TTU alumni gathering at AEDC sets record

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Local Tennessee Technological University (TTU) alumni narrowly broke their own attendance record during a luncheon at Arnold AFB's Arnold Lakeside Center (ALC) May 4.

The number of TTU alumni in attendance was 172, marking the largest alumni gathering outside the university campus. The previous record of 171 was set May 14, 2009, also at Arnold AFB. Graduates from as long ago as 1952 and as recent as this year were present for the event.

The alumni gathering served as a celebration of the longstanding relationship between Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) and TTU. More than 250 alumni work at AEDC and many more are retired or live in the surrounding area, according to Sharon Carter, Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) deputy director of Projects and Design Engineering, a TTU alumna and organizer of the event.

"I believe that TTU is a great institution and most alumni have many very fond memories of their days at Tech," she said. "They love the idea of coming out to support such a great institution."

TTU President Dr. Robert Bell, who brought the crowd up-to-date on the latest developments at TTU, said he loves to visit AEDC.

"We've got such a great relationship with Arnold, with UTSI [University of Tennessee Space Institute], with the Tullahoma area in general," Dr. Bell said. "It's just a phenomenal alumni base for us and a great support system for Tech, so it's always fun to come down here and see all this excitement and these great folks.

"We're very proud of the relationship with AEDC and have placed a lot of alumni here. They're very loyal and very supportive of Tech and many of them serve on our advisory board, so we try to keep a great relationship going here."

TTU graduate John Sutton, director of AEDC's Contracting Division, helped represent the Air Force at the luncheon. Sutton started his AEDC career in 1979 as a cooperative education student and accepted a full-time position as a contract specialist after graduating in 1980.

"The importance of AEDC's mission demands we attract and retain the highest qualified engineers and business professionals," he said. "TTU delivers with graduates who are well-trained and make a difference from day one."

Steve Carter, an ATA Test and Measurement IT system architect, received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from TTU in 1985 and is now a member of the TTU Electrical and Computer Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.

"There are numerous ways the mutual support between TTU and AEDC is evident," Carter said. "AEDC has sponsored four Senior Capstone Design Projects during the previous two years. This program enables the development of new AEDC capabilities and the exploration of newer technologies at a low cost to the government. The students gain first-hand experience that is relevant to potential employers."

TTU is a major supplier of graduates with engineering degrees to AEDC. Of 479 ATA engineers and engineering managers, 173 have degrees from TTU, according to ATA Human Resources.

Even though most TTU alumni at AEDC are engineers, other employees have degrees in business, education, mathematics, physics, chemistry, computer science, interdisciplinary studies, biology, health science, marketing, accounting and sociology, according to Sharon Carter.

Dr. David H. Huddleston, interim dean of the TTU College of Engineering, said engineers from the university have been instrumental in fulfilling the AEDC mission since early in the history of the test facility.

"As one of the major high-tech facilities in Tennessee, AEDC's relationship with the TTU College of Engineering is extremely important to our college," Dr. Huddleston said. "Cooperative education and employment opportunities for students, access to facility tours for student groups, input through advisory boards and collaboration on research opportunities are just a few of the vital contributions made to our college through our strong affiliation with AEDC."

Tracey Duncan is director of Alumni Relations at TTU.

"Because one of the main priorities of the alumni office is to stay connected with all TTU alumni, events in conjunction with our large employers are a dream, " Duncan said. "We love being able to come on site and let our alumni know what is going on with their alma mater and thank them in general for staying in touch. We also feel like we have a 'win-win' situation in that AEDC provides jobs for our graduates, and our graduates get to come to work for a great employer. This relationship is an ideal one."