Page 41 - Academic Report FINAL VERSION WEB

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Department of Aviation Science
& Management
Aviation Science and Management continues to
fly high with burgeoning enrollment, new planes, and
corporate relationships.
The Aviation Science and Management (ASM) De-
partment comprises three facets of aviation: flight,
management, and air traffic control. We offer four-
year degrees, two-year degrees, and various certifi-
cates to accommodate the needs of our students.
This has been a very busy year for the depart-
ment. We hired three new part-time instructors, and
two more will be added for the fall 2019 semester.
In addition, we are adding two new full-time faculty
for fall 2019. These new positions are all a part of the our Flight Management track.
growth that we have experienced in the last year. We
have seen a lot of growth throughout the School of
Aviation, with flight being the largest contributor to
that growth.
The Delta Propel program has really helped to
propel us to the next level. We have the largest-ev-
er number of freshmen entering the program for fall
2019. Our school is one of only eight selected to be
a part of this program, and the only non-Aviation Ac-
creditation Board International (AABI) accredited
program allowed to enter into this agreement. Purs-
ing AABI accreditation is another reason that this has
been a busy year for the ASM Department.
After about a year of getting ready to apply for
AABI accreditation, and another year to complete the
self-study, we have now completed the entire process
of accreditation, including our site visit. Ed Weathers- from the Jones Foundation for $800,000 in order to
bee, the ASM department chair, along with Associate
Academic Affairs Annual Report 2019 | Middle Georgia State University 37
Provost Mary Wearn, led the self-study. Every member
of the School of Aviation was a part of this process,
providing input for various aspects of the self-study.
MGA’s Office of Institutional Research provided all the
statistical information for this effort. Ultimately, every
office that supports our students was touched during
the site visit. It was a great, University-wide effort to
make the visit a success. The results of the visit will be
announced during AABI’s summer conference in July.
The School of Aviation and the ASM department
are always looking for opportunities for our students
as they prepare to enter the workforce. This year we
signed agreements with various regional carriers that
now provide employment avenues for our pilots. We
have also had meetings with companies that are look-
ing to hire our air traffic controllers and graduates of
The ASM department has also restructured the
Bachelor of Applied Science in Technical Manage-
ment (BASTM). This restructuring allows students
from any background to bring their Associate of Ap-
plied Science into this degree and receive 27 hours
of credit towards the BASTM. The change also allows
students who have graduated with our Associate of
Applied Science in Aircraft Maintenance Technology
and Aircraft Structural Technology to continue their
education and receive a four-year degree.
Finally, with all of the growth that we have
achieved in the flight department, it would be impos-
sible to serve all of the students without more aircraft.
Some of the money for aircraft comes from the state,
but some of it has come from private entities. This
year, Middle Georgia State University received a grant
buy new aircraft to help serve our students.