Kent State University’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology will receive a $1.5 million gift from FedEx over three years. The gift will support the university’s flight program, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2017 and has outgrown current facilities at the Kent State University Airport.
“I am proud to say FedEx has long supported the career development of the aviation professionals of tomorrow, so we are honored to present Kent State University with this donation,” said David J. Bronczek, president and CEO of FedEx Express. “We believe the ultimate success of the air transportation industry is directly tied to aeronautics programs specifically committed to investing in our youth, and look forward to following the progress surrounding the university’s airport enhancement efforts.”
FedEx Custom Critical President and CEO Virginia Albanese and Kent State President Beverly Warren publicly acknowledged the gift with a special ceremony during Kent State’s Homecoming football game on Oct. 1 at Dix Stadium.
The gift will support improvements to enhance and expand the Kent State University Airport that supports the airport master plan.
“Our nationally recognized Aeronautics Program engages students who will emerge as leaders in a high-demand, growing worldwide industry,” Warren said. “We are grateful for this generous gift from FedEx Express as it highlights Kent State’s capacity and calling to energize the future of aeronautics.”
Kent State’s Aeronautics Program currently supports 543 undergraduate and graduate students, including 203 in the flight technology program, and prepares them for careers in aviation management, flight technology and air traffic control. The program serves as the leading academic program in aviation at the tertiary level in Ohio. Through partnerships with professional aviation, aeronautics graduates are prepared to be successful on the leading edge of innovative advancements in the United States and on the world stage.
“As the aeronautics industry realigns its workforce for the 21st century, partnerships between corporate employers and comprehensive aeronautics programs like Kent State University’s are critical to ensuring a pipeline of talent and a resource for research for the sector,” Warren said.
About Kent State University
Kent State University is Northeast Ohio’s leading public research university with nearly 41,000 students. The university’s eight-campus system is among the largest regional systems in the country. Today, Kent State has become an engine for economic, cultural and workforce development – locally and internationally – as one of the premier Ohio universities. The university is named among the nation’s top 74 public high-research universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Kent State is also ranked in the top tier on the Best National Universities list in the 2017 edition of Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.
Learn more information about Kent State
About FedEx Corp.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $58 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 400,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities.
See how FedEx connects people and possibilities around the world