Approximately 120 guests gathered at the new Mountain View Technical Center (MVTC) on Thursday, November 14 for a ribbon cutting ceremony. Members of the Ozarka College faculty, staff, administration, Board of Trustees, and Foundation Board of Directors attended the momentous occasion to mark the opening of the Center. Also in attendance were community supporters and donors, industry partners, Mountain View School administration, and local officials. The event formally commemorated the opening of the Center this fall 2024 semester celebrated the commitment of local supporters and key regional investment partners to Ozarka College.  Special guests included representatives of Entergy Arkansas, Arkansas Office of Skills Development, and the Delta Regional Authority.

Ozarka College president, Dr. Richard Dawe, welcomed the crowd and provided introductions. He shared his appreciation for the vision of the Ozarka College Board of Trustees, Stone County stakeholders, and importantly, the key grantmaking agencies. He also thanked the Ozarka technical education team and the maintenance crew for the hard work put in over this year to stand up this center to be ready for students this past August. Dr. Dawe then asked Dr. Josh Wilson, vice president of advancement, to recognize industry partners and introduce special guests.

First to speak was Danny Games, director of business and economic development at Entergy Arkansas. Games discussed the importance of developing a strong workforce for building regional economies and businesses.   He thanked Ozarka College for their commitment to workforce development and then made a special announcement presenting a grant of $100,000 to the Ozarka College Foundation to support the MVTC initiative, an investment that supported critical renovations, welding lab expansion, and earned naming rights to the new MVTC Construction Lab. "Entergy Arkansas is both honored and grateful for the opportunity to help provide additional educational opportunities for students in the Stone County area, " said Games.

Next, Bonnie Casey, associate director of the Office of Skills Development (OSD), spoke to the long partnership with Ozarka to provide high-demand training to area high school students as a jumpstart to a good career in technical fields. Ozarka is a designated regional Secondary Technical Center which allows the College to offer secondary technical training to area high school students, a vital resource for developing career pathways for students. OSD committed $193,000 to the MVTC project to support renovations, equipment, and supplies to startup the skilled trades and expanded welding offerings.

Last, Wilson introduced Daniel Musgrave, Workforce Program Director with Delta Regional Authority (DRA). Musgrave thanked the College for their commitment to addressing the Delta Region's significant skilled workforce gap. He expressed DRA's pride in the work Ozarka College has been doing in recent years to build a strong workforce for its local and regional partners. DRA committed Ozarka College $437,000 through its Delta Workforce Program grant to support construction, renovations, equipment, supplies, and curriculum development for the MVTC initiative.

Finally, Wilson closed out the ceremony by recognizing key stakeholders who were instrumental in early support for the MVTC project and were truly the catalyst for the significant support that ensued from these regional agencies. Included in recognition were the Mtn. View School administration, Kenneth and Janice Sutton, Stone County Community Resource Council, Stone County Industrial Development Corporation, Andy and Caitlin Baker, and Fred and Janet Lamb.

"Without these committed local partners this technical center would not have been possible, " said Wilson. "Stone County immediately answered the call for advancing the much-needed technical training for this region. For this Ozarka is very grateful."

The new technical center will provide Ozarka and area high school students with important access to technical education offerings in multiple high demand fields; including electrical, HVAC, plumbing, construction, and welding. The Center will also serve as a regional hub for workforce training and development for Stone County communities and beyond.

For more information about the Mountain View Technical Center, please contact Marcus Orf, Technical Center Director by calling 870.994.0996. For ways you can get involved to support MVTC or Ozarka College technical programs, contact Dr. Wilson at advancement@ozarka.edu .

*If you did not receive a program at the ribbon cutting ceremony and would like one, please contact the Ozarka marketing office at 870.368.2045 or email: marketing@ozarka.edu.