Has Gifted $56,000 To Western Michigan University

Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce that the Duncan Family Trust has gifted $56,000 to Western Michigan University for the ongoing annual award of a Duncan Aviation Maintenance Scholarship.

With this endowment gift, WMU will make available an annual scholarship of up to $2,500 for a student enrolled in the university’s four-year aviation maintenance program. In addition to receiving the scholarship, the chosen student will participate in a paid internship program at Duncan Aviation’s full-service Battle Creek, Michigan, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) location.

“Given the workforce issues that plague business and commercial aviation, we believe it is vital to maintain a strong relationship with Western Michigan University and its students,” says Andy Richards, Executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer of Duncan Aviation’s Michigan location. “We have had excellent luck in the past with this scholarship, and decided it would make sense to set up the funds for a long-term endowed award program. We have long advised WMU on curriculum development and many graduates of their program have become excellent Duncan Aviation team members.”

Justin Hughes, an airframe technician with Duncan Aviation’s Airframe Department in Battle Creek, was the scholarship recipient for the 2018-2019 school year. He started working for Duncan Aviation as an intern in May 2017 and was hired part-time while he finished school. In January 2019, he was hired on full-time.

“The scholarship award and Duncan Aviation internship gave me the opportunity to take what I learned at the College of Aviation and apply it directly to the workplace,” Hughes says. “I am grateful for the long-lasting relationship between the WMU College of Aviation and Duncan Aviation as it gives students like me an opportunity to learn and develop professionally.”

The College of Aviation at Western Michigan University offers a comprehensive aviation program and enrolls nearly 1,000 undergraduate students. Backed by 80 years of aviation experience and an excellent industry reputation, the college is a powerful force in the future of aviation training.

WMU students interested in applying for the WMU Duncan Aviation Maintenance Scholarship should visit wmich.edu/aviation/scholarships/internal.

Duncan Aviation regularly attends recruiting events. The current schedule includes the career fairs and campus visits that follow:

• April 16, 2019, Metro Technology Aviation Campus, Oklahoma City, OK
• April 17, 2019, Spartan College, Tulsa, OK

(Source: Duncan Aviation news release)

FMI: www.DuncanAviation.aero/careers