UPD recognizes 2 with McCullough, Ottman awards

The Northwest Missouri State University Police Department, during the institution’s fall All-Employee Meeting on Wednesday, recognized two community members with its Monica C. McCollough University Police Department Service Award and Raymond L. Ottman University Police Department Community Service Award.

Left to right are University President Dr. Lance Tatum, Holly McMillen and University Police Chief Dr. Clarence Green

Left to right are University President Dr. Lance Tatum, Megan Jennings and University Police Chief Dr. Clarence Green

The University Police Department honored Holly McMillen, community behavioral health liaison at the Family Guidance Center in Maryville, with the McCollough Award for her assistance with responding to traumatic events at Northwest. University Police honored Megan Jennings, director of development at Mosaic Medical Center-Maryville,  with the Ottman Award in recognition of her work to improve mental health services.

As an embedded member of the University Police Department, McMillen serves Northwest students and employees to support their well-being. Between August 2022 and May 2023, she provided crisis triage services to more than 300 individuals at the University.

“Holly has been an asset not only to the Northwest community but also to the officers of UPD,” Anthony Williams, lieutenant of operations with the University Police Department. “Holly emphasizes the importance of officer wellness and self-care so that we can provide the best service.”

Jennings, meanwhile, has organized and gathered community members to give their time, talents and gifts toward the goal of improving mental health services in the area. As a result, the St. Francis Foundation’s annual gala has raised more than $500,000 in the last two years. The funds raised have been directed toward vital mental health resources in the Maryville community.

The McCollough Award recognizes Northwest students or employees who are not members of the Police Department but have aided the department and its officers by offering solutions to prevent and solve crime, assisting an officer in the field or assisting the department in achieving its goals.

It is named for Monica McCollough, who served the Police Department as a student dispatcher, full-time dispatcher and office manager from 2002 to 2014. She improved department processes and implemented programs that continue to serve the Northwest community, including the Safe Ride Home program, which provides safe and timely transportation to students, and the Santa Cops program to assist families in Nodaway County with Christmas gifts.

The Ottman Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates ongoing community leadership through contributions to building a sense of unity and purpose. The recipient must be involved in volunteer programs, social groups or outreach centers. The recipient also demonstrates positive values and behaviors that aspire others to emulate and affect positive changes.

It is named for Raymond Ottman, a member of the University Police Department for 15 years. Ottman implemented resources and programs – such as Pizza and Police, CoCo with the PoPo, Bobby Palooza and Partners in Prevention, among others – that continue to serve the Northwest community. He departed the University Police Department in 2015 as a lieutenant of operations to become police chief at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.