Hutchison Center opens doors to aviation program

Submitted by Scott McCrea
Phone: 455-2857
06/28/04

It might be a few more weeks before the renovated Hutchison Institute of Technology officially opens its doors to local high school and college students. But for students in the University of Alaska Fairbanks Tanana Valley Campus Aviation Maintenance Technology program, classes at Hutchison will be up and running on July 5.

Formerly known as the Hutchison Career Center, the Hutchison Institute of Technology is a partnership project of TVC and the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District. Renovation and expansion of the building began in 2002 and is scheduled for completion in August. The building will be the home of the TVC Hutchison Center as well as the James T. Hutchison High School, a comprehensive vocational high school.

The TVC Hutchison Center will house eight of TVC’s certificate and degree programs, including automotive, aviation, culinary arts, diesel/heavy equipment, drafting, process technology, professional piloting and welding.

The renovated space at Hutchison for the aviation maintenance program features 8,000 square footage of shop area, two classrooms, an electronics lab, a welding shop and a student lounge.

"I think the big change is that it is a much more user friendly space,"? said Aviation Maintenance Program Coordinator Arvid Weflen. "It’s a huge improvement over what we had before, and it is going to provide an outstanding learning and working environment for our students."?

Unlike TVC’s other certificate and associate degree programs, the Aviation Maintenance program runs for forty hours per week for 12 consecutive months. The program helps prepare students for employment as aviation mechanics and other related fields.

Contact: TVC Marketing and Community Relations Coordinator Scott McCrea at (907) 455-2857 or fnsjm@uaf.edu.