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How Training the Next Generation of Pilots Will Impact Prescott’s Economy

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t’s going to be a very busy fall and beyond into 2020 at Prescott’s Ernest A. Love Regional Airport.

As most news-savvy readers know, there is a looming crisis in our air transportation
industry, and that crisis is not enough pilots. There are several factors that have caused this situation, and whole articles have been written about the root cause of this problem. It is not my intent to explore what has been written about countless times in the past few years. Instead, I am going to look at how this crisis is affecting Prescott and our airport.

The most direct impact all users of the airport will see is the largest class ever of incoming aviation students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2018, the numbers were approximately 170 students. This incoming class is approaching 300 students. Furthermore, Embry-Riddle is upgrading its training fleet with more airplanes, so it’s a safe bet that air operations at the airport will climb by a significant number.

More students at Embry-Riddle will also mean more business for numerous other Prescott businesses. From apartments, to restaurants, to entertainment – all these new students will mean more money being spent in the local economy.

I would also be making a safe bet, too, that Embry-Riddle’s faculty will be expanding where they can to handle this large influx of new students, particularly in the aviation program. These are new jobs in the community in addition to the jobs that the students will be looking for.

The increase in students at Embry-Riddle will also mean other flight schools such as Leighnor Aircraft and North-Aire will be expanding their operations as well. One of the challenges every new pilot must face is building flight time experience to be able to get to the next certificate or rating. Both Leighnor Aircraft and North-Aire see many Embry-Riddle students using their aircraft to build time to get to the next step in the student’s aviation career.

I cannot speak for other company’s expansion plans, but I can safely state in this article that Leighnor Aircraft’s fleet size will double by the time this article goes to print. Part of our expansion will allow for additional training capabilities as well.

SkyWest Airlines is also expanding flights around the holidays this year to allow more holiday travelers to get to the destinations of their choice. If you haven’t experienced just how easy it is to get on a flight at Prescott, I strongly urge you to give it a try. Just avoiding the trip down I-17 is worth it!

The airline also continues to see very high load factors (how full the plane really is) and most of us around the airport figure it is just a matter of time before additional flights and/or additional destinations will be added.

We also have the new terminal building breaking ground very shortly, perhaps by the time this article goes to print. This new facility will help maintain the growth that the airport is currently experiencing and will continue to drive the expansion of the Quad Cities area.

The last point to make about future growth is that it’s likely to continue. Yes, there may be some level of economic disruption around the presidential election next year, but no one knows, and it will probably be short-term if it happens. What is known is that our current pilots are aging out of their careers. For those of you who may not know, an airline pilot retires at age 65, regardless of health status. A pilot may do other commercial activities, but air transport is not one of them.

My last word is to all the people who may be reading this article and are moving to the Prescott area. There are a lot of new homes being built in very close proximity to the airport – in fact, right under airport traffic patterns.

When you look at these homes and see the document you must sign to acknowledge the fact that you’re close to an airport, please understand this airport ranks currently between Portland International and Oakland International for numbers of flight operations. If having lots of small aircraft overhead bothers you, please simply look somewhere else for a new home. You and the aviation community will both be happier. QCBN

 

By Lance Leighnor

Lance Leighnor has four decades of experience in general aviation aircraft, and active management of rental aircraft since 2011. Lance is the managing member of Leighnor Aircraft. He can be reached by phone at 928-499-3080, by email at lance@LeighnorAircraft.com or via the Leighnor Aircraft website at LeighnorAircraft.com.

Electric Aircraft Manufacturer Months Away from First Plane 

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At some point this late summer or early fall, observers at and around Prescott Municipal Airport are likely to see a history-making flight. 

Eviation Alice is scheduled to take off and soar above runways located at 5,045 feet above sea level. 

The plane is a totally electric propelled aircraft that will have been assembled in Prescott, the U.S. headquarters and subsidiary for the Israeli-based global aircraft manufacturer, Eviation Aircraft Limited.  

