Air commerce educational foundation to be launched

The International Air Cargo Association (TIACA) is setting up a co-operative venture to establish an education foundation dedicated to the global air commerce industry that will offer a range of graduate and advanced learning programmes to the Association’s worldwide membership.

The venture, the Center for Air Commerce Studies (CACS) , will focus on the research and educational needs of the industry.

The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina and the Foundation for Transportation, Trade and Commerce (FTTC) will join TIACA in the venture.

As part of its commitment to enhance education and training in the international air cargo sector, TIACA also intends to use the internet to make programmes available to learning institutions all over the world.

“We have wanted for a long time to take a significant step forward that would make a meaningful and lasting contribution to international air commerce education. The formation of the Center for Air Commerce Studies and the bringing together of the resources and skills of the Kenan Institute and the FTTC, with the global resources of TIACA, will allow us to do that. It will open an extensive range of new opportunities to move TIACA forward and advance the industry as a whole,” said TIACA Education Chairman Walter Johnson.

In addition to conducting original research and information development, the CACS is to offer a range of graduate and advanced learning programmes to TIACA’s membership.

One early offering of the Center may be an Executive Education program at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School developed for and offered to executives in the air commerce industry.

The Center will also explore the creation of a hands-on training facility at a major cargo airport, such as Miami. Future plans include the development of a website that will serve as a clearinghouse for studies and research on air commerce topics.

Bill Spohrer, past chairman of TIACA and founder of Challenge Air Cargo will chair the Board of Trustees of the Center. The other Trustees are Walter Johnson, Jr., chairman of TIACA’s education committee, Chris Foyle, chairman and managing director of Air Foyle, Daniel Fernandez, secretary general of TIACA, Richard Norris, manager air cargo development at Washington Metropolitan Airports Authority, William Powell, Jr., president of the FTTC; Dr John Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute, Thomas Donohue, Jr., president of Adelphi Capital, LLC and Brian Clancy, Principal of MergeGlobal.