Embry-Riddle Expands Global Reach Through Worldwide Campus Growth

Sept. 1, 2006

Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 1, 2006 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has announced a major expansion and restructuring of its global educational activities through its Worldwide Campus, formerly known as the Extended Campus.

The Worldwide Campus will continue to be headquartered in Daytona Beach in what will become the first building in a research park the university is developing adjacent to the Daytona Beach campus. The proposed $11 million, 50,000 sq. ft. building is scheduled for completion by January 2009.

Embry-Riddle Worldwide began in 1970 as a branch of the Daytona Beach campus at Ft. Rucker, Ala., with 20 students, primarily military working adults. Since then, the program has grown to be one of the largest off-campus, regionally accredited colleges in the United States, with over 45,000 alumni. Today, the Worldwide Campus meets the needs of more than 27,000 students through classroom, online, or hybrid undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs.

"We will be a growth engine of the university, helping the residential campuses grow their programs, research, and support for students, while using our financial contribution to keep tuition in line for the residential campus students," Embry-Riddle Worldwide Chancellor Marty Smith said in making the announcement.

There are plans to add 10-20 new graduate and undergraduate programs in aviation, aerospace, and related disciplines under the leadership of new Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Dr. John Watret, to include Aviation Management, Transportation Management, Global Security and Intelligence, and Leadership and Entrepreneurship. All programs will be based on market research, corporate needs, and the ability to sustain enrollments.

"We will invest in global development and expansion and are currently working on opportunities in China, Brazil, Spain, Ireland, Canada, the Middle East, and other Asian countries, along with an investment in corporate professional education and training," Smith said. "This market is a key link with the corporations and military to provide training for new higher tech jobs in aviation, management, and other arenas across the globe."

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. The university educates more than 32,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., and Worldwide at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and through online learning.