Thunder Bay's aviation centre creating partnerships

Confederation College's Aviation Centre of Excellence, located at the

Thunder Bay International Airport is expected to be complete by the fall of

2003.

This past year Rick Potter, academic director at the school of aviation,

traveled to Detroit to develop partnerships with other aviation

institutions.

"We made some great contacts and some great leads and I am cautiously

optimistic," Potter says.

"We met with people from Bowling Green, State University in Michigan and

had a very positive response. They have a strong aviation programs and they

are very amenable to articulation agreements."

Potter and colleagues will have to assess the aviation curriculum and

compare it against other interested institutions.

"Perhaps we can form partnership (with other post-secondary institutions)

where students graduating from the college diploma can proceed to a degree

program."

Potter would like to see articulation agreements announced within the next

two years.