Posted on Thursday, November 17, 2022
Texas Southern University’s award-winning Aviation Science Management program hosted the second annual HBCU Aviation Directors’ Summit this month.
The two-day summit included not only directors from aviation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the U.S., but also other leaders in the aviation industry, including representatives from several major U.S. airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration. United Airlines president Brett Hart, was also in attendance. During the summit, the attendees discussed challenges and shared ideas for their flight training and aviation management programs. The inaugural summit was held last year at Delaware State University in Dover, DE.
A primary focus of the summit involved developing strategies for training and graduating more students of color to go into the aviation industry and military to address the growing nationwide pilot and aircraft technician shortage. As such, a significant part of the summit involved discussions with attending representatives from carriers such as Alaska Airlines, PSA Airlines, Republic Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. Military representatives included the U.S. Army Cadet Command and the U.S. Naval Air Force.
"Texas Southern University is honored to host this critical summit," said Dr. Terence Fontaine, TSU's director of education, who also served as co-host of the summit with Xavier Samuels, first officer with United Airlines and chair of the Advisory Board for TSU's aviation program. "As we build momentum from last year's meeting, this gives TSU a prime opportunity to shine a spotlight on ways we've grown our aviation program to the benefit of our students."
Texas Southern University, with its groundbreaking Aviation Science Management program, is the only school in Texas that offers a combined Bachelor of Science degree in Aviation Science Management and, beginning just six years ago, a Bachelor of Science degree as a Professional Pilot. In 2022, TSU entered into strategic partnerships with United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Republic Airways, each providing critical funding and resources for the program, as well as scholarships and defined career pathways for TSU graduates. This semester, there are 61 students enrolled in the management program. Enrollment in the professional pilot program quadrupled year over year to 56 students.
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