TWU wants to be the go-to for the next generation of pilots with new aviation school and program

Both the school and the new degree program, which regents also voted unanimously to recommend for approval on Wednesday, are pending the approval of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. TWU would also have to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to proceed. 

"There's a major pilot shortage," said O. Finley Graves, interim executive vice president for academic affairs and provost. "The major airlines are interested in diversifying their workforces, and we are, after all, the largest university primarily for women in the United States. So there is interest in our student body as pilots."

TWU will start the school and program with philanthropic money, Graves said. Eventually, tuition, fees and state formula funding will pay for the proposed School of Aeronautical Sciences. The new degree program will require $5.5 million in funding, which would include the salary for a director of the school. 

The Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that TWU received a $15 million donation from the Doswell Foundation to start the school.

Graves said the university is seeking a partnership with a flight school to train pilots once they are air-ready.

TWU spokesperson Matt Flores said the university anticipates starting the school with 25 students. Officials expect that number to grow as TWU brings in faculty, estimating up to 225 students in the next several years. 

Graves said the size of the program ultimately relies on the flight school TWU will partner with.

"Because it depends on the number of planes that they have available for flight training," he said.

Christopher Johnson, chief of staff for TWU Chancellor Carine Feyten, said in a statement that the school has been in the works for several years. 

"Texas Woman’s leaders have seen a convergence of conditions that make the time for this program ripe," Johnson said. "The airline industry is already reporting effects of a pilot shortage cliff made worse by the recent pandemic. Texas Woman's has been building relationships with prominent women pilots, such as Tammie Jo Shults, and other industry leaders."

TWU also houses the archives of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, a group of civilian women who helped the Allied forces by testing aircrafts and training new pilots during World War II. That and the Denton campus' location made the university a prime spot for a new aviation school.

"DFW has two of the largest airlines with headquarters in the area as well as high-capacity airports in DFW and Houston, where Texas Woman’s campuses are located," Johnson said. "There are flight schools already established on the northern frontier of the DFW airspace here at the Denton airport. And, most importantly, Texas Woman’s leaders have identified potential philanthropic organizations that would invest in startup costs for the distinctive program."

The "ground courses" will have students studying in classrooms on the Denton campus, Graves said. But TWU will need additional space for flight training coursework at the flight school the university partners with. 

Right now, officials plan two program tracks for the school.

"The current program working its way through approval at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Science, but it has two tracks: One is 'professional pilot' and the other is 'aviation management.' The potential for future related programs is great, and some are already in consideration," Johnson said.

Johnson said the school would leave a footprint on the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas with more workers in a high-demand industry.

But he said the proposed school has deep implications for future pioneers.

"The net impact is graduates become commercial pilots in less time and hence with less expense," Johnson said. "In addition to the focus on women’s leadership, this reduction in the cost barrier will stand out as hallmarks of the Texas Woman’s program. As with any four-year university, research will be an essential component that will complement the teaching and learning, but the research directions will depend on the faculty hired."

Regents voted unanimously to recommend the school for approval at the Wednesday meeting.

"This is beyond exciting," said TWU Regent Jill Jester, a Denton-based attorney. "I mean, my mind is blown. My heart is bursting. I think this is amazing."

Crystal Wright, a Houston physician and vice chair of the TWU Board of Regents, told Graves she expects more applicants for the school than spaces for them.

"You're going to have a lot of people applying for this program," Wright said. "Much like the nursing program, where you're going to have to filter through and just take the top students, obviously, you have that already in place."