A pact signed Wednesday will make it easier for students starting at Ozarks Technical Community College to access and pay to take the next step in their educational journey at Drury University.
The agreement strengthens and expands the relationship between the neighboring higher education institutions.
Through the Drury Springfield Promise, Ozarks Tech students will receive enhanced access to specific degrees – including cybersecurity and mechanical and electrical engineering – a seamless transfer process and assistance paying for their education.
Ozarks Technical Community College Chancellor Hal Higdon and Drury University President Jeff Frederick shake hands as Ozarks Tech Provost Tracy McGrady and Drury Provost Beth Harville participate in the signing of an official partnership on Nov. 20.
“Our interests in our respective institutions are the same: accessible and affordable relational education, creating opportunities for students, supporting their development along the way in good times and bad, investing them in a path to stronger communities for greater problem solving in and around the Ozarks, for a better and brighter future, and especially for growing and retaining the most talented workforce we can have across the country,” said Drury President Jeff Frederick “That is a shared position.”
During the busy signing Wednesday, Frederick said the missions of both institutions make them good neighbors.
“Our region desperately needs more electrical and mechanical engineers who are also excellent communicators. Drury does that. Our region desperately needs more cybersecurity-trained experts to keep us digitally secure. Drury does that,” Frederick said. “And now we have a great way to continue doing this together, a way to make Drury more affordable with a great lead at Ozarks Tech.”
At Ozarks Tech, Chancellor Hal Higdon said the agreement revives a pipeline between that campus in Drury that once resulted in “a large number” of transfer students. Higdon has been with Ozarks Tech since 2006 and Frederick started at Drury this summer.
“He’s off to a flying start,” Higdon said. “The relationship between Drury and (Ozarks Tech) has never been better.”
Higdon said the pact signed Wednesday makes the distance between Ozarks Tech and Drury much shorter. “There is now a way to get that bachelor’s degree much faster, much easier and much cheaper.”
Provosts at both institutions — Beth Harville, senior executive vice president at Drury, and Tracy McGrady, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Ozarks Tech — said students will receive support through the admissions, advising and financial aid process as they apply for finish one campus and move on to the next.
Here are the key benefits of the Drury Springfield Promise agreement with Ozarks Tech:
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Guaranteed Admission: OTC graduates in good academic standing will be admitted to Drury subject solely to departmental requirements for specific programs;
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Financial Aid: Students have access to two primary financial options, including a $2,000 annual DSP grant, stackable with other academic scholarships, or a DSP grant that limits out-of-pocket tuition costs to $3,000 per year for eligible students who receive the Federal Pell Grant and Access to Missouri Grant;
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Enhanced Student Support: Students will have access to student success services, collaborative academic and financial aid, career guidance, and campus activities such as athletic events. In addition, each recipient of a DSP grant receives 25 free meal sheets per academic year.
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Engagement Opportunities: Drury will host Ozarks Tech students for campus tours, giving them a firsthand look at DU’s academic and student success programs.
McGrady said guaranteed admission for students in good standing and access to financial aid options will have a viable option for obtaining a four-year degree.
More: Drury unveils ‘Springfield Promise’ with scholarships, assistance for local students
“This is a way for students who have completed a college degree to go directly to a four-year institution,” she said.
“I think it’s great that Drury is doing this and providing a pathway for our students.”
Drury Provost Beth Harville speaks during Drury President Jeff Frederick’s inauguration ceremony in October 2024.
Harville said Drury is eager to welcome students from Ozarks Tech, who will bring some specific skills as transfer students because of access to hands-on learning at the Robert W. Plaster Center for Advanced Manufacturing.
“We’re excited. Mechanical and electrical engineers as well as cybersecurity, that’s the workforce we need in southwest Missouri,” Harville said. “Our hope is that we grow our own plants, that they stay in our community and fill jobs that we need.”
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Ozarks Tech, Drury create path for engineering, cyber students
