Senator Byron Dorgan (right, D-ND) says that an agreement he helped arrange between the University of North Dakota (UND) and the US Military Academy at West Point to train cadets to fly Army helicopters has been finalized. The program will begin this summer, with UND training 32 West Point cadets. The first group of cadets will arrive in Grand Forks on June 2. The second group will arrive on July 7. Each training day will consist of academic studies and hands-on flight instruction.

“We’ve been working for a long while to encourage West Point to take advantage of UND’s first-class helicopter flight training program,” Dorgan said. “Cadets will gain world class training, and UND will be make a very significant contribution to our country’s military strength. This is great news for all concerned.”

“We’re very pleased to be working with West Point on this partnership,” said UND President Charles Kupchella. “That the U.S. Army chose UND to train cadets to fly helicopters says volumes about the national reputation our Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences has for providing the highest quality of the hands-on education and training. We appreciate Sen. Dorgan’s help in securing the funding for the program.”

"We always look for relevant training experiences for our cadets that provide them the knowledge and skills they will need as leaders in the Army. This program should do just that," said Colonel Drew Stanley, Director, Department of Military Instruction, U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The new initiative is funded through $1.4 million Dorgan secured for UND’s Air Battle Captain helicopter training program in the 2003 Defense Appropriations bill. The partnership will begin as a one-year pilot project exclusively between UND and West Point and will be opened up to a competitive bid process following the pilot period. “I’m confident this summer’s training will go well and the program will develop into a long-term partnership between two fine schools,” Dorgan said.

Last month, President Bush signed legislation Dorgan wrote that laid the ground work for the UND-West Point partnership.

FMI: www.und.edu