Leland Moreno-Hilburn, executive director and general manager for Eviation Aircraft Inc., Prescott, said the current plan is that immediately after the prototype aircraft is introduced at the Paris (France) Air Show this June, it and the sub-assemblies of two other aircraft will be shipped to Prescott. Once here, local engineers and aircraft specialists will assemble them for local flight testing. He estimates that as many as 20 highly skilled employees will be involved in the assembly/integration and flight test operations.  

In the meantime, Moreno-Hilburn is aggressively pursuing relationships and partnerships with local, national and international organizations to complete the planning and infrastructure necessary to manufacture aircraft in Prescott. 

Currently operating out of a 1,600-square-foot office adjacent to the airport on MacCurdy Drive, Moreno-Hilburn spends his days in electronic and telephonic contact with experts around the world to make sure all components are in place to assemble the flight test aircraft and eventually build the Eviation Alice once facilities are constructed. He and Eviation officials are currently evaluating sites at the airport where aircraft manufacturing could occur. 

Omer Bar-Yohay, CEO and co-founder of Eviation Aircraft, whose office is in Kadima (near Tel Aviv) is a frequent visitor to the U.S. and Prescott. With a doctoral degree in physics and years of experience creating and advancing aviation technological advances, he helped pioneer the industry’s first all-electric regional transport aircraft, named “Alice.”  

As presently designed, the nine-passenger, fully battery-powered plane will have a 650-mile, plus reserve range from a single charge, which will propel the three electric motors. The central thrust motor is at the rear of the plane. Smaller motors are on the 60-foot wingtips to provide stability. Power for the motors will come from lithium ion batteries in the fuselage. Those batteries amount to about 65 percent of Alice’s weight.  

Many structural components of Alice will be created through the use of sophisticated 3-D printers, which will use precisely engineered materials. Other plane components will be supplied by vendors, some of which may choose to locate in Prescott, Moreno-Hilburn said. 

Ultimately, two models of Alice likely will be manufactured. “The first model will be an unpressurized, nine-passenger plane designed to fly up to a 10,000-foot altitude at a cruise speed of 260 knots (299 miles mph),” he said. “The second model will be pressurized and carry six passengers at altitudes up to 30,000 feet. These aircraft will be perfect for commercial regional transportation. They will change the way people move regionally. 

Moreno-Hilburn cited four features that make the all-electric plane unique: 

  • Low operating and maintenance cost – significantly less than piston-driven (propeller) or turbine-driven (jet) aircraft. 
  • State-of-art-technology – innovative airframe design, battery technology and the integration of advanced lightweight materials, thermal management and vehicle autonomy. 
  • Sustainable, low noise and zero emission motors.  
  • Fast and comfortable – composite structure built for electric integration, extreme propulsion and aerodynamic efficiency and flight stability. 

“Alice will be the perfect aircraft for commercial airline and on-demand charter operators for short-hop flights,” Hilburn-Moreno said. “For example, it will be an easy flight from here to Albuquerque and return. Or Las Vegas. Or Tucson. The same is true from those cities to other cities in their vicinity, or especially cities on the East and West Coast, where commuter airlines thrive.”   

Emphasizing that Eviation Aircraft is a manufacturer, not an airline, Hilburn-Moreno said the market for the airplane is likely worldwide. “We’ve already had inquiries throughout several countries about when the planes will be ready for sale.”   

Depending on the final equipment and amenities, the planes are said to be less than half the cost of a comparable-size conventionally powered aircraft.   

An experienced aviation and aerospace engineer, Moreno-Hilburn also has an extensive background as a certified business analyst and project manager. The Seattle native was on the cutting edge in pioneering military and commercial aircraft design, manufacturing and administration of sales and services during his 30-year executive career with The Boeing Company. 

While working on Boeing company projects in Mesa, he had planned to retire in Arizona. 

“I was weary of the damp, grey Seattle climate,” he explained. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that Mesa was not the place to be in mid-summer.”  

He eventually retired to Prescott Valley, where he lives with his wife, Rosa. “No regrets, for sure,” he said.  

