OCTC Excellence Awards
Honors Nicole Ralph and Marty Higdon
Owensboro, KY (01/14/2026) — Owensboro Community & Technical College (OCTC) announced the recipients of its annual Excellence Awards for Faculty and Staff during a recognition event held on December 12, 2025. The Excellence Awards are part of OCTC's employee recognition program and represent the highest honors bestowed by the college.
Nominations for the awards are solicited from the campus community and selected from a pool of past award recipients. Considered the most prestigious of OCTC's honors, the awards are based on the former KCTCS New Horizons Award and include a $1,500 stipend for professional development.
Excellence Award for Staff: Nicole Ralph
Nicole Ralph, Associate Dean of Institutional Effectiveness, is the recipient of the 2025 OCTC Excellence Award for Staff. Ralph has served OCTC since 2006. Prior to her current role, she was Director of OCTC's Experiential Learning Center and also served as an adjunct faculty member. An OCTC alumna, Ralph previously worked in the OCTC Business Office for more than ten years.
Ralph holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a Master of Public Administration from Western Kentucky University. She is a native of Owensboro.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Ralph has been actively involved in service to the college community, including membership in WISE and other institutional initiatives. Reflecting on her career journey, she notes that she is most grateful for the opportunity to support student success and institutional growth.
Nomination Excerpt
Nicole Ralph was nominated for this award multiple times and described as "the definition of excellence"-consistently dependable, hardworking, and fully committed to every responsibility she undertakes. In her role overseeing institutional effectiveness and accreditation, she has led major initiatives such as Strategic Planning and served as the college's SACSCOC liaison. Colleagues note that her leadership was central to a "very successful SACSCOC visit." Her contributions extend well beyond formal duties, as she is widely recognized as a leader, mentor, and advocate for continuous institutional improvement.
Excellence Award for Faculty: Marty Higdon
The recipient of the 2025 OCTC Excellence Award for Faculty is Marty Higdon, a full professor who teaches Electrical Technology. Higdon began his teaching career at OCTC in 2012.
Higdon holds a Bachelor of Science in Systems Management from Western Kentucky University and an Associate in Applied Science in Electrical Technology from OCTC. Before joining OCTC, he worked in various manufacturing roles, including field service support engineer and trainer, safety training coordinator, and safety, environmental, and health manager.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Higdon is deeply engaged with students and industry partners. He received OCTC's President's Teaching Award in 2022 and consistently earns the "You Made a Difference Award," which is based on graduate survey feedback recognizing individuals who significantly impacted students' educational journeys.
Nomination Excerpt
Higdon has earned significant recognition from industry partners, including a major company that was "so impressed by the caliber and quality" of students they hired that they encouraged him to apply for an educational grant. Through his leadership-and with support from colleagues-the college secured a substantial grant to fund a major expansion of the electrical lab.
Higdon is known for his selfless devotion to students, often offering support through weekend and evening calls, texts, and emails to assist with job interviews and workplace challenges. Combined with his boundless energy and servant leadership, he exemplifies and lives the community college mission to serve all.
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Owensboro Community & Technical College is one of the sixteen community and technical colleges that make up the Kentucky Community & Technical College System. OCTC serves the KY counties of Daviess, Hancock, Ohio and McLean. OCTC has three campuses in Daviess County and a Center and Annex in Hancock County. OCTC strives to serve the communities in the service area by providing associate degree education for transfer, state of the art technical education for students focusing on entering the workforce, customized business and industry solutions through the Workforce Solutions division, and adult education and business and industry testing through the SkillTrain unit.
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The Kentucky Community and Technical College System is the Commonwealth's largest postsecondary institution with 16 colleges and more than 70 campuses. We also are Kentucky's largest provider of workforce training and online education. Through partnerships with business and industry, we align our programs to meet the needs of local employers. We help students fulfill their dreams of creating a better life through programs that lead directly to jobs or help them transfer to one of our four-year partners.
Connect with OCTC: Owensboro.kctcs | Facebook.com/owensboroctc | Twitter@OCTC_Tweets | Instagram OwensboroCTC
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Bernie Hale (270) 686-4506, Bernie.hale@kctcs.eduShare this Story
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