NEWS
NORMAN, OKLA. – The University of Oklahoma and the Federal Aviation Administration celebrated with a signing ceremony today the launch of an Enhanced Air Traffic—Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program that allows qualified OU graduates to proceed directly to ATC facility on-the-job training, bypassing the FAA Academy. The AT-CTI program within the School of Aviation at the University of Oklahoma is currently the only four-year Bachelor of Science degree program in the nation.
“This honor really reflects the quality of our students,” said Stephen West, director of OU’s Air Traffic Management program. “The FAA talked with our students a great deal during their site visit and were very interested in what they thought of the program. It’s also a reflection on the level of commitment from the School of Aviation, the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, and OU administration.”
Before this program, students completing the aviation management – air traffic management concentration had certain advantages during the hiring process but still had to attend the FAA Academy. Through the Enhanced AT-CTI program, students will still complete the same background and security checks, medical clearances and skills assessments as their peers in the FAA Academy, but they will do so while completing their degree. Once they have completed their assessments and have qualified on all other hiring aspects, they can be directly placed upon graduation into an air traffic control facility for on-the-job training rather than attending the academy.
The curriculum is built into the air traffic management Bachelor of Science degree. Additionally, students can take the four-year air traffic control minor in conjunction with an aviation major to complete the Enhanced AT-CTI requirements.
According to the FAA, the new program, which was announced last Dec., is part of the administration’s efforts to reverse a decades-long decline in workforce. The application process began in April of this year and the School of Aviation completed their site visit in Sept.
About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. As the state’s flagship university, OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information about the university, visit www.ou.edu.
Doris Benbrook, Ph.D., a Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, has been named Associate Director for Translational Research at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-Designated Cancer Center in Oklahoma.
The Harold Hamm Diabetes Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences will gain a new deputy director, Matthew Potthoff, Ph.D., effective January 1. Potthoff will also hold the title of Harold Hamm Endowed Chair in Clinical Diabetes Research and professor of biochemistry and physiology, with a secondary appointment in the division of neurology in the OU School of Medicine.
James George, M.D., and Jennifer Holter-Chakrabarty, M.D., were recognized by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) during its annual meeting Dec. 7-10.