Moreno-Hilburn especially appreciates the friendly business-positive environment of Prescott and the surrounding area. “The mayor, Prescott City Council and city staff have been enthusiastically supportive, so have Chancellor Frank Ayers and the faculty and staff at Embry-Riddle. In fact, we’re blessed to have four solid higher education programs in the Quad Cities area – ERAU, Northern Arizona University, Prescott College and Yavapai College – that can provide us with bright young people who want to remain in the area to work. We’ll no longer export our local intellectual capital.”  

He also says the recently designated Prescott Regional Airport is “…the perfect location for Eviation to manufacture and deliver its planes.    

City of Prescott Economic Development Consultant Jim Robb agrees wholeheartedly.   

“Having Eviation select Prescott as its U.S. headquarters is an amazing coup for the community,” Robb said. “They could have gone anywhere, and they selected Prescott. I believe Eviation is a game-changer for regional air transportation. It will bring supply chain and other companies with leading edge technologies and create opportunities for research, innovation and incubation. Our entire area can be excited about this economic opportunity.” QCBN  

Eviation Chooses Prescott for Workforce, Room to Grow 

Eviation Executive Director and General Manager Leland Moreno-Hilburn says there are four major reasons the company picked Prescott as its U.S. headquarters: 

  • The airfield, located about a mile above sea level, is the perfect altitude to test aircraft and their high-altitude air density controllability. 
  • The area surrounding the airport is open airspace, providing excellent visibility for flight test operations. 
  • The 760 acres owned by the City of Prescott on which the airport is located provides ample land space to build aircraft manufacturing facilities and ancillary support companies. 
  • Through an agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, ERAU students will work with Eviation, focusing on performance analysis, validation and testing for current and future zero-emission all electric propulsion and airframe design concepts.  

`The airport was first used on July 4, 1926, and became a dedicated airport in August 1928, when it was named Ernest A. Love Field in honor of a Prescott pilot who died while flying in World War I. QCBN 

By Ray Newton, QCBN 

Photo caption:

Eviation Aircraft Inc.-Prescott Executive Director and General Manager Leland Moreno-Hilburn is an experienced aviation engineer and business analyst with 30 years’ experience with the Boeing Company. He is coordinating the Prescott start-up effort of Eviation Aircraft in the manufacturing of the industry’s first all-electric propelled regional transport aircraft.   (Photo by Ray Newton) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planetarium—ERAU Thanks Philanthropists

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In the past few months, the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium atop the STEM Center (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) on the west edge of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott campus has become a destination, not just an attraction, for visitors to the Prescott area.

More than 15,000 visitors from throughout the United States and several foreign countries have toured or participated in educational programs at the planetarium, said Planetarium Director Eric Edelman.

Edelman recently announced that new educational programs called “Prescott Summer Night Sky” were being offered free to the public throughout Central and Northern Arizona. The domed facility will seat 116 persons in a 360-degree configuration.

Special invitations have been issued to high school and middle school students interested in STEM education.

Andy Fraher, director of STEM Outreach, explained that staff members from Education USA offices from U.S. Embassies around the world recently toured the campus so they could speak with knowledge to international students about ERAU facilities.

Virtually everyone at ERAU acknowledges that none of this would have happened had it not been for the support of Jim and Linda Lee, longtime Prescott residents known widely for their philanthropic generosity.

Originally from Texas but residents of Arizona for several decades, the Lees initially were instrumental in developing the Prescott Gateway Mall and The Ranch residential area on the eastern edge of the city. Jim Lee also sits on a steering committee and the board of visitors for ERAU.

The Lees are generous contributors to music and performing arts throughout the community, too, including the Prescott POPS Symphony and the Yavapai Symphony Association.

Lee is outspoken in his support of the university. “The future of Prescott cannot be separated from the future of ERAU.”

EERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers and his wife, Debbie, express appreciation to Jim and Linda Lee for their generous support of the STEM Center. Atop the new building is a domed planetarium named in honor of the Lees. It can seat 116 people in a 360-degree environment.  (Photo by Ray Newton)

ERAU Chancellor Dr. Frank Ayers has publically expressed gratitude to the Lees. He recently said, “The Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium will be both an Embry-Riddle and community treasure. It helps open a pathway to STEM education for so many young people. It also brings the community together to learn about our universe, our planet and the sciences in a fun and meaningful way. I can’t say enough about how we appreciate the support of Jim and Linda. Over the years, they have given of their time, talent and treasure for our great scholar athletes, the campus Board of Visitors and now, the planetarium.”

ERAU Executive Director of Philanthropy Steve Bobinsky also praised the Lees. “Jim and Linda Lee contributed a significant gift when the STEM Center was in its planning stages. Because of their generosity – that first gift to the STEM Center Capital Campaign – the university was able to leverage their gift into a much larger community, state and national investment.

Bobinsky continued, “Their additional support made it possible to create a community attraction, the planetarium, that will carry their name and will inspire and educate generations of students not just in the quad city area but far beyond.” QCBN

 

For more information about the planetarium, email EDELMAN@erau.edu or frehera@erau.edu

 

By Ray Newton

ERAU Named One of Arizona’s Top 125 Companies for Employees

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott (ERAU) has been named one of the “Top 125 Companies in Arizona to Work For,” based on results of a statewide survey sponsored by the Arizona Commerce Authority and Republic Media, which partnered with Best Companies Group (BCG) and BestCompaniesAZ.

It is the sixth year the survey has been conducted, said Heather Kivatinos, regional executive with the USA TODAY NETWORK. She indicated that identifying the top companies had become even more competitive this year, so the number of organizations honored was increased from 100 in previous years to 125 in 2018.

Only three of the top companies named are from communities outside the Greater Phoenix area or Tucson. Those communities are Prescott, with ERAU; Flagstaff with Lowell Observatory; and Yuma with the Navy Federal Credit Union.

The description of ERAU said it was an educational institution with 432 employees in Arizona. The citation also said, “ERAU demonstrates appreciation for employees with a generous time-off package, fitness onsite, a four-day work week in the summer, discounts to services and businesses, a massage therapist, free tuition for employees and their families.  Every year the university gives service awards and service excellence banquets.”

“We believe the key to success is to bring the very best faculty and staff together,” said ERAU Chancellor Frank Ayers. “We support them in a way that respects their abilities and talents, and create a campus culture that places our students’ success at the top. We call this the ‘Embry-Riddle Family.’ It explains why our colleagues are so committed to the success of our students, to each other and to this great university.”

Survey data were collected by experienced researchers in a three-step process:

  • A confidential 76-question Employee Engagement and Satisfaction Survey was used to evaluate employees’ workplace experiences and the company culture.
  • The employer was asked to provide specific information about the company’s benefit packages and policies, practices and other general information about the organization.
  • The combined data were then evaluated by experts from the BCG. That analysis involved looking at the strengths and challenges within each company. BCG experts then made the final decision about who should be on the final list of the top 125 companies in Arizona.

Peter B. Burke, president and co-founder of BCG, said being among the top employers in the region is yet another way of attracting talented people into a company’s workforce.

Sandra Watson, president of the Arizona Commerce Authority, commented about the recognition given Arizona firms, “The top companies are job-creators, risk-takers and entrepreneurs who are building amazing companies and a culture of innovation that is competing on a global scale.”

The complete multipage report was published as a supplement to the Arizona Republic and distributed statewide in early June. QCBN

 By Ray Newton, QCBN

ERAU’s Golden Eagles Flight Team is Inducted into the International Air and Space Hall of Fame

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Golden Eagles Flight Team was inducted into the San Diego International Air & Space Museum’s Hall of Fame on Nov. 9. Since 1963, the Hall of Fame has honored more than 200 of the world’s most significant pilots, crew members, visionaries, inventors, aerospace engineers, business leaders, preservationists, designers and space pioneers.

