College of the Ozarks to host Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” for Spring Work Ethic Forum

POINT LOOKOUT, MO. — College of the Ozarks will host Mike Rowe, television personality and proponent of a strong work ethic, for the Spring Work Ethic Forum Convocation on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

“Since our founding in 1906, the Work Education Program at College of the Ozarks has been our signature program, and we want to feature the valuable learning that occurs every day in each of our 100+ workstations on campus,” said Dr. Sue Head, vice president for cultural affairs and dean of character education. “Mike Rowe is passionate about encouraging young people, and his resume includes over 300 jobs he has done for his show ‘Dirty Jobs.’ His visit to Hard Work U. will provide the opportunity for our students to show him what they are learning and will highlight how our strong work ethic overlaps with his.”

The event will take place on the College campus in the Howell W. Keeter Athletic Complex. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The prelude begins at 6:30 p.m., with doors closing at 6:45 p.m. The Convocation begins promptly at 7 p.m.

Tickets are required for admission. A limited number of tickets are available to the public at no charge (limit – two per household) and are available only through the College of the Ozarks website. Tickets will be made available on the C of O website beginning at 8 a.m. (CST), Wednesday, March 1, 2023, on a first come, first-served basis.

“Once tickets are set aside for students, faculty, staff, and special guests, we are happy to share remaining tickets with the community at no charge,” Head said. “Through The Keeter Center for Character Education, the annual Spring Forum provides an opportunity for the College to bring nationally recognized leaders to our campus to share their life stories with our students as a way to emphasize the importance of good character.”

“Everyone at the College is very excited to have Mike Rowe visit the campus,” said sophomore Davis Garrison, criminal justice major. “Many of our students grew up watching him on TV. Mike Rowe is associated with good memories and an admirable work ethic, all things that inspire the hearts of students on campus.”

For tickets, visit the College of the Ozarks website at www.cofo.edu.

More about Mike Rowe

From the Baltimore Opera to QVC shopping channel, executive producer, host, best-selling author, and chart-topping recording artist Mike Rowe has had hundreds of jobs and relished his role as a chronic freelancer. He’s best known as the "dirtiest man on TV," a title he earned on the iconic TV series Dirty Jobs, which he is currently in its tenth season on Discovery and discovery+, where he joins the hard workers responsible for building America’s infrastructure and aren’t afraid to get dirty. You can also watch his hit shows Six Degrees on discovery+ and How America Works on FBN Prime; listen to his popular weekly podcast The Way I Heard It; or read his New York Times best-selling book of the same name, The Way I Heard It. As the country's leading advocate for skilled labor and the CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity that debunks myths and misperceptions about the trades and helps close the skills gap, his foundation has granted millions of dollars in work ethic scholarships.