The University of West Florida Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, in collaboration with the UWF College of Business MBA Program and Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering, is providing graduate education to more than 200 student naval aviators. Launched this fall, UWF recently received $1,211,196 from the U.S. Navy to provide the first graduate education collaboration between UWF and the Navy in almost 50 years.
“This new partnership is another example of UWF’s continued commitment to serving the military,” said President Martha D. Saunders. “We share common values with the military to serve the public, contribute to the growth of the region and develop leaders.”
Students enrolled in the program are recent college graduates, including graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy and Navy ROTC programs nationwide, who are waiting for flight school to begin at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Upon completion of the online graduate-level courses, students will earn a certificate from established UWF certificate programs in either data science or supply chain logistics management. In addition, students will earn the internationally recognized Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification. The course of instruction is approximately four months, taught by faculty in UWF’s Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering or College of Business. This is the first educational partnership with the military since 1969 when UWF launched a master’s program in Aeronautical Systems for flight students.
“UWF and the Navy share a long history of leveraging our resources for mutually beneficial outcomes,” said Tim Kinsella, executive director of UWF’s AWKO Center for Leadership. “We are pleased to enhance our military outreach and hope this new collaboration with the Navy will be a catalyst for future educational partnerships.”
For more information about UWF’s Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership, visit uwf.edu/awko.