The Golden Eagles is the winningest intercollegiate flying team of the last two decades, including 30 consecutive regional championships and 11 national championships. The current team has 27 active members, four coaches and one advisor.

“This honor represents recognition of years of sacrifice and hard work,” said head coach Sam Morris. “Teams throughout the years have truly created a legacy that each team is expected to uphold or raise. It means that the current and future teams are setting out to do what their founders had desired and that they truly epitomize the creed they follow.”

To become a Golden Eagle, applicants are required to go through a six-week tryout period, during which they learn the basics of core ground events. In addition to taking weekly tests, applicants must go through a team-wide interview. Once the selection period is finished, the team trains several days a week as well as most weekends to train for competition, which culminates with more than 30 collegiate flight teams ultimately vying to become the National Intercollegiate Flying Association’s National Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (NIFA SAFECON) national champions.

“The common saying during our practices is ‘give it your all, and then do a little bit more,’” said Ryan O’Connor, current Golden Eagles team member. “This mentality and the resulting tradition of excellence has been a common theme among every team member throughout the years.”

In addition to Embry-Riddle’s Golden Eagles Flight Team, the Hall of Fame’s Distinguished Class of 2017 included the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Atlas Rocket Program, NASA’s preferred space launch vehicle; Hudson B. Drake, former president of Ryan Electronics and the Ryan Aeronautical Companies; John Herrington, NASA astronaut and the first Native American to walk in space; Christa McAuliffe, first person selected for the NASA Teacher in Space Program who flew on the ill-fated Space Shuttle Challenger and was awarded the prestigious Congressional Space Medal of Honor; John J. Montgomery, San Diego aviation pioneer, inventor, professor, physicist and innovator; and Chance Vought, American aviation pioneer, engineer and the founder of the world-renowned Vought Aircraft Company.

“What separates this team from other teams is that team members have a culture among themselves that perpetuates excellence and self-drive,” said head coach Sam Morris. “Within this culture, nothing but the best is expected out of each other and to feel such a drive from one’s peers is inferior to none.”

“This recognition from the San Diego Museum of Flight Hall of Fame clearly reflects the dedication and expertise of our Golden Eagles Flight Team members, but also reflects so positively on the commitment to excellence present across all disciplines at Embry-Riddle,” said Prescott Campus Chancellor Dr. Frank Ayers.

 

To learn more about Embry-Riddle’s Golden Eagles Flight Team, visit flygoldeneagles.com/.

 

To learn more about the San Diego Air & Space Museum, visit sandiegoairandspace.org/.

By Jason Kadah

Jason Kadah is the ERAU communications director.

School of Business Launched

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A significant increase in the recruitment of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU)-Prescott business majors and minors was a factor that prompted the ERAU board of trustees and the university administration to elevate the Department of Business to College of Business status.

Approval of the new school only occurred in late November, said Associate Dean of Business Robin Sobotta, Ph. D.

“The advantages of being a School of Business are many, including the prestige of putting the program in a competitive arena with major schools of business across the country,” Sobotta said. “Already, our industry partners such as Boeing have selected ERAU as a ‘focus’ school – a priority – for recruiting students in supply chain management. Boeing’s decision to place our program in the ‘top tier’ for their recruiting efforts puts us in the company of prominent schools such as Stanford.”

She noted that already Boeing had selected seven business students to be in the highly competitive summer 2018 internship program.

Expressing pleasure in the new designation as a School of Business, Chancellor Frank Ayers said the university was proud of being nationally recognized for the state and national achievements of students and faculty. “The school will continue to prepare business leaders in meeting the challenges of the future. We will graduate some of the best prepared young business majors in the nation.”

In recent years, enrollment in ERAU’s business program has grown to 180 business and accounting degree-seeking students, with another 250 students pursuing minors in the program. Beyond that, the business program serves another 1,100 students in business, accounting and economics classes. Many of those students come from degree programs such as Aerospace Engineering, Cyber Security, Industrial Psychology, Unmanned Aircraft Systems and many others, Sobotta explained.

