Share This Article
Mountain Home took several steps forward in its push to build a full aviation education pipeline Thursday, highlighted by a new partnership between Arkansas State University-Mountain Home and Henderson State University that could allow local students to earn a four-year aviation degree without leaving the region.
Chancellor Bentley Wallace led a delegation of ASU-MH educators and Leading Edge Aviation Foundation directors to Arkadelphia to meet with HSU Chancellor Trey Berry and his administration. The two institutions signed a pathway agreement allowing students to complete two years of coursework at ASU-MH before transferring to HSU to finish a bachelor’s degree.
LEAF directors, including Gerald Gaige, presented options for adding aviation career studies at ASU-MH that would feed into HSU’s Bachelor of Science in Aviation, according to Gaige. The HSU program offers two tracks, Aviation Management and Professional Pilot, and is the only public university four-year aviation degree program in the state.
The agreement carries a direct financial benefit for Baxter County students. Graduates of Mountain Home Public Schools can use the Mountain Home Education Foundation’s Promise Scholarship to cover two years of tuition at ASU-MH, then pursue additional scholarships for their final two years at HSU. LEAF also offers annual scholarships for students pursuing aviation industry careers at any institution.
After signing the agreements in HSU’s Education Center Building, Dr. Shannon Clardy, dean of the College of Aviation, Science and Nursing, hosted the group at the Caplinger Airway Science Academic Center. The facility houses classrooms, an aviation hall of fame and flight simulators. The delegation also toured the Flight Training Center at Arkadelphia Airport, viewing the flight line, Maule training aircraft and meeting maintenance staff and flight instructors.
Leaders from both institutions confirmed their commitment to define additional career pathways sharing coursework across the two campuses, including the aviation degree, Gaige said.
High school program already producing results
The pathway agreement builds on groundwork laid at the K-12 level. Mountain Home Public Schools will graduate its first high school class to complete the district’s Aviation STEM Studies program this spring. The school board adopted the program in 2022, and Doug Meurer teaches the curriculum.
The Mountain Home program is one of more than 15,000 high school Aviation STEM programs nationwide. National data shows graduates of aviation STEM programs focus earlier on career preparation, are more technically literate and are more comfortable with responsibility and decision-making than typical high school peers.
That preparation was on display Thursday at the Baxter County Fairgrounds, where Aviation 2 and 3 students participated in Mountain Home High School’s HHS Academy CSI event. Students demonstrated drone technology, explaining how drones work, how they are used in law enforcement and conducting a live flight demonstration. Each group captured aerial photos during the demo.
“I am incredibly proud of this group for doing such a fantastic job and representing our aviation program with professionalism and enthusiasm,” Meurer wrote on the program’s Facebook page.
National Guard previews Be Pro Be Proud Draft Day
Also Thursday, an Army National Guard helicopter landed on the ASU-MH campus in preparation for the Be Pro Be Proud Draft Day event April 2.
Wallace greeted the crew, including CPT Shantell Moore and pilot Major Daniel Berke. Berke is from the Mountain Home area and a former ASU-MH TrailBlazer.
Thursday’s landing was a test run. The National Guard plans to bring the helicopter back for the April 2 event.
The Be Pro Be Proud Draft Day series connects high school students with employers for interviews in skilled technical careers. Last year’s event at ASU-MH drew more than 700 students from 25 schools across nine counties, who interviewed with 33 regional employers.
