Tusculum College Business Professors Dr. Antonio Bos, left and Dr. Michelle Freeman congratulate Jordan Ottinger as he receives the Student of the Block Award for the Sixth Block.
Jordan Ottinger, a business major from Newport who many in the community may know from his work with the Tusculum College’s Help Me Help You small business program, has been named “Student of the Block” for the Sixth Block at the college.
Ottinger, who is majoring in accounting with a minor in general management, recognized Tuesday, April 29, in a brief ceremony in the Niswonger Commons. The “Student of the Block Award” is presented by the Tusculum Office of Student Affairs and was established to recognize individuals who excel in their academic endeavors, campus involvement and/or athletic performance. The award is selected from nominations made by faculty and staff members, and plaques telling about the honorees are displayed in the Niswonger Commons and other campus buildings.
Dr. Michelle Freeman, professor of business administration, said that Ottinger has inspired her with his commitment to excellence academically and his generosity in helping others and being involved outside the classroom. Freeman nominated Ottinger for the honor along with Dr. Antonio Bos, professor of economics.
Active in the Tusculum College Business Club, he has served as its president. Ottinger is in the Tusculum Honors Program, serves as an ambassador for the college as a member of the President’s Society and is a member of the Tusculum Chapter of the Alpha Chi National Honors Society.
Ottinger has also worked with the Help Me Help You program to assist small businesses with business plans, marketing and other areassince the program’s inception. He founded the personal finance program of Tusculum’s Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship. In addition, Ottinger has tutored in the areas of business and accounting as a member of the center.
An upbeat individual who has contributed much to campus, Ottinger said that Tusculum has given him the opportunity to live out his passions through campus organizations and allowed him to return to the community through the knowledge he has gained.. “Tusculum College has prepared me for a career in accounting, which I will begin before graduation in May,” he said.
Ottinger counts “time with friends and developing the Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship” as among his favorite memories of Tusculum. His favorite class was accounting as well as religion, and his two favorite professors are Dr. Freeman and Dr. Bos, he said, because they gave him the opportunity to excel in his fields of business and accounting. His advice for underclassmen is to achieve above what is required so it will transfer into their professional lives. The keys to succeeding at Tusculum are to be honest and diligent, he added.
After Ottinger graduates from Tusculum, he aspires to finish up the requirements to become a Certified Public Accountant. After he finishes his prerequisites he plans to get his Masters of Divinity and ultimately a Doctorate in Religion.