Officials from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University spent four days in Houston recently with 30 aviation officials from China, raising hopes that the school will build a residential campus there.
According to a story at beaumontenterprise.com
While foreign airport officials routinely visit Houston’s airports, officials hope the training last week is a sign that Embry-Riddle plans to commit to Ellington instead of the other finalist, Rockford, Ill.
“We keep our fingers crossed and hope Embry-Riddle will open a campus here,” Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz said.
Embry-Riddle has hosted Chinese delegations since 2006 at its Daytona Beach, Fla., campus but it was the first time they’d used Houston for training, according to the story.
Houston Airport System has developed ties to China’s growing aviation system. In November, executives of Guangdong Airport Management Corp. trained in Houston.
According to a news release:
“Out of approximately 130 Chinese airports, 90 of them have sent members of their airports to Houston for training.
Embry-Riddle President John Johnson was in Rockford last month to meet with aerospace executives from the region about training opportunities at corporate workplaces. In Savannah, Ga., Embry-Riddle Worldwide instructors visit Gulf Stream Corp. to hold classes so employees can can get advanced degrees.
Embry-Riddle has hired a consultant to help it evaluate opportunities in Rockford and Houston. The aerospace university has not said when it will make a decision on expansion.
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According to a news release:
“Out of approximately 130 Chinese airports, 90 of them have sent members of their airports to Houston for training”.
Hmm… How many of the Chinese airports sent anyone to Rockford for training? Do they even know where Rockford is?
Mark Friend, dean of academic affairs for Embry-Riddle’s central region, said in an interview last week that the university has hired a consulting company to determine whether to open a major campus in the Houston area.
It says nothing about a consultant for Rockford to determine if a campus should locate here.
Doug, we’ve reported several times that the consultant is taking a look at Rockford, too. That’s according to Ken Dufour, an Embry-Riddle trustee who put Rockford in play for a possible ERAU campus last year. When Dufour heard about the expansion search and a possible Chicago site, he had Embry President John Johnson see what Rockford had to offer. He was impressed with the airport and the aerospace community here.
And Terry, there have been cargo flights between Rockford and China. So the airports know where Rockford is. But the Houston Aviation System handles 40 million passengers a year; Rockford handles 200,000. Huge difference between what the airports can offer and that includes training.
“And Terry, there have been cargo flights between Rockford and China. So the airports know where Rockford is. But the Houston Aviation System handles 40 million passengers a year; Rockford handles 200,000. Huge difference between what the airports can offer and that includes training”.
That’s why Houston is the odds-on favorite to get their new center.