Embry-Riddle Launches Three New Buildings in James Hagedorn Aviation Complex with Grand Opening
University Midway Through Sustained Period of Major Construction
Daytona Beach, FL, September 9, 2011
Cutting the ribbon are (left to right): Dr. Tim Brady, Embry-Riddle Trustee Emeritus Jay Adams, Jim Hagedorn, Dr. John Johnson, Mori Hosseini, Jim Henderson, and Glenn Ritchey.
It was a standing-room-only crowd at today’s grand opening of three new buildings in the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex at the Daytona Beach Campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, with the courtyard packed with faculty, staff, government officials, members of the community -- and students lining up on top of one of the new buildings for a bird’s-eye view.
The new, high-tech Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science Building, Samuel M. Goldman Fleet Maintenance Hangar, and Flight Operations Building are grouped together on Embry-Riddle’s flight line, adjacent to Daytona Beach International Airport.
Speaking at the ceremony were Dr. John P. Johnson, president of Embry-Riddle; Dr. Tim Brady, dean of the College of Aviation; Jim Hagedorn, an Embry-Riddle alumnus, trustee, and donor whose name graces the new Aviation Complex; Jim Henderson, chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees; Mori Hosseini, vice chairman of Embry-Riddle’s Board of Trustees and chairman of its Facilities and Capital Planning Committee; and Glenn Ritchey, Daytona Beach mayor.
Dr. Johnson addressed the crowd, saying, “Embry-Riddle was founded over 85 years ago by John Paul Riddle and T. Higbee Embry, and it grew up in tandem with the aviation and aerospace industry, a close bond that endures to this day. Today we celebrate the shared dream of everyone at Embry-Riddle and honor the vision, leadership, and generosity that led to these impressive new facilities. I can say with no exaggeration that Embry-Riddle has the finest Aviation Complex in the world.”
“We’re proud of our past and look to the future,” said Dr. Brady.“The quality and beauty of these new buildings reflect the quality and reputation of the college’s academic programs.”
Jim Henderson praised Jim Hagedorn for helping make the new facilities a reality. “Lots of people wish they could do something to make a difference, but Jim is someone who actually stepped up to the challenge and is making a difference for our current and future students. He has a big heart and we deeply appreciate all he has done for Embry-Riddle.”
Jim Hagedorn and his wife Karli are major donors to the Aviation Complex. Hagedorn is the chairman, CEO, and president of Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. He serves on the University’s Board of Trustees as the chairman of the Investment Committee and a member of the Development Committee.
Hagedorn flies about 1,000 hours a year in his personal jet, and both of his sons are pilots. “Embry-Riddle is where I became a pilot and an adult, where I became myself,” he said. “This new Aviation Complex is a temple to those of us who aviate. I truly love this school.”
Managed by the University’s Construction and Planning Office in conjunction with Hawkins, Hall, and Ogle Architects and Perry McCall Construction, the $22.1 million Aviation Complex adds 97,550 square feet of instructional and operational space to the campus.
Counting the three new buildings, the James Hagedorn Aviation Complex now consists of seven buildings that support more than 2,000 students seeking degrees in Aeronautical Science, Air Traffic Management, Aviation Maintenance Science, Homeland Security, Meteorology, and Safety Science as well as certification in FAA Airframe and Powerplant.
Structures built earlier, in the first phase of the complex, include the College of Aviation Building and the Advanced Flight Simulation Center.
Other major donors to the Aviation Complex are the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust and the Sam Goldman family. Helen Wessel, another friend of the University, commissioned two striking artworks for the complex—the monumental stainless-steel sculpture Pathways to the Sky by artist Peter Forster for the courtyard, and the tall and airy fused-glass sculpture Reaching New Horizons by artist Kerry Transtrum for the atrium of the Flight Operations Building.
The three-story, 48,680-square-foot Emil Buehler Aviation Maintenance Science Building contains faculty offices along with classrooms and labs dedicated to the training of aircraft technicians. The Miller Electric Welding Lab is named in honor of Miller Electric Mfg. Co., which is supplying the lab with the latest welding, cutting, and fume-extraction equipment. The Buehler building also features spacious outdoor observation decks on the second and third floors to be used for receptions and other special events, presenting a panoramic view of Embry-Riddle’s flight line and the runways, tower, and terminal of Daytona Beach International Airport.
The two-story, 33,850-square-foot Flight Operations Building holds offices, classrooms, a control tower, and an observation lounge, as well as areas to handle training flight reservations, pre-flight planning, post-flight debriefing, and flight and ground traffic control dispatch.
The 15,020-square-foot Samuel M. Goldman Fleet Maintenance Hangar contains offices and expansive space for technicians to service Embry-Riddle’s large fleet of training aircraft.
Located outside the new buildings, a new aircraft ramp imprinted with the Embry-Riddle seal will be used to display jets, military aircraft, experimental aircraft, and other aircraft of note.
In other new construction, the Jim W. Henderson Administration and Welcome Center at the Daytona Beach campus is currently under construction and is slated for completion in early 2012. It will feature visitor services, a large hall for community and University events, administration offices, seminar/function rooms, and a meeting room for the Board of Trustees.
Other buildings at the Daytona Beach campus in various stages of planning and design are the College of Arts and Sciences building (2013 estimated completion), the Student Union (2015), the Athletics Services building (2015), and the Academic and Research Center (2016).
Newer buildings at the Daytona Beach campus include the College of Business Building and the Apollo Residence Hall, both completed in 2008, and the Fitness Center, completed in 2007.
Embry-Riddle’s Western campus in Prescott, Ariz., has also benefited from the University’s long-term focus on growth. The Academic Complex opened in 2004, the Visitor Center in 2006, the Robertson Aviation Safety Center II in 2009, and three buildings in 2008—the Christine and Steven Udvar-Hazy Library and Learning Center, the Fred and Fay Haas Memorial Interfaith Chapel, and a dining hall.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
