Northwest’s UPD recognizes 2 community members

The Northwest Missouri State University Police Department, during the institution’s fall All-Employee Meeting August 16, recognized two community members with its Monica C. McCollough University Police Department Service Award and Raymond L. Ottman University Police Department Community Service Award.

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,” noted 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.

The Ottman Award, named for Raymond Ottman, recognizes an individual who demonstrates ongoing community leadership through contributions to building a sense of unity and pu