Oklahoma Innovators: Southeastern and Rose State - Joint Aviation Program Takes Off

Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Rose State College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony this month as the schools opened a joint aviation program at the Rose State campus in Midwest City.

The Tom Steed Community Learning Center will serve as a new focal point for the burgeoning industry in central Oklahoma, particularly nearby Tinker Air Force Base, Rose State President Terry Britton said. Tinker’s workforce development office also is at Rose State.

Last year Southeastern received approval to offer its aviation program at Rose State as expansion of the Durant-based school’s courses. In addition to classes at Rose State, Southeastern will continue to provide instruction at Tinker and at Oklahoma City Community College, President Larry Minks said.

“The aviation industry continues to grow in Oklahoma,” Minks said. “Working with Rose State College to add this delivery site will complement statewide initiatives for accessibility, affordability and contributing to the state’s economic and growth potential. ”

David Conway, director of the Southeastern Aviation Sciences Institute, said Southeastern has worked in partnership with Rose State on Tinker Air Force Base for more than a decade, but that the program there was closed to outside personnel.

“The problem with Tinker is that it’s a closed society, so to speak,” he said. “If you don’t have access to the base through the military, your options there were limited. So our first aviation courses that we offered were filled to capacity right away. … And for something like this, you have to prove you’ve got the demand. We’ve found that the demand is definitely there.

“It just makes sense, what with Tinker right across the road and Boeing sending a thousand people down this way from Wichita,” Conway said. “We’ve got a great opportunity to help educate the Oklahoma aviation workforce. ”

Conway said that associate degrees can be conferred by Rose State, but more advanced degrees such as a master’s in aerospace administration and logistics will bear Southeastern’s name. For undergraduates, the aviation management course track is divided into four foci: business, maintenance management, safety and security.

According to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, Oklahoma’s aviation and aerospace industry is one of the state’s largest employers, producing about 144,000 jobs statewide. The industry yields an annual industrial output of $12.5 billion and generates an annual payroll of $5 billion.

One in 11 Oklahomans derive their income from the aviation and aerospace industry with an average salary of nearly $55,000, compared to about $30,000 for the average Oklahoman, according to the state agency.

Oklahoma is also one of seven centers in the world for the modification, maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, boasting the world’s largest military aircraft repair facility, Tinker Air Force Base, and the world’s largest commercial aircraft repair facility, the American Airlines Engineering Maintenance and Engineering Center in Tulsa.