By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Salina Post
In a packed room at the Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology College Center, attendees anxiously waited for U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran to visit the podium and make a hearty announcement — more than $33.3 million is coming to the Salina campus.
The series of federal grants would jumpstart the long-awaited vision of K-State Salina's staff to put their town and campus on the international aviation stage.
K-State Salina Dean and CEO Alysia Starkey first excitedly greeted the audience about the upcoming announcement.
"We are here this afternoon to celebrate a significant milestone in supporting the university and the campus's strategic vision," Starkey said. "Which also benefits the workforce, the students, and most importantly, our student experience here."
Once Starkey finished her remarks, she introduced Moran to make the then-unknown announcement. Moran spoke about Salina Campus's history, how it began as the Kansas Technical Institute and its involvement with federal agencies like NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA.
Moran serves on four committees in Washington, D.C., and he said his position on three of those, the Senate Appropriations, Intelligence and Commerce, Science and Transportation Committees, has aided the push for federal funding at K-State Salina.
"We've tried to use all three of those positions not only for Salina to have commercial air service, which is important, but to see if we can get defense, NASA and the private sector interested in doing work and training their employees at K-State Salina," Moran said. "If we only educate and train our children and our students at K-State Salina, but they have no future in Kansas, we only modestly change the future of our state."
The most significant portion of the $33 million is a $28 million grant for the Aerospace Education Hub that would provide a central and accessible location for many K-State Salina facilities and programs.
"This investment marks the next phase in K-State Salina's continuous growth," said Alysia Starkey, CEO and dean of K-State Salina. "As we develop this new, state-of-the-art space for our uncrewed aircraft systems, composites and aviation maintenance programs, we are also establishing the future of aerospace education."
Another $5.5 million grant will fund new aviation training equipment for the school's pilot training partnership with NOAA.
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"Somehow, NOAA is looking for training pilots to hunt hurricanes," Moran said. "We're working to get NOAA all the tools to train their workforce in Salina, Kansas... and they chose us because of the capabilities of K-State Salina, the dean, the faculty and the students."
In October 2022, General Atomics gifted the K-State Salina Campus $10 million for the General Atomics Aerospace Innovation Ramp as the first phase of the school's revitalization plan for portions of what used to be Schilling Air Force Base.
The new Aerospace Education Hub is part of the second revitalization phase and would complement the Aerospace Innovation Ramp.
Three new facilities would be part of the education hub, including the Kansas AAM Flight Test and Training Center, the Advanced Composites Laboratory and the Aviation Maintenance Training Center.
"This partnership actually extends out to what's needed to create the space and the facilities at the Salina Regional Airport that will accommodate future employers that will locate here because of this excellent investment," said Tim Rogers, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.
A piece of equipment the grants would fund to build is a full-motion flight simulator to help train students for future careers in organizations like the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps.
Rogers, Starkey and KSU President Richard Linton all referenced the deep connections between Salina and Moran's work with aviation. The announcement on Tuesday only added to Moran's continued vision for the city and region.
Moran and Rogers shared a mentor, former State Sen. Ben Vidricksen, early in their respective careers, so they met while Moran was still a state senator for nearby western Kansas.
"I remember this very clearly — he just said, 'I'm Jerry Moran,' reached out his hand and asked, 'How can I help?' and you [Moran] have lived up to that," Rogers said. "Your support has been essential to make this a successful day."
K-State Salina faculty anticipates construction on campus to begin within the next five to 10 years, with the beginning phases including planning and schematics.
"We often say that what's good for Kansas State is good for Kansas — what's good for Kansas is good for Kansas State," Linton said. "When you power research, innovation and discovery and connect it directly to a critical industry like this one, [aerospace] you not only lift up our state on a national stage, but more importantly, you take care of our people. That's what the land grant university is all about."
K-State Salina published a press release with additional details about each new facility planned with the grant cash.
• K-State Salina's Applied Aerospace Research Center is nationally recognized for its work in promoting the commercialization of uncrewed aircraft systems. In addition to its current work, the new facility allows the center to expand its scope to include emerging aerospace technologies in advanced air mobility and commercial space applications. The new Kansas AAM Flight Test and Training Center will focus on providing regional air mobility and autonomous vehicle usage in the air transport of passengers and goods.
• When completed, the new Advanced Composites Laboratory will be an innovative educational facility that delivers holistic education on composite materials, including immersive and industry-driven learning experiences for learners and valuable research and knowledge for industry partners.
• An expanded Aviation Maintenance Training Center doubles the current space allocated for K-State Salina's aviation maintenance training program. The center provides educational opportunities at all levels, from technical certification to bachelor's degree credentials.