozarks Tech administration, human resources, financial aid, recruitment, career services, college leadership, and the culinary arts and Esports programs.

Rector said the building has been added onto multiple times over the years, and the renovation will improve foot traffic flow and help students better navigate the hallways.

He said perplexing features, including side-by-side stairways, a confusing room number system and an elevator “that doesn’t really go anywhere” will be fixed.

There are entrances on the north and south sides of the building, but the process of traversing through it is not intuitive. Since more parking is available north of the building, many students walk through it to get to other parts of campus.

Rector said the mid-August opening of the Michael L. Parson Student Union – or The U, as it will be called – will allow Ozarks Tech to shift certain amenities and services out of Information Commons, freeing up 20,000 square feet.

The shifts include the library, tutoring and learning services, the writing center and places to eat.

In September 2025, the Ozarks Tech Board of Trustees hired Paragon Architecture LLC for $711,500 to redesign 72,000 square feet of the building.

Shortly before that vote, the board allocated $2.1 million to renovate the east part of the building – including $1.3 million to MSI Constructors – following a water leak, which damaged part of the first and second floors.

The work in that section was also designed by Paragon so it will fit with the overall plan for the building, officials say.

Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Tech, said bids for the larger project are expected to be submitted to the board for approval by the end of the year.

Rector said a major step will be to create a main entrance on the north side of the building and, after reconfiguring the center of the building, create a large passageway.

Part of the plan is to cluster student support services in one area, making it easier to navigate.

As part of the presentation, Rector provided conceptual drawings of the floor plan and renderings of what key spaces could look like once complete.

The board meeting room will be reoriented to reduce noise and create a better use of the space.

Rector said due to heavy use of Information Commons and limited space elsewhere on campus, closing the building for renovation is not an option.

He said the work will be done in multiple phases with staff shifting internally based on what renovations are happening.