Florida Tech Extends 15-Year Relationship in Chinese Aviation Training

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics has just extended a 15-year relationship with the Civil Aviation Flight University of China to provide senior management development to rising middle and senior managers, administrators and faculty of the five-campus system with a main campus located near Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province in Southwest China.

The program began in 1996 when Ballard M. “Mike” Barker, director of the college’s international programs, led a team that won a three-year contract from the Boeing Airplane Co. to improve the safety, efficiency and management of China’s aviation training efforts.

“Our work and value to both Boeing and the Chinese earned Boeing’s Outstanding Supplier Award and program contract renewals through 2008,” said Barker. “The program has trained almost 300 university personnel, including several vice presidents. The training is seen as a key to promotion and is so valuable to the Chinese university that in 2010 the university decided to self-sponsor a continuation of the program.”

The first new group which arrived in late November included eight participants representing four campuses.

The Chinese aviation university has doubled in size to 8,000 students since the partnership began, and in 2007, Barker escorted Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese and Chief Operating Officer T. Dwayne McCay on a visit to the Chinese university.

“Our work with the aviation college is right in synch with the current policy in China to increase the country’s exposure internationally,” said Ballard.

More Chinese university managers and administrators are expected to arrive this summer.