Embry-Riddle President Shares Message of Growth During Annual State of the University Address

During three presentations for Embry‑Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Florida; Prescott, Arizona; and Worldwide campuses, university President P. Barry Butler, Ph.D., gave his annual State of the University address, outlining his vision for the future and emphasizing student success and a continued focus on the university’s five-year strategic plan.

Embry-Riddle continues its trajectory of growth and progress, avoiding downward trends in higher education that have plagued other institutions. Dr. Butler cited as key to the university’s success its broadminded students and industry-focused faculty and staff who work together to stay abreast of safety improvements and innovative technologies while participating in industry partnerships to prepare the next generation of aviation and aerospace professionals.

“As a result of the strong support of our Board of Trustees, Embry-Riddle is stronger than ever,” said Dr. Butler. “And our sound financial position has allowed us to invest in people, programs and infrastructure while building our reserves.”

Over the past year, Embry-Riddle has welcomed to its esteemed Board of Trustees three new members who have demonstrated a commitment to university students, the aviation and aerospace industries and higher education: Trustee Leanne Caret, Trustee Ken Ricci and Trustee Steve Varsano.

Butler also stressed that while the future is bright, university faculty, staff and leaders must continue to stay focused on maintaining its position of strength and student success.

Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees Chairman Mori Hosseini added his thanks not only for the leadership of the Board of Trustees but also to Dr. Butler and the university faculty and staff. “You are the reason our students receive a world-class education, conduct groundbreaking research and go on to incredible careers, elevating this institution to its stellar reputation. On behalf of all of our trustees, thank you for your commitment and hard work. In this new academic year, strive to build new connections and find new ways to collaborate in research, technological advancements and innovation.”

A Decade of Growth

Over the past decade, enrollment at the university’s two residential campuses has increased over 60% to almost 12,000. Embry-Riddle now serves more than 31,000 students around the globe, and approximately 95% of all graduates are employed or pursuing further education within one year of commencement.

Additionally, Embry-Riddle has increased its institutionally funded scholarships by 150% since FY15. One year into the 2023-2028 strategic plan, the university continues to invest in five key strategic pillars that contribute to the overall success of the institution. A total of $33 million is budgeted for the current plan compared to the $28 million invested in the prior plan.

“Our investments follow our strategic plan,” shared Dr. Butler, who also reported that the university has invested over $756 million in capital projects since FY15, an amount that is projected to grow to over $1 billion by FY27.

Looking to FY25, the university is approaching $700 million in operating revenue across all three campuses. By comparison, in 2014, Embry-Riddle’s operating revenue totaled approximately $330 million. By the end of the decade, Dr. Butler estimates that Embry-Riddle will become a $1 billion organization.

Embry-Riddle President P. Barry Butler, PhD., with Volusia County Commissioner Monica Paris; Daytona Beach International Airport Executive Director Karen Feaster, Airport Operations Manager Dan Blake; and Volusia County Councilman Matt Reinhart (Photo: Embry-Riddle/David Massey)

Reimagining the University’s Residential Campuses

In Prescott, the university is making strategic investments in upgrades across the campus, including a new student union and residence halls coming in the near future. The university has also made investments to accommodate the tremendous growth of the Flight Department in Arizona, including a new simulator building and a ramp/dispatch operation that will be operational by summer of 2025. These investments in facilities — both recent and future — total approximately $240 million.

Embry-Riddle continues to make improvements and strategic investments in its Daytona Beach campus — notably, to its Research Park. The university recently announced a partnership with Boeing to open an engineering center of excellence in the Cici and Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology. This state-of-the-art facility will bring 400 high-paying jobs to the area while raising the university’s reputation as a hub of technology at the tip of the Space Triangle.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for Embry-Riddle, the aerospace industry, our future workforce, the local communities and the states of Florida and Arizona,” said Dr. Butler. “Our total economic impact in both Arizona and Florida continues to grow at an incredible rate.”

Celebrating Key Achievements and Looking to the Future

Dr. Butler also stressed that collaboration and teamwork have been and will continue to be essential for advancing the university’s goals across the five key pillars that make up the university’s strategic plan.

The Student Experience

“We have seen tremendous potential for student success as they participate in extracurricular opportunities,” said