ASU Mid-South Celebrates $1.8 Million Expansion of FedEx Aviation Technology Center
09/11/2024
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. ---- Arkansas State University Mid-South held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house reception Friday afternoon for its newly expanded FedEx Aviation Maintenance Technology Center.
The $1.8 million, 7,170-square-foot expansion into the mezzanine of the existing structure comes eight years after the building was first opened on Nov. 2, 2016. Since that time, the program has grown significantly, both in terms of the number of students enrolled and the number of full-time faculty employed.
“The expansion of this facility we are celebrating today represents just the latest stage in the evolution of this program,” said ASU Mid-South Vice Chancellor for Learning and Instruction Jeff Gray. “This expansion, representing an almost $1.8 million investment of institutional and Title III PBI Grant funds, provides the program with two additional classrooms and a student common area, directly benefiting the students and faculty in this program, while also positioning us to better serve the growing student interest in and industry demand for A&P mechanic training.”
Dr. Debra West, Chancellor of ASU Mid-South, explained that a high-cost program such as Aviation Maintenance Technology does not occur without significant industry demand and external support.
“This facility is the culmination of great vision, hard work, and a notable group of public, private, and industry partners working together for a common goal – that being to provide the aviation industry in our region with the skilled workforce they need, while providing opportunities for the people of our region to be trained in the high skill, high wage, high demand field of Aviation Maintenance Technology,” West said.
“It’s always exciting to bear witness to a dream becoming a reality,” said ASU System Interim President Dr. Robin Myers. “This expansion project is the latest accomplishment in what has been a longstanding strategic partnership between ASU Mid-South and the public and private sectors it serves. Through their collective efforts, they have made the dream of a world class aviation maintenance technology center in Crittenden County come to fruition.”
In 2010, ASU Mid-South partnered with FedEx on the initial $3.4 million U.S. Department of Labor grant that established the training program, which is located just north of the West Memphis Municipal Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration formally approved Mid-South as an Aviation Maintenance Technician School in January 2011.