“Something we’re really proud of,” she continued, “is that of the 30 or more institutions accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International, ERAU is the only one to offer an Aviation Business Administration degree. We offer the full suite of courses – accounting, marketing, finance, information systems, economics. Our graduates have a very broad skill set. That’s also probably why 90 percent of our graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate programs within one year of graduation.”

Sobotta said that prior to graduation, many students are selected for prestigious internships or employment by major airports and airlines such as American, Delta, Southwest and Allegiant. Aerospace and defense employers such as Raytheon, Boeing and Lockheed routinely recruit ERAU students. So do governmental agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration and others.

The new designation will put new demands on the eight full-time business faculty and equal number of adjunct faculty. In fact, Sobotta indicated that a new full-time marketing professor would likely be added in 2018, and two adjunct faculty members will likely be converted to full-time positions.

She also said that expansion of the program is necessitating exploration of more campus room for new technology, equipment, software and other resources.

“We’re always looking for qualified faculty members, too, so if anyone is interested in teaching in our new school, I hope they will contact me.” Sobotta can be reached at 928-777-6938 or in her office in the Academic Complex near the center of campus. QCBN

By Ray Newton, QCBN

 

 

Photo by Ray Newton

 

 

 

 

ERAU Eagle Works Team Seeks to Break Electric Car Land Speed Record

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Students of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are well known for their professional and academic ambitions. Year after year, decade after decade, students, graduates and alumni are at the forefront of industry breakthroughs and monumental achievements within their fields of expertise. It should come as no surprise that Embry-Riddle students are continuously innovating and improving on what has come before. This year, the Embry-Riddle Prescott campus Eagle Works team will continue this tradition by attempting to break yet another incredible record.

The Eagle Works team has set its sights on setting a new record in electric land vehicle speeds, making the goal to achieve 250 miles per hour with a completely electric-powered car and leaving the current 213 miles per hour record, set in 1997 by Ed Ranneberg, in the dust.

“Eagle Works was created with one sole purpose in mind: to go as fast as possible,” said Eagle Works President Reece Ticotin. As the team of students begins the fall semester, they have already come a long way in achieving that goal after their work on the project over the summer months.

The team began in 2007 as the Jet Dragster Project, which at the time manufactured the only student built and student designed jet dragster in the world. Yet, in 2014 the Jet Dragster Project came to a conclusion, heralding a new era of progress and determination in the form of Eagle Works, a team which today is comprised of around 20 members – each of whom contributes an elite skillset for the purpose of designing, building, testing and racing an E2 Class electric land speed car.

To prove its electric land speed car design as the world’s fastest electric car, Eagle Works aims to have the vehicle ready in time to compete in the 70th Annual Speed Week event in Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah next year – August 2018. The venue and location are significant, as Bonneville is world renowned for being where land speed records are forged and shattered.

Building a fully electric land speed vehicle capable of setting a new record is not without its difficulties, however. One such challenge has been the trial-and-error nature of designing, testing and re-designing essential vehicle systems.

“The team went into this project with very little knowledge of automotive design,” said Ticotin. “Because of this, many systems have had to be re-designed since the team’s beginning in Fall 2014. While this can be frustrating, and can set back the progress of this project, it is all part of the learning process – and will better prepare Eagle Works members for their careers post-graduation.”

Despite these trials, Eagle Works has been making impressive strides and garnering significant attention from industry professionals, including official club supporter ANSYS, Inc., an American computer-aided engineering software developer that has taken an interest in Eagle Works’ electrical engineering efforts. The team has been using ANSYS’ high-powered simulation software every day in order to help make their vehicle’s design, and their dream of record-breaking speeds, a reality.

Though the amount of hard work and effort, the Eagle Works team is expecting to put into making a world-class electric car has been and will continue to be a herculean undertaking, the team is excited at the possibilities and the potential. With a whole year separating the team from their goal, the entire team agrees that the challenge is what makes the project ultimately so rewarding.

