College of the Ozarks Professor Geoff Akers receives The Mildred Letton Wittick Professional Achieve

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — Dr. Geoff Akers, professor of engineering, received The Mildred Letton Wittick Professional Award on May 10, 2025, at the 118^th Commencement Ceremony at College of the Ozarks.

The Mildren Letton Wittick Professional Achievement Award honors faculty members for their professional accomplishments, which may include research, publications, performance, creative productions, and service to professional organizations.

Akers spent his recent sabbatical providing engineering support to Trans World Radio’s station in Guam (KTWR) last fall, which is a global media network of partnerships committed to taking God’s Word to all nations, tongues, and tribes ─ a reach of 190 countries on the ground and over 200 languages on air and online. His work with KTWR included maintaining and repairing high-power shortwave transmitters, antennas, towers, and support equipment, as well as developing materials for future station engineers.

Back in the States, Akers’ experience transfers into the classroom through stories providing context to theories covered in class, troubleshooting skills, and expertise with high-powered equipment. Additionally, he works with students to gain hands on experience with the National Society of Professional Engineers, College of the Ozarks chapter. They are fabricating acrylic parts for the antenna switch network, which will be installed in KTWR when he and his wife return this summer.

“Dr. Akers also developed an acoustic engineering capability at the College that has greatly improved numerous rooms around campus and in the community,” said Eric Bolger, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “His help was critical to the establishment of the C of O Engineering Program.”

For more information, please contact the College of the Ozarks Public Relations Office at (417) 690-2212.

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.