Kent State trustees approve $5.2 million in upgrades to university airport in Stow

Derek Kreider, Akron Beacon Journal
·2 min read
In this file photo, Flash the Kent State mascot graces a tail on a plane at Kent State University's Andrew Patton Field in Stow.
In this file photo, Flash the Kent State mascot graces a tail on a plane at Kent State University's Andrew Patton Field in Stow.

The Kent State University Board of Trustees recently approved $5.2 million in upgrades to the university airport in Stow and the establishment of a new program within the College of Aeronautics and Engineering.

At the June 28 regular meeting, the trustees approved the creation of the Center for Advanced Air Mobility within the College of Aeronautics and Engineering, effective fall 2023.

The new center will foster research, education and collaboration between faculty, staff and students within Kent State and external partners in government, academia and industry. The center will explore the incorporation of small, autonomous aircraft into the national airspace and the global economy, with a particular emphasis on sustainability and clean energy.

Rehabilitation and reconstruction of the runway at the Kent State University airport in Stow also was approved.

The total project cost is not to exceed $5.2 million, with $4,630,176 committed by the FAA and the Ohio Department of Transportation and $578,147 in university funds.

The construction is scheduled to begin in August. The airport runway will be closed for an estimated six weeks during the construction.

The board also approved the purchase six new aircraft for the College of Aeronautics and Engineering to maintain its current training fleet. The cost is not to exceed $3.5 million.

Other KSU board approvals include:

  • Establishing a Pre-Law Center within the College of Arts and Sciences, effective fall 2023.

  • Merging the Center for Disability Studies and the Center for Innovation in Transition and Employment to establish one interdisciplinary unit called the Center for Disability Inclusion within the College of Education, Health and Human Services, effective fall 2023.

  • College of Arts and Sciences establishing the Gender and Sexuality Studies major within the Bachelor of Arts degree effective fall 2023, pending approval of the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Kent State trustees approve $5.2 million in airport upgrades