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FedEx Corp. has pledged $5 million, in addition to $1.5 million already given, in support of an aeronautics academic center that will be located at the 5X���� Airport. The new 17,800-square-foot building will be named the FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center. Construction is currently underway in anticipation of a fall 2019 opening.

“Our first-class Aeronautics Program is recognized nationally and beyond for its excellence,” said Kent State President Beverly J. Warren. “Thanks to FedEx, our physical facilities will now match the innovative and transformative education taking place for our students. We are so thankful for their shared vision and partnership.”

Kent State’s Aeronautics Program, which is accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), boasts the largest collegiate aircraft fleet in the state, a university-managed airport and a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control Laboratory. The program is an authorized Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) examining authority and testing center while regularly winning safety awards. Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering attracts students from around the globe to participate in flight training and Kent State’s award-winning Precision Flight Team. 

The new facility will increase the program’s capacity to enroll students to meet the growing demand for pilots, which the Boeing Co. predicts will require 617,000 new pilots worldwide by 2035. The FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center will provide 21st-century facilities and space to graduate aviation professionals able to fulfill flight requirements and to enter the workforce quickly and well prepared.

Kent State’s new academic center will house collaborative spaces, classrooms, briefing rooms, simulator rooms, and faculty and staff offices. It will provide rooms for current and additional courses and, most importantly, allow for growth in the program’s enrollment, which has grown 55% since 2010. A live view of the construction can be found at www.kent.edu/cae/ksu-airport. 

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Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering equips students to become well-rounded aeronautics professionals who are highly sought after by commercial airlines, corporate flight departments, the military and the FAA. 

“There is a great deal of excitement around the new facility amongst our faculty, students and prospective students who recognize that the FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center will help facilitate a top-tier, interactive education that will further elevate the caliber of aeronautics professionals that Kent State delivers to the workforce,” said Christina Bloebaum, dean of the College of Aeronautics and Engineering at Kent State. “This facility will be the focal point of our Aeronautics Program’s future growth, and we are very appreciative of the FedEx vision to support the development of prepared, confident aeronautics graduates.”

Kent State will hold an Aeronautics and Engineering Expo at the 5X���� Airport on Sept. 7, 2019, which will provide an opportunity for the community to visit the new FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center. 

For more information about Kent State’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering, visit www.kent.edu/cae.
 
About 5X����

5X���� is one of 76 public higher-research universities, as categorized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, and is ranked in the first-tier list of Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report. With eight campuses spanning Northeast Ohio, a College of Podiatric Medicine, a Regional Academic Center, and academic sites in major world cities such as New York City, Geneva and Florence, Kent State is one of Ohio’s leading public universities and a major educational, economic and cultural resource far beyond the Northeast Ohio region it has served since 1910. The student body comprises more than 38,000 students, including more than 1,700 international students from 100 countries, and the worldwide alumni family exceeds 247,000. The addition of new learning environments from the sciences to the arts and the development of exciting new academic programs such as aerospace engineering, geographic information science and business analytics characterize Kent State’s focus on transformational educational experiences.