The Journal Record
The aviation department at the University of
Oklahoma Outreach has become just one of 20 schools nationwide to receive
accreditation for its bachelor's degree programs in aviation management and
professional pilot, officials said Monday.
That action by the national Council on Aviation
Accreditation makes OU the only school in the Big 12 to earn the distinction.
It also puts OU's students in a stronger employment
position in the industry, OU Regent Tom Clark said.
The OU aviation program originally focused on
training for flight, Clark said, but within the last two years the school
started developing more aviation industry-focused business courses as well. The
broader perspective made a big difference in securing accreditation.
"The sales per year and amount of people this
industry employs is humongous," said Clark, who is also owner of Tulsair
Beechcraft Inc. in Tulsa.
"Look at what my business does, for example: We
sell business jet aircraft, maintain aircraft, fuel aircraft, charter
airplanes, sell parts for them. … And then you've got manufacturers."
The vast majority of OU aviation graduates move on
to jobs out of state, many of them in Texas, Clark said. Business courses and
degree accreditation may open more related opportunities in Oklahoma.
"You can be involved with airlines and not be
flying all the time. This degree will be very attractive to someone who wants
to get in on the management side of things," he said.
During the process, OU was visited and evaluated by
academic and industry representatives with extensive knowledge of aviation
education.
"Major airlines are looking for accreditation as a symbol of quality," said Glenn Schaumburg, OU's director of aviation.
"This distinction says that when you get a
degree from an accredited program, it meets, and exceeds, industry
standards."
Clark also pushed to upgrade OU's small aircraft
fleet, with the recent addition of 13 Piper Warriors and a twin-engine Piper
Seminole, as well as other new technology.
The school's previous craft were 30 years old, he
said.
Brian Brus reports on metro area government,
finance, agriculture and other issues. You may reach him by phone at 278-2837
or by e-mail, brian.brus@journalrecord.com.