Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. – On Sept. 24, Navy officials met with administrators from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., to sign an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA) intended to enhance the educational experience of students and faculty by providing both with an opportunity to work with expert engineers, unique facilities, and state-of-the-art equipment related to naval aviation at Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Lakehurst, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J.

Stevens’ Provost and University Vice President, Dr. George Korfiatis opened the signing ceremony by touching on the long-spanning relationship between the Navy and Stevens:

• 1870 The first professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Robert Thurston was a Navy officer for 10 years and taught in the Naval Academy.
• 1917 Rear admiral Frederic Harris class of 1898 designed and constructed the main dry docks in Brooklyn, Guantanamo and Pearl Harbor.
• 1918 Then Undersecretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt request Stevens to establish the US Steam Engineering School - graduated over 1,800 cadets in 15 months.
• 1931 to 1940 Stevens constructed the Davidson Laboratory Towing Tanks on campus, which were used heavily during WWII by the Navy.
• 1942 Stevens developed the War Industries Training School, which trained over 5,000.
• 1943 Chosen for the Navy’s V-12 Program to train naval officers.
• Today, Stevens is one of the few universities in the country offering Naval Engineering undergraduate degrees and is home to the Atlantic Center for the Innovative Design.

Ms. Kathleen Donnelly, Lakehurst’s Senior Executive and Director of the Support Equipment and Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment Engineering Department, stated “Access to NAVAIR engineers and scientists, hardware and unique facilities creates an incredible opportunity for these students to become aware of, and collaborate in the many disciplines associated with our engineering systems.”

Rear Adm. Mark Darrah, commander, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Patuxent River, Maryland, was “honored to be on hallowed grounds” and wrapped up his comments by pointing to Stevens’ logo that reads “The Innovation University” and stating “that’s why we are here today, to further our relationship and tap into this innovative academic institution that has always answered the call when asked for by our Navy.”

Stevens and NAVAIR Lakehurst have continued to forge a co-op relationship, with approximately six students enrolled in the program yearly, providing a rich and rewarding work environment during their undergraduate studies and providing the NAVAIR recruitment pipeline with high-caliber, seasoned employees. More than 230 Stevens Tech alumni are employed with NAVAIR Lakehurst and 32 employees are currently enrolled in the Stevens/Lakehurst on-site graduate program in Systems Engineering.

In 2012, Stevens awarded NAVAIR Lakehurst as “Employer of the Year” and upcoming in October, they will be announcing NAVAIR Lakehurst as their “2014 Co-op Employer of the Year.” The EPA solidifies the already productive relationship between NAVAIR and Stevens and opens avenues for future collaborations.

Founded in 1870, Stevens Tech is a premier, private research university with over 6,300 undergraduate and graduate students and 350 faculty members dedicated to advancing the frontiers of science and leveraging technology to confront global challenges. Stevens is home to four national research centers of excellence, as well as joint research programs focused on critical industries such as healthcare, energy, finance, defense, maritime security, STEM education and coastal sustainability.

Similar EPAs with NAWCAD’s Lakehurst site were signed in 2012 with the New Jersey Institute of Technology; in 2011 with both Villanova and Drexel Universities; in 2010 with Fairleigh Dickinson University; and in 2008 with both Rowan University and the Marine Academy of Technology and Environmental Science. For information regarding NAWCAD Education Outreach contact: Holly Kellogg (PAX) [email protected], Gaetan Mangano (LKE) [email protected] or Robert Seltzer (ORL) [email protected].