“The entire team puts in hundreds of hours each year,” said Ticotin. “When all that hard work pays off, there will be no greater feeling.” QCBN

 

By Keaton S. Ziem

Multi-Million Residence Hall Under Construction at ERAU

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Another $20 million construction project is underway at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. It is the third multi-million dollar building to go up since 2014.

This time, it is a residence hall.

Chancellor Frank Ayers told QCBN, “Embry-Riddle’s commitment to its students, faculty, staff and the community has included more than $70 million in construction the last three years. That includes this new residence hall. Only last month, we dedicated the just-completed STEM Center. Our combination of STEM degrees that lead to prestigious and high-paying careers resonates with our students and their parents. The care and concern of ERAU is noticed by all of them. We are proud, too, of the amazing partnership between the City of Prescott and our national university.”

The new building is a 70,800-square-foot, three-story residence hall that will accommodate 280 students in 48 apartments and suites. “Given that just this fall, our enrollment increased about nine percent, we’re approaching 2,700 students,” said Ayers. “It’s worth noting that our student enrollment has gone up by more than 1,000 students in just the past five years.”

ERAU Chief Business Officer David Hall said, “We found it absolutely necessary to build another residence hall to accommodate demand from students wanting to live on campus. This is a factor of our recent enrollment growth.”

The new structure will be visible from Willow Creek Road on the southwest edge of the campus.

Site preparation began two weeks ago under the supervision of Earth Resources Corporation, a company based in Dewey, which will oversee the site preparation and install the infrastructure – sewer, water, gas and electric.

The architectural firm is PQH, which has its headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida. It has designed projects throughout the southeast and across the nation.

Sundt Construction, with the main office in Tempe, and others in Tucson and California, is the general contractor. It is the same company that built the $22.5 million STEM Education Center and Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium.

Kelley/Wise, a firm headquartered in Prescott is serving as the civil engineer.

Construction is to be complete by mid-August, before the fall semester begins, Hall said.

 

Facilities Will Be Contemporary

Unlike the old-fashioned college dormitories of a couple of generations ago, residence halls are designed for comfortable adult living with some special features.

Among them are these:

  • Fitness center
  • Student study lounge
  • Student study rooms
  • Game room
  • Casual lounge area

The residence areas will be in configurations of 27 semi-suites for four people on both the second and third floors, four single units on the second and third floors, 13 semi-suites of four on the first floor; two single units on the first floor; and two bedroom apartments on the first floor.

The two-bedroom semi-suites will have small kitchenettes with a sink, small refrigerator and microwave oven.

The two apartments will be used by residence hall directors. Six of the single units will be occupied by residence assistants.

The external appearance of the new structure will be similar to the residence hall just opened last year. However, less brick and more steel will be used for the exterior siding.

A large paved parking lot to accommodate the residents’ vehicles will be in front of the building.

Hall explained that primary occupants in the residence hall will be traditional incoming freshmen. Even so, he said, the continuing enrollment increases will make it likely that freshmen will also live in other campus residence halls.

Construction costs are paid for through bond issues, which are intended for capital construction. Ultimately, the actual cost is paid for through student occupants of the residence hall. That includes depreciation and debt service as well as maintenance, utilities and insurance. QCBN

 

By Ray Newton, QCBN

Photo captions:

#1        This architect’s rendering is a of the $20 million residence hall currently under construction at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. It is scheduled to be completed and open for occupancy in mid-August 2018.

Courtesy photo

 

ERAU Boasting Record Enrollment, Major Construction Projects, Nobel Prize Winning Research

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Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s (ERAU) Prescott campus has never been more upward bound, according to President Barry Butler. He reported on the “State of the University” when he visited campus in early October.

Butler, speaking before the ERAU-Prescott Board of Visitors and several administrative officials, emphasized that the university has never been in better shape – academically, financially and reputationally.

Named president in March 2017, Butler is the sixth person to lead ERAU’s multiple campuses. He holds degrees in aeronautical-astronautical and mechanical engineering. Butler emphasized ERAU’s international reputation as a leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics university. “This institution is the unquestioned higher education leader in aerospace education and select areas of research,” he said.

