Press Release: Aviation Program Launch

This press release was created for a real aviation program launch at a private university. The new program was the first of its kind and drew in an entirely new demographic of learners who were able to live and study at the campus for a valuable short-term learning opportunity. The objective of this release was to gain earned media exposure especially through local outlets and aviation-related publications and to have a place to point to for organic social media posts.

---

PRESS RELEASE

IWU-National & Global                              1900 W 50th Street                                                                               Marion, IN 46953   

Contact: Rachel A., AD of Communication                                                                               

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) celebrated its first cohort of graduates from the Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy. Seventeen cadets earned their private pilot certificates after just eight weeks of training, which ended on August 6, 2021.

The Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy—offered in partnership with IWU, Jeff Air Pilot Services, and Air Marion, Inc.—took students through flight training from start to finish, including ground school, flight instruction, and examinations.

The majority of candidates accepted into this competitive program are currently high school students. All students received a full scholarship through the Air Force to cover the costs of their training, saving students thousands of dollars. Throughout the program, the students lived on IWU’s residential campus, just a few minutes north of Marion Municipal Airport where the training took place.

2021 was the first year the U.S. Air Force funded the program, which aims to address the national pilot shortage and lack of diversity in the industry by reigniting young women and men’s interest in aviation careers. IWU is one of 23 schools partnering with the Air Force to offer this summer program in 2021.

“This program is meeting a real need in society and in our country,” said Joe Childs, director of the aviation programs at IWU. “There were more than 5,000 applicants and only 370 were selected, so it’s very competitive.”

The students have a variety of aviation-related career interests, including Navy and Marine pilot, astronaut, and other professional pilot careers. They can now pursue their career goals even faster having earned their private pilot certificates.

“These students’ average number of total hours to solo was around eleven-and-a-half. In the previous university where I worked, it was over 17,” Joe Childs said during the graduation ceremony. “So they’ve done a phenomenal job.”

Students who completed the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy at IWU participated in a ceremony at Marion Municipal Airport on August 6, 2021, where they were pinned and recognized by name for completing their pilot certificates.

The Air Force JROTC summer flight program is now part of a larger, brand new aviation program at IWU that launched in 2021.

IWU’s aviation program follows a partnership model, which offers local flight training at partner flight schools in conjunction with a flexible online degree program, so students can simultaneously earn an associate or bachelor’s degree and their flight ratings. In these programs, students take classes online while dedicating several hours each week to flight training at a local flight school.

Because of IWU’s unique partnership model, students can utilize financial aid to help cover the costs associated with flight training, and they can also transfer in previously earned credit or pilot certificates using IWU’s generous transfer policy.

For more information, visit IWUaviation.com.

About IWU-National & Global IWU-National & Global is home to more than 8,000 online and on-site students studying programs in education, business, health sciences, ministry and more. A pioneer in online education, Indiana Wesleyan University's mission is to develop students in character, scholarship and leadership. The university's main residential campus is located in Marion, Indiana, with satellite campuses for distance learners located in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. For more information, visit indwes.edu.

####