The aviation program at historically Black Elizabeth City State Univerity in North Carolina will benefit from a $25 million U.S. Coast Guard grant to fund the restoration of runways at the Elizabeth City Regional Airport. The grant will pay for repairing and renovating the airport’s infrastructure, specifically its north/south runway.
ECSU uses the airport to train 95 current undergraduate aviation students. Currently, only one runway is operational, which has resulted in canceled flight time for students when winds are not favorable.
“This plan to rehab runway 01/19 is very significant for our flight training program,” said Kuldeep Rawat, dean of the School of Science, Aviation, Health and Technology and aviation program director. “The reactivation of this runway ensures consistent flight training and increased number of flights for students.”
Elizabeth City State University launched its aviation science degree in 2002 and is currently training 130 students across four disciplines: flight education, professional aeronautics, aviation management, and avionics. It is the only university in the state offering a four-year degree in aviation science. Eighteen percent of its aviation students are female, and 60 percent are from underrepresented groups. The flight education program owns 12 airplanes and is adding two aircraft this year.
Here’s another higher ed propaganda piece on the behalf of ECSU. First, ECSU has been intentionally underfunded by the NC State Legislator’s and definitely this “aviation program”. Second, what I find very troubling is how ECSU stating that “60 percent of the students are from underrepresented groups”. That means “non-native Black American” which is very problematic because ECSU an HBCU and not a educational launching pad for people from areas such as the continent of Africa and the Caribbean. Third, if this “aviation program” is valued within the state of NC then why the aviation industry in NC have not contributed significant material resources to this program since it’s inception and especially currently.? Finally, how can ECSU expect to have an first rate “aviation program” when it’s constantly being legislatively attacked? Something is wrong with this picture.