Butler, whose office is on the Daytona Beach campus of ERAU, praised Chancellor Frank Ayers and his administration and faculty at the Prescott campus for leading the way in identifying and recruiting top students.

It was noted that the Prescott campus enrollment was approaching 2,700 when the fall term began in August. That is about an eight percent increase over last year, and represents a growth of more than 1,000 students since 2012.

Overall, counting the cumulative enrollment at the Prescott, Daytona Beach and Worldwide campuses (which are scattered across 33 states and nine countries), current global enrollment numbers 31,000 students.

Earlier, Chancellor Ayers told the same group that financially, the Prescott campus was rock solid in its budget.

Ayers pointed out that in just three years, more than $70 million had been committed to new construction.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Ayers highlighted these points:

  • The university had received a $700,000 grant to conduct research and develop a program devoted to school security at all levels.
  • Enrollment is expected to increase at the same or higher growth rates in the future.
  • Construction has begun on a $20 million residence hall to meet housing needs of the growing student body.
  • 15 new faculty members have been hired to sustain the university goal of having only 23 or 24 students in a class.
  • Job placement rate for graduating students is at a record high of about 95 percent.
  • The Department of Business is soon to be elevated to a College of Business.

ERAU Students, Faculty Among Those Involved in 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Research

Ayers made a special point of recognizing faculty and students who were among scientists and researchers who contributed to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory’s collaborative research.

He mentioned in particular two students, Marek Szczepanczyk and Kiranjyot Jasmine Gill, who were student co-authors of the paper about the historic discovery.

Gill was the only undergraduate involved in the LIGO research. She also was the youngest. She is a physics and particle physics major who plans to become an astronaut. She will receive her degree from ERAU. Currently, she is being recruited by universities around the world to enroll in their graduate programs.

Ayers said that Gill has been called “…the best student scientist in the world…” by world experts, including the three Nobel Prize in Physics winners who were recently announced.

 

ERAU Leadership Predicts Continued Leadership in Higher Education

Butler and Ayers concluded their State of the University comments by discussing future strategic themes for the institution.

Specifically, they cited those programs and curricula where the university will excel. Among them were those emphasizing aerospace, aeronautics, aviation, cybersecurity and intelligence, engineering, science, business, unmanned aerial systems, aviation safety and other related disciplines.

Ayers pointed out that 80 regional, national and international companies, corporations and governmental agencies had been on campus for a job fair.

“These recruiters are from some of the biggest organizations in the world – Microsoft, Amazon, Intel – and of course, major industries directly involved in aviation and aerospace. They want our students,” Ayers said. QCBN

By Ray Newton, QCBN

Photo by Ray Newton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ERAU Student Selected to Golf in World University Games

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Being selected as one of only two American golfers for the second largest amateur athletic event – The World University Games (WUG) – was “…the biggest honor I’ve ever received,” said Matt Andrews, a junior at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott.

Andrews, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and his teammate, Dylan Rottner from Fort Worth, Texas, were picked from among thousands of college and university golfers across the country to represent the United States at the WUG in Taipei, China in late August.

“All of us at the university are so proud of him and excited that he had this opportunity to represent himself, Embry-Riddle and his country at this world competition – second only to the Olympics,” said Andrews’ mentor, ERAU head golf coach Kim Haddow.

More than 10,000 athletes representing 170 University Sports Federations throughout the world had students at the games. About 450 American athletes competed in more than 20 events.

Andrews is a junior mechanical engineering student. He was named the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All American Scholar of the year. He also was named an NAIA All Scholar Athlete because of his academic achievements as well as being named the Cal Pac Conference golf champion for the second consecutive year.

Haddow says Andrews has been a leader both academically and athletically at ERAU since his freshman year and a role model for both the men’s and women’s golf team. QCBN

 

By Ray Newton, QCBN

Photo caption:

#1-4     ERAU head golf coach Kim Haddow calls Matt Andrews a leader as an athlete and student.

Photo by Ray Newton