They've had the Beechjet for more than a decade...and a Diamond jet before that. "Shiny jets" aren't anything new, but a type rating for all flight students is...and as an alumnus the cost and value of such a program is a concern to me - one that I've previously voiced to the professors in that article.

There's no denying that graduates of any collegiate training program need operational experience, but I think the purpose of this curriculum change is to train pilots in an ab-initio, MPL-style environment where they're exposed to the same advanced cockpit & procedures from Hour 1 through graduation day so that they'll be competent crewmembers (albeit ones lacking significant operational experience) in a crew environment...just like graduates in the past.