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From the President

Aiming high 

Dr. Tracy HallI never tire of telling the Southwest story. Our mission is to serve the community’s education, training and workforce needs by providing a quality education in a student-centric environment to anyone who desires to elevate their quality of life through rewarding careers and increased upward socioeconomic mobility. 

At Southwest, we are elevating our academic offerings with the launch of Tennessee’s first Associate of Applied Science in Aviation Operations Technology (AOT) degree. Beginning this spring semester, students can prepare to support ground operations or fly the friendly skies by choosing from among three concentrations: Aviation Administration, Flight Dispatcher, or Professional Pilot.

As the Mid-South’s premier workforce engine, we have a keen eye on industry trends. We partner with the business community to provide the programs needed to generate the workforce that fuels our economy. While the impact of the pandemic on the aviation industry was immense, airlines are rebounding. According to a jobs report at Aviationpros.com, pilots, maintenance and avionics technicians “remain in highest demand.” The site also reported that small to medium-sized aviation companies fared fairly well during the pandemic and are gearing up for growth. 

Our new AOT program is designed to boost the aviation workforce pipeline in the Mid-South and, more importantly, 1) provide access to students who typically could not afford to pursue aviation training, and 2) increase diversity and inclusion in this high-wage career field. While this is a powerful one-two punch, we have another significant advantage: aspiring aviation professionals can launch a career in only two years, versus the four years of study typically required by aeronautical schools and universities.  Not only this, we are throttling up dual enrollment opportunities with an aviation pathway at Memphis East High School and working on another at Lakeland High School.  

Partnerships provide lift

Our partnerships with area municipal schools are potent pipelines to workforce and quality of life transformation for the Mid-South economy and residents. Students discover their career goals and get on the path to success earlier than ever. By the time they reach a college classroom, they know what they want and how to get it. 

Our new aviation program is a shining example of how critical partnerships and corporate and community support are to student, Southwest and community success. Business professionals play a vital role in helping us develop academic programs our students want and businesses need. We developed the AOT program with tremendous assistance from Captain Albert Glenn, a retired pilot and managing director of global flight operations for FedEx and Ed Lyons, a retired FedEx safety and airworthiness vice president. They advocated for more than three years to establish the AOT program and, as program advisors, contributed their expertise to ensuring we offer top aviation courses and training to our students.

Glenn and Lyons also are working diligently to foster more partnerships that will provide the critical funding needed to remove stubborn financial barriers to advanced flight training for our students. Thanks to their influence, we have had promising conversations with FedEx and have commitments for financial support from the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals, a stellar local nonprofit that fosters diversity in aviation.  

Congratulations to Dean Robin Cole, Captains Glenn and Lyons, the entire Academic Affairs division and team members across the College on this fantastic addition to our portfolio of academic offerings. Thank you for aiming high!

Dr. Tracy D. Hall
President