Dr. Dennis Rittle, vice president of academic affairs at Ozarka College, recently announced that Chris Lorch has been named division chair for Arts and Humanities, which includes English, history, psychology, criminal justice and art.
“Mr. Lorch will be an exceptional addition to the academic leadership team,” said Dr. Rittle. “His attention to detail, organizational skills and tenacious attitude will enable faculty members to better understand how their efforts are promoting student success. In addition, Mr. Lorch’s interaction with area high school administrators will open new opportunities for high school students to integrate college level coursework into their studies to give high school students a jump start on their college experience.”
He has served as interim division chair since October 2012 and has been a full-time faculty member at Ozarka College since 2008, teaching English composition, world literature and oral communication courses. In his new position, Lorch will be responsible for course scheduling, budgeting, evaluation of faculty, and will continue to teach courses for the college.
Lorch will also oversee the concurrent enrollment program at Ozarka College for all area high schools, working with site directors and high school administrators to ensure students have access to college coursework prior to graduation.
“I am both excited and challenged to begin this new chapter at Ozarka College,” said Lorch. “This position will allow me the opportunity to continue to make an impact in the lives of Ozarka College students.”
In March 2013, Lorch presented “From Theory to Practice: Developmental Education Redesign Strategies in Action” at the League for Innovation in the Community College annual conference in Dallas. He has also presented at Arkansas Association for Developmental Education annual conference in Morrilton, the Higher Learning Commission annual conference in Chicago and the Two-Year College English Association Southwest Region annual conference in League City, Texas.
Lorch earned a Master of Science in Education in English from Arkansas State University and a Bachelor of Science in Education in English from Williams Baptist College. He also earned an Associate of Arts from Lewis and Clark Community College in Illinois.
He and his wife, Tabatha, live in Batesville and have two daughters, Erin and Kelsey. Tabatha is the media specialist at Southside High School, and both girls attend the Southside School District.
