By Courtney Dentch
York College in Jamaica is taking advantage of the neighbor it has in Kennedy Airport by establishing the first university-level Aviation Institute in New York City.
The institute received tentative approval from the school’s trustee board to offer seminars on the aviation industry and build to degrees in aviation business and management, said Anthony Perl, the institute’s director.
The Aviation Institute is just one of several components to boost the school’s visibility and enrollment, York’s new president Russell Hotzler told a meeting of the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. Oct. 23. The meeting also featured a discussion on the AirTrain rail link to Kennedy Airport and the late-September crash that has stalled the project’s completion.
Hotzler, who took over as interim president for Dr. Charles Kidd in July, told the 75 GJDC members that York College, at 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., has an enrollment of 5,200 students but can accommodate twice that number.
“We have the ability to serve many more students than we are currently serving,” he said. “The growth of the institution has not progressed as we had hoped.”
The Aviation Institute is just one program to boost the school’s academic strengths, Hotzler said. The program would work with the Port Authority, as well as individual airlines and other air travel companies, by both using their expertise to teach students as well as providng them continuing education oportunities for their employees, Perl said.
“It’s surprising that the country’s largest aviation market hasn’t focused on the education aspects of the industry,” he said of New York City. “This is an important time to be focused on aviation. The institute can play a very important role in the college, the airport and the city as a whole.”
The institute hopes to offer general introduction classes to students next year, but until the courses are developed, the school is looking at seminars and an award program to whet the appetites of the students and industry professionals.
“That will get the word out that there’s more to come,” Perl said. “We want to develop a reputation as a hub of expertise.”
Hotzler also hopes to build on the school’s existing programs and facilities, such as the occupational therapy program, which is the only one in the CUNY system, he said. The program may also be expanded into a master’s degree, which would be York’s first post-graduate program, Hotzler said.
The school also is looking to develop media-related programs to take advantage of its television and radio students and other facilities.
“York has fairly comprehensive media facilities,” he said. “It’s the only college that has the facilities but doesn’t offer the programs to its students.”
York College also needs to be more “customer-friendly,” Hotzler said, addressing issues such as building signs, street access and information and advisement centers. One plan already in place calls for turning 159th Street into a pedestrian mall.
“That will just open the campus up to a north-south flow of students I just think is long overdue,” he said.
Hotzler also promised to continue the partnership between the school and the community.
“I give my word that during my term here at the college we’ll move forward in ways that complement what you’re doing in the community,” he said.
The GJDC also heard from Cruz Russell, director of the Office of Policy and Planning for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The PA is waiting for the National Transportation Safety Board to respond on the September crash that killed AirTrain operator Kelvin DeBourgh, Jr. before moving forward with AirTrain plans, Russell said.
The agency has not resumed testing the AirTrain, but construction on the terminals and stations has continued, he said.
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 138.
