July 18, 2005
Aviation graduate wins national scholarship
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- A 2004 graduate of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Aviation Management and Flight program is the recipient of a prestigious national scholarship to help him pursue a career in the aviation industry.
Dustin Herrmann, 22, of St. Charles, received a CAE SimuFlite Scholarship, and will participate in two weeks of training starting Aug. 20 at the company's headquarters at the Dallas/Forth Worth International Airport.
Herrmann, the son of Stacy and Paul Herrmann (35W910 Fieldcrest), is currently working as a flight instructor and operations manager at the Illinois Aviation Academy, Inc., in West Chicago. The scholarship gives people interested in a career in business aviation an opportunity to further their qualifications, making them more marketable, Herrmann said.
The award gives Herrmann a "tremendous advantage in applying for corporate or business aviation jobs," said David A. NewMyer, chair of the aviation management and flight program.
CAE SimuFlite awards four scholarships annually, NewMyer said. Herrmann is the third SIUC student to receive a scholarship and the first since 2001. NewMyer said having a graduate of SIUC's aviation program receive a scholarship "is a wonderful measure of our quality."
Herrmann said the SIUC aviation program was "vital" in his receiving the training scholarship.
"The quality of training that I received at SIUC is unparalleled, making any graduate a good candidate for the scholarship," he said. "Second, Dr. NewMyer and the entire Aviation Flight/Aviation Management Department do a wonderful job of exposing all aspects of aviation, not just the airlines.
"If not for this exposure, many students would not know about the various aspects of the aviation industry, as well as opportunities such as the CAE SimuFlite Scholarship," he said.
Providing high-quality, progressive undergraduate education is among the goals of Southern at 150: Building Excellence Through Commitment, the blueprint for the development of the University by the time it celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2019.