Originally Posted by
baseball
Another in New Orleans. I think Embry Riddle and Liberty are now in NOLA. Making some calls to confirm. I am in Slidell so that would be closer.
I sorta draw the line on or about ALEX as far as the state population goes< but in reality likely btr. I believe the State has high hopes for it. Great airport. Great airspace, lots of approaches. Lots of room for growth. I can't remember, but I think that was the old "England AFB." I seem to think that there was some airport reshuffling going on around Alexandria. I flew in there last summer and saw the LSU-A brochures while gassing up the plane. It seems like they are pushing it. Already got a PHD in charge of it, a Dr. Eamon I think his name is. In the 50 years that Tech has had an aviation program, never a PHD in charge of anything. Interesting, the push is called "Aviation Careers in Education. 3 way partnership between England Air Park, LSU, and Louisiana Technical Community College. It may take some time to develop and mature, but it looks like those pursuing this next year will have more options.
I know that you can go through Liberty’s online aviation program and then take lessons from the flight school in New Orleans as they are approved for 141 teaching. That doesn’t change the fact that all my former colleagues and students had nothing good to say about that school. I’m also not a fan of online degrees in certain fields, aviation being one of them. YMMV.
As far as Eamon- While he may be a Ph.D. Dr. Eamon Halpin is just another admin.
He’s the Associate Vice Chancellor and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs. He has no aviation education experience. I pulled this straight from his bio- “
Dr. Halpin earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Greek and Roman Civilization (1987) and a Master of Arts in Modern English and American Literature (1988) from University College Dublin, Ireland. He enrolled in LSU’s graduate program in English in 1989 and received his Ph.D. in English in 1995.”
I can’t wait to see who the “qualified professors” will be that LSU-A was able to hire to move to the middle of nowhere Alex to start a new aviation program in a state where the new football coach at LSU-BR is worth 95 million and Middleton Library, for example, should be condemned and completely rebuilt. If I come across as jaded I am and I have the experience to back that up. I have a PhD and I’ve taught at several universities in Louisiana and I have 0 doubt that LSU-A’s aviation program will be another lame attempt at “higher education” in this state. I sincerely hope I’m wrong, especially when aviation is literally a matter of life and death. Time will tell...