[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 130 (Thursday, September 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S5556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO JACKIE MCKINSEY

 Mr. BLUNT. Madam President, I wish to honor Mrs. Jackie 
McKinsey of Springfield, MO, for her dedication and service to the 
Ozarks Technical Community College, locally known as OTC. Twenty-four 
years ago, McKinsey became a founding member of the board of trustees 
as the school began operations. McKinsey has been a guiding force in 
OTC's evolution into the dynamic school it is today, providing a wide 
range of technical, highly sophisticated curricula for post-secondary 
education for more than 14,000 students. Since 1990, OTC has 
transitioned into a modern campus with a series of new facilities in 
Springfield and the construction of a second campus with three 
additional education centers.
  McKinsey led the search committee that resulted in the hiring of the 
current school president, Dr. Hal Higdon, in 2006. She has served in 
every office on the board of trustees, including chairperson, and has 
been a tireless advocate for community colleges in Missouri.
  In fact, Jackie McKinsey has dedicated her life to activism in 
education. For 12 years she was a member of the Springfield School 
Board and spent 2 years on the Missouri School Board Association. She 
also served on the Missouri Special Education Advisory Board for 20 
years. In 1996, she was appointed by the Governor to the Missouri 
Women's Council. Mrs. McKinsey is an experienced mediator and has 
served as a trained hearing officer in cases between parents of special 
education students and schools districts.
  Jackie McKinsey announced her retirement last summer, and the board 
of trustees honored her with the title of trustee emeritus. McKinsey is 
the fifth individual to receive this honor, joining other founding 
trustees Dolores Brooks, Don Clinkenbeard, Frank Farmer, and Don 
Wessel. This team of Springfieldians gave OTC the steady direction to 
be a successful open admission, 2-year college dedicated to technical 
education. Offering students the opportunity to earn a 1-year 
certificate, a 2-year associate of applied science degree, A.A.S., or 
an associate of arts degree, A.A., OTC is now widely praised for its 
professional faculty and diverse curriculum. I wish Jackie McKinsey all 
the best in this next chapter.
  Jackie McKinsey has played a major role in that success, and her 
legacy will continue to impact future generations through the 
foundations she help put in place at OTC. I wish her the best in her 
well-deserved retirement.

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