Good things can happen when neighbors work together.

The Drury University and Ozarks Technical Community College campuses border each other in central Springfield, and the two schools are working together on an academic program for the first time.

The partnership is between the behavioral sciences programs at the schools.

The result is a revamped Associate of Arts degree at OTC that seamlessly transitions to Drury where a student can complete a four-year degree in psychology, criminology or sociology.

The program officially begins this fall, but there have been many successful OTC transfer students in these areas of study at Drury over the years. One recent such student, Ashley Vance, graduated from Drury in 2009 and went on to earn a master's in developmental psychology at Purdue — where she is now pursuing a Ph.D.

"The transition to Drury was smooth because the OTC classes were informative, personal and very small," Vance says. "The professors at Drury taught their upper-level classes like graduate courses.

"They gave us room to grow intellectually without leaving us completely alone."

Many students in the field go on to earn advanced degrees, says Vickie Luttrell, professor of psychology and chair of the behavioral sciences department at Drury. DU graduates are often accepted to their first-choice graduate program, thanks in large part to research opportunities and an interdisciplinary approach among psychology, criminology and sociology studies.

The OTC program allows students to study in each of those three areas for two years — and then move on to major in one at Drury if they so choose.

Linda Caldwell, OTC department chair of psychology and criminology, spearheaded the redesigned program.

"OTC's new degree meets the needs of students who have a strong interest in working with people, but don't feel called to work in medical or educational fields," Caldwell says. "(It) creates a pathway for students to seamlessly transfer to psychology, criminology and sociology majors for their bachelor's degree while being qualified to find entry-level employment once they graduate with the A.A. in Behavioral Sciences."

Story by Mike Brothers, Drury's director of media relations