UVU Aviation Professor Recognized at UAA Education Conference

UAA News Release

Dallas, TX –  The University Aviation Association (UAA) held their 71^st Annual Education Conference this year at the Westin DFW. In attendance at the three-day conference were more than 250 professionals from collegiate aviation representing 55 of the colleges and universities offering aviation majors, alongside representatives from three military branches and an array of industry service providers. Keynote speakers included Cheryl Sutterfield-Jones, Executive Director of the Frontiers of Flight Museum, as well as Captain Chris Broom, Managing Director Flight and Training Administration at American Airlines. In conjunction with the conference, UAA held a program promoting careers in aviation for local high school students from Frisco, Prosper, and Richardson Independent School Districts.

More than 180 professionals attended the Annual Awards Banquet held on September 27th. Awards were presented to recognize educators and industry professionals who excelled in collegiate aviation. Among this year’s prestigious awards presented at the banquet was the V. L. Laursen Award. The V. L. Laursen Award is sponsored by the Air Transport Association and is granted to aviation education professionals who have made outstanding contributions to aerospace education.   This award is presented in honor of TWA's Captain Vern L. Laursen, Staff Vice President-Flight Operations Training who started his career with TWA in 1951 as a DC-3 pilot and later represented TWA on the ATA Training Committee. 

This year’s V. L. Laursen Award was presented to Dr. Ryan Leick from Utah Valley University for his work on the Aviation Policy Seminar in Washington, DC and his continued accomplishments as Chair of the Aviation Management Committee.  Dr. Leick spearheaded a project by his committee to absorb and restructure the UAA Aviation Policy Seminar, held annually the first week of January. Dr. Leick coordinated with multiple federal agencies, to include the FAA, NTSB, and the U.S. Senate Subcommittees on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security, as well as multiple aviation associations headquartered in the DC area. His tireless work resulted in a 15% increase in program attendance, followed by two consecutive sold-out years for the program, increasing the cost efficiency of the program, and an increase airline sponsorship that directly resulted in decreasing the seminar registration costs to attendees in 2018.