Program Is Reportedly 'Days Away' From Losing Accreditation

Auburn University's four-year aviation management program could lose its accreditation if the school does not hire additional accredited professors to bring down the student/faculty ratio, but the school has said it has no plans to hire more tenured professors for the program.

The Auburn program has been in operation for 72 years ... the oldest continually-active aviation management program in the country, according to a report from television station WSFA. But the university cites declining interest in the program as the reason it does not plan to bring additional professors on staff to meet requirements set forth by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). There is currently only one accredited professor associated with the program.

Auburn is one of four universities in the U.S. participating in the Gateway Program with JetBlue established to address a growing pilot shortage.

A group of students, accompanied by Allen Thames, vice chair of the Aviation Advisory Board, recently met with the university provost to make the case for the program. Thames said that the provost heard things at that meeting that he had not heard previously. He said that finding qualified professors to help rebuild the faculty and the program is "not difficult," and that the board has offered to assist in the process. He said that the AABI will give the school a chance if they present a plan to hire qualified, full-time instructors.

Many of the students currently enrolled in the program sat outside the office where the meeting took place as a show of support. The Governor of Alabama has said he plans to look into the issue, while the Lt. Governor wrote a letter to the university president in support of the program. A second meeting is planned for May 6.

FMI: http://business.auburn.edu/academics/undergraduate/aviation-management