Embry-Riddle Opens New Student Union for Student Orientation Weekend
August 25, 2009
New and Returning Students impressed with new Jack R. Hunt Student Union.
Prescott, Ariz., August 24, 2009 - The Arizona campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University welcomed back their students with a Dedication and Grand Opening celebration for the new Jack R. Hunt Student Union and Campus Amphitheater. The ceremony with over 800 students, faculty, staff and friends attended the grand opening under a beautiful and comfortable Arizona sky.
Jack R. Hunt Student Union is a building, program and shared environment that encourage involvement, interaction, recreational opportunities and development of self within the campus, complementing the academic experience through an extensive variety of multicultural, educational, social and leisure programs.
Known as the "father of the modern aviation university," Jack Reed Hunt was president of Embry-Riddle from 1963 until his death in 1984. Under his leadership, Embry-Riddle moved from Miami to Daytona Beach in 1965. In the following five years, the school won accreditation and gained university stature.
Prompted by the entrepreneurial spirit, vision, and leadership of President Hunt, Embry-Riddle expanded its base in 1978 with the acquisition of Prescott College and the surrounding 500 + acres of land upon which it stood. The objective was to establish a second campus in the West which would give the University both geographical and academic diversity; Embry-Riddle Prescott was born. Jack R. Hunt always put the students first. Throughout his presidential tenure, every decision he made was in light of the question: "How will it help the student?" The student was paramount in terms of President Hunt's vision of quality education. He believed the University should offer the student a practical education that would help the student get a job and make him or her immediately productive in an aviation career.
The Hunt Student Union includes a number of offices and conference rooms, bringing Union functions together and providing an expanded space for student clubs and organizations and the Student Activities Department. The Union offers a comfortable and relaxing environment for our student population to gather, play, and socialize. The Hunt Student Union also includes a large event space, a community conference room, offices and a fireplace lounge for student relaxation or a stimulating debate.
Per Dan Carrell, Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President for the Prescott campus; "Jack Hunt was the first president of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, serving for over 20 years and leading this institution to the world-renowned aviation and engineering university it is today. Jack Hunt's vision and effort are the reason Embry-Riddle Prescott exists and we are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize his efforts by naming our Student Union in his honor. The Jack R. Hunt Student Union will be an exciting hub of activity, for our campus community that supports positive student, faculty and staff relationships Jack Hunt's legacy lives on at the Prescott Campus."
During the grand opening Arlene Skinner, One of Jack R. Hunt's Sisters stated "I used to tell him he should change the name from Embry-Riddle University to Jack R. Hunt University, but he said he did not need the glory, he only wanted it to be the best University it could be. He worked tirelessly on making it just that. May you enjoy many happy years here, knowing Jack is still singing the praises of the University he gave his life for and loved above all else."
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering, educating students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs. Doctoral programs in aviation and in engineering physics are pending approval by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 130 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit prescott.erau.edu.
