Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Saint Francis University Opens Aviation Education Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/05/24

Saint Francis University in Loretto, Penn., recently held a Blessing and Dedication ceremony for its new Aviation Education Center at the John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, according to a news release. The building’s opening coincides with the inaugural year of the university’s FAA-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) program. The program’s goal is to boost regional workforce development in the aviation vertical.

“The FAA certification and this state-of-the-art facility represent significant achievements for both Saint Francis University and the regional community,” said university president Fr. Malachi Van Tassell, TOR. “We are eager to support critical workforce development through our partnerships and the Aviation Education Center.”

The Aviation Education Center will play home to the school’s aviation education and training programs. The new AMT program is the only FAA Part 147 aviation maintenance technician school in the county, the news release reports, and addresses the local and national need for maintenance workers.

Local news reports that the space currently provides a hangar converted into a classroom, a single-propeller aircraft, and a 1,500-pound CF34 jet engine. Funding came from a $500,000 state grant, $1 million in Appalachian Regional Commission funds, and $70,000 from Cambria County for the facility’s structural needs.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Spaces4Learning Launches 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey

    Spaces4Learning recently launched the 2026 Facilities and Construction Brief Survey, which collects data on the previous year’s K–12 and higher education construction projects nationwide.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Lawrence Group Announces Three New Hires

    Integrated planning and design firm Lawrence Group, based in St. Louis, Mo., recently welcomed three new staff members, according to a news release.