In July, Christopher Blake, Ph.D., president of Middle Georgia State University (MGA), Dr. David Jenks, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and Ember Bishop Bentley, vice president for External Affairs and chief of staff, met with Senators and Congressional leaders in Washington, D.C.
(L-R) Kenneth Cutts, Christopher Blake, Ph.D., Congressman Sanford Bishop,. Dr. David Jenks, and Ember Bishop Bentley.
During his visit, the president highlighted the University’s new Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which merges work being done at MGA while solving software problems of regional businesses, creating a space for entrepreneurs, and building the workforce of the future by creating direct pathways for students to obtain successful careers in their local communities.
Kenneth Cutts, Christopher Blake, Ph.D., Congressman Sanford Bishop, Dr. David Jenks, and Ember Bishop Bentley meeting in D.C.
Located on the Warner Robins Campus, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship expansion will provide three direct benefits: expanding technological excellence, business development, and new career pathways in the region. Each is directly measurable through degree and certification completion, curated business start-ups, and workforce contribution. The Center will directly support the shifting mission of Robins Air Force Base and enhance K-12 STEM pathways from local school districts to provide additional career opportunities for students while serving as a regional training hub for educators.
The president discussed FAA reauthorization as it relates to the aviation workforce pipeline. FAA reauthorization helps expand the talent pipeline of pilots, maintenance technicians, and aviation manufacturing workers among other critical professions, as well as supports women in aviation, an area in which MGA excels, with double the industry average for enrollment of women.
(L-R) Christopher Blake, Ph.D., Congressman Mike Collins, Ember Bishop Bentley, and Dr. David Jenks.
On a related matter, Dr. Blake also discussed the preservation of MGA's restricted ATP approval, which makes it possible for MGA graduates to become eligible to work for airlines after 1,000 flight hours instead of 1,500. The airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010, which some in Washington are challenging, allows people who reach the 1,000-hour threshold through previous flight training in the military or in academic settings to join airlines as first officers.
(L-R) Dr. David Jenks, Congressman Austin Scott, Ember Bishop Bentley, and Christopher Blake, Ph.D.
While in D.C., the president thanked leaders on behalf of the University for their continued support and resources to advance education innovation at MGA, which includes the School of Aviation’s new simulators used to improve flight training and enhance students' skills in the cockpit to strengthen their workforce readiness, giving them an advantage in one of Georgia’s top industries and employers.
(L-R) Dr. David Jenks, Senator Jon Ossoff, Christopher Blake, Ph.D., and Ember Bishop Bentley.
(L-R) Dr. David Jenks, Ember Bishop Bentley, Senator Raphael Warnock, and Christopher Blake, Ph.D.