State College
PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE
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NWFSC Celebr ates Community Partnerships Helen Keller once said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Here at Northwest Florida State College we have never been in this alone. From the very beginning, we have worked with our surrounding community leaders to create great and lasting partnerships for the purpose of achieving our institutional goals. More important than our institutional goals, shared goals are central to our College’s mission. With shared vision comes shared resources and with shared resources comes strengthened commitment, support and ultimately, shared success. In June, we opened our Aviation Center of Excellence, a project that took the support of the Hsu Educational Foundation, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners, the Bob Sikes Airport, the Florida Department of Transportation, and private donors to turn a vision into a reality. We are excited to collectively bring our region to the forefront of airframe and aviation technology with this new collaborative training facility. Our business relationships have blossomed this year into educational bridges for young people, as the Emerald Coast Autism Center now utilizes several sites on our Niceville campus to train students for successful futures in the workforce.
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VO LUME 5, NO. 05
AVIATION CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
Northwest Florida State College’s Aviation Center of Excellence (ACE) is officially open at the Hsu Innovation Institute North in Crestview. More than 200 members of the local community attended the celebration on June 23, 2021. With a shared vision for excellence, Northwest Florida State College along with the Hsu Educational Foundation, the Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioners, Okaloosa County Airports, Florida Department of Transportation, Triumph Gulf Coast and many more have come together to create a 27,000 square foot state-of-the-art training facility complete with hangar and lab space outfitted with Snap-On work benches that will offer high-tech career opportunities for the entire Northwest Florida Region. Northwest Florida State College’s Aviation Program is poised to set students up for success in the aerospace industry offering programs in Professional Pilot Technology, Airframe and Powerplant as well as Unmanned Vehicle Systems Operations. Over the
next 10 years, the project anticipates at least 307 students will earn 1,255 FAA industry-recognized certificates, with 184 to be certified in airframe and powerplant mechanics and 123 to gain professional pilot certificates, providing an expanded talent pool that will bolster Northwest Florida’s economy. At the Aviation Center of Excellence, our collaboration with the Hsu Educational Foundation creates a unique learning environment where students in grades K-12 will also have the opportunity to utilize the state-of-the-art facilities for STEM education around the College’s Aviation programming with the ultimate goal of introducing students of all ages to advanced technology in high-growth industry sectors. The grand opening celebration brought together many partners all dedicated to transformational action in Okaloosa County. The Okaloosa County Board of County Commissioner Aviation Board’s generous contribution of more than $600,000 to fund the front parking lot on airport land launched this project into a reality.