Branson OTC center to offer 50 percent more classes

Ozarks Technical Community College Branson Center will have a 5,000-square-foot addition completed by the end of the week. BDN photo by Mindy Honey

By Mindy Honey
BDN Staff Writer
mhoney@bransondailynews.com

Ozarks Technical Community College’s Branson center will be able to offer about 50 percent more classes by the time the spring semester begins in January.

A 5,000-square-foot expansion on the 11,000 square-foot facility will be completed at the end of this week to help the college keep up with local demand. Branson Center Coordinator Rob Griffith said he estimates about a 30-percent increase in enrollment over the spring; most of those students are taking general education classes that will transfer to a four-year college.

“Most of the need is for more of what we’ve been doing,” Griffith said.

The expansion includes more classrooms and office space.

“We are growing and want to offer facilities that meet the demands of students,” Griffith said.

The center now has a community room, and Griffith said he hopes OTC will be able to host more community events in Branson.

More than 360 students took fall classes at the center and early enrollment projections show that the number of students taking classes will be up significantly.

Griffith said he estimates 425 students will enroll for the spring semester.

The center, located in The Shoppes at Branson Meadows on Gretna Road, offers a variety of general education, non-credit and work force development courses, as well as the GED and the English as a Second Language program.

Students may earn an Associate of Arts degree or work toward fulfilling requirements for a four-year degree.

“Branson’s enrollment and growth over the last two years has been double digit. We cannot offer more classes without more space,” said Hal Higdon, president of OTC.

Griffith said students needing to enroll for the spring semester should act fast. He said there is quite a bit of paperwork that needs to be completed before classes begin in January.

The center will host a welcome day Jan. 14, 2009, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. when the public is invited to see the renovated center.