It’s no secret that the world needs more aviation professionals—and that the shortage of qualified pilots, flight crew and aircraft mechanics is only expected to get worse over the next 10 years. Among the hurdles students looking at pursing aviation careers face is the cost. To help address the expense and in hopes of attracting top students interested in aviation, the University of North Dakota (UND)—one of the top aviation universities in the country—has announced a new $1.5 million scholarship endowment.
The James C. Ray Memorial Freshman Scholarship was established through matching $500,000 contributions from the UND Aerospace Foundation, UND Promise Scholarship Program and James C. Ray Foundation. It will be available to high-achieving incoming freshmen and is the first UND aerospace program scholarship that will be awarded to underclassmen.
The scholarship was named in honor of James C. Ray, who died earlier this year at the age of 94. He contributed more than $25 million dollars to aviation and entrepreneurial programs at UND over his lifetime.
Learn more at University of North Dakota Aerospace.