College of the Ozarks Professor Jennifer Maloney receives The Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Award

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Dr. Jennifer Maloney, associate professor of psychology, received The Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award on May 10, 2025, at the 118^th Commencement Ceremony at College of the Ozarks.

The Eugene Charles Wittick Teaching Excellence Award honors those professors who have demonstrated outstanding teaching ability and who have had a major impact on the lives and careers of their students. Honorees have shown exceptional interest in their students, have set an example compatible with the goal of College of the Ozarks, and have attempted continually to improve their teaching.

Maloney has been a standout professor at the College for four years. During her time at the College, she presented hour-long teaching sessions at faculty in-service meetings, spoke at the all-College assembly, and served as chair of the Faculty Welfare Committee.

Every semester, she has prepared for four or five different classes, which is a rigorous teaching load. Along with her teaching, she has consistently mentored students in research presentations at regional and state conferences. She is also actively involved in mentoring students as a part of the “Thrive Pathway,” which is a four-year leadership program that aims to guide students along their college journey as they enter and exit the College.

“Dr. Maloney always teaches from a Christ-centered perspective,” said Eric Bolger, vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Students describe her as deeply compassionate, intentional, intelligent, challenging, encouraging, and passionate.”

For more information, please contact the College of the Ozarks Public Relations Office.

About College of the Ozarks
College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian, liberal arts college, located in Point Lookout, Missouri, on a 1,000-acre campus. Christian values, hard work, and fiscal responsibility comprise the fundamental building blocks of the “Hard Work U.” experience. The College earns numerous accolades yearly, including No. 2 Best Performers on Social Mobility-Regional Colleges in the Midwest and No. 4 Best Regional College in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for 2024-2025 and No. 3 Best Bang for the Buck by Washington Monthly, 2024. To achieve its vision, the College pursues academic, vocational, Christian, patriotic, and cultural goals. These goals are mirrored in School of the Ozarks, a laboratory school that completes the K-college model.

The Keeter Center — the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility — earns awards consistently, including the TripAdvisor Best of the Best Award 2024 and the Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 from ConventionSouth magazine. The Keeter Center features historic lodging, fine dining, and meeting rooms. With more than 350 student workers, it is the largest workstation on campus.