AEDC to open up education fair to public

  • Published
  • By Shawn Jacobs
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  The third annual Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) education fair at the Arnold Lakeside Center (ALC) will include a new wrinkle this year.

The event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 15, will be opened up to the public.

Jeannie McFaddin, chief of work force development in Arnold's Education Office, said the public is being invited this year due to popular demand.

"We are inviting the public to attend and we are also working with the high schools in Manchester, McMinnville, Tullahoma and Winchester to get the word out to the high school students as well," McFaddin said. "We got a lot of comments at [last year's] fair that this would be perfect for the community to come together and come up and talk to the representatives with the schools and get their degree programs and find out what's available. We're also going to try to work with the schools and catch them before the summer starts so that students can actually come and talk to the [colleges and universities.]"

Recruiting and admissions representatives are expected from 25-30 different schools, according to Dee Wolfe, AEDC education training specialist. They will include all levels of degrees, and the number of institutions invited has been limited only due to the capacity of the ALC. The exact roster of schools attending has not yet been finalized.

"Some [of the schools] are strictly focused on online learning," Wolfe said. "Some are combined learning; some are strictly in-residence. We have schools from all over Tennessee, Alabama and Florida. A lot of online schools are based throughout the country and they send representatives. We've got a lot of East Coast schools, which are not too far away, and we also have schools that send brochures and door prizes if they can't attend."

Twelve institutions were represented at the first fair two years ago, and almost double that amount showed up last year when only AEDC employees, their spouses and dependents were invited.

"I've been in education 20-something years and we've always conducted education fairs, and when I arrived here they had never to my knowledge had one so that started really the first one," McFaddin said. "And then since Dee's arrived, we've just expanded it almost to the maximum capacity."

Lunch will be available for purchase from the ALC.

"For the ATA [Aerospace Testing Alliance] contractors, it's really great because during their lunch they can take that time to come over and still be able to attend," McFaddin said. ATA employees should coordinate attendance with their supervisor.

She said AEDC takes pride in allowing its employees to further their education.

"Absolutely, the engineers, the scientists and even the administrative and support functions, this opens it up to everybody and to their family members, spouses and their children," McFaddin said.

"Education is the future, and we have to do what we can do to help educate our work force," Wolfe said.

For more information, call Dee Wolfe at (931) 454-4313 or e-mail her at dee.wolfe@arnold.af.mil.