Cedarville has about 700 engineering students, said Thomas Mach, Cedarville’s vice president for academics. Virtually any of them will get a chance to work on the base, land internships, assist in research, complete senior capstone projects, take advantage of mentoring and guest lectures and more, Mach said.
“This is kind of a concrete expression of a relationship that has existed between us and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,” Mach said in an interview. “I’m excited about it between it’s going to give our faculty and most importantly our students more interaction and more access to the expertise there at the base and at the Air Force Materiel Command.”
The agreement is between Cedarville and AFMC’s Engineering and Technical Management Directorate. Robert B. Fookes, Jr., a member of the Senior Executive Service and director of AFMC’s engineering and technical management, is expected to take part in the signing.
AFMC, headquartered at Wright-Patterson, is responsible for equipping the Air Force. It is a world-spanning organization of some 89,000 people working with $72 billion of budget authority.
The partnership will allow Cedarville engineering students access to base research laboratories, where they can work with Air Force personnel on senior design projects, research initiatives, and senior-year assignments, the university said.
In a sense, this relationship is not new. Earlier this year, Cedarville students talked of their work with Fairborn defense contractor STI-TEC to refine and modernize Air Force pilot helmets.
A spokesman for Cedarville noted that a decade ago, the university signed a similar pact with the Air Force Research Laboratory, also headquartered on Wright-Patterson.
“Air Force Materiel Command, and specifically the Engineering and Technical Management Directorate, is excited about our collaboration with Cedarville University through this Educational Partnership Agreement,” Fookes said in a release from Cedarville. “Together we are creating a unique educational experience, using real problems and challenges, to equip tomorrow’s workforce with the skills they need to thrive in today’s fast-paced world of aerospace and defense. This partnership represents the Air Force’s commitment to fostering academic excellence and supporting our next generation of innovators.”
“The university and AFMC view this enhanced partnership as a critical step toward equipping students for careers in engineering and scientific research, broadening civil service appeal to graduates while fostering educational excellence,” the university said.
“Wright-Patterson recognizes the caliber of Cedarville students and their contributions to critical fields,” Mach said in Cedarville’s statement. “We’re proud of the jobs WPAFB has provided to our graduates, and we’re thrilled to further strengthen this connection.”
Greene County’s Cedarville University, a Baptist institution, has 6,384 students and ranks among Ohio’s largest private universities.
Mach believes base personnel have liked what they see in Cedarville students and graduates. “I think from their standpoint, they’ve been really pleased with Cedarville graduates. They want to encourage more of our students to think about the careers available to them, not only in the armed forces but in the support industries.”
“Sometimes Cedarville is kind of a best-kept secret here in the Miami Valley,” he added.
The agreement does not involve a substantial exchange of funds. Mach estimated that Cedarville will spend up to $15,000 for transportation of students and supporting the interactions between the university and base.
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