By Holly Desrosier
Craven Community College (Craven CC) recently received a $500 donation from the Havelock Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee (MAC) during a check presentation in the Institute of Aeronautical Technology hangar on the Havelock campus. The funds will go toward a scholarship for a student enrolled in one of the college’s aviation programs.
Craven CC and MAC have a longstanding partnership that has enabled many students to pursue an education throughout the years. Erin Knight has been the Havelock Chamber’s executive director for just under a year, but she’s already seen the positive impact the collaboration has made in the community.
“We know that the Aeronautical Tech program supports community members, but most of the students go into working for FRC East, and it’s all kinds of military affiliated,” she said. “So much of our community is around the base, so no matter who we help in the community through Craven Community College scholarships, it’s going to affect the greater base community. The Aeronautical program is something that the MAC felt very passionate about because a lot of them were aviators or worked on aircraft.”
The MAC sponsors many events throughout the year, and they hold an annual social at the beginning of each year to raise funds for local organizations. This year, after discussing several ideas, the MAC members decided to allocate funds to three organizations they felt would have the greatest impact: Craven CC’s aviation programs, Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and the Single Marine Program on base.
“It targets different populations,” said Knight. “The Single Marine Program targets our younger military members; the DAV supports the older, retired, disabled veterans; and then, of course, the community college supports a lot of the students that have gotten out of the military but still continue on their MOS or their training and then work on base. So, it’s the community faction of helping and supporting the military.”
Craven CC’s Havelock campus is home to the Aviation Systems Technology program, in which students receive hands-on training with a wide variety of military and civilian aircraft, learn skills needed to become aircraft technicians and become eligible to test for FAA certifications in Airframe and Powerplant.
The Havelock campus also offers the Aviation Management and Career Pilot Technology program, in which students earn their commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating, multiengine rating and certified flight instructor rating, qualifying them for jobs as commercial and corporate pilots.
For more information on Craven CC’s aviation programs, contact Mark Marsteller, aviation director, at 252-444-1377 or marstellerm@cravencc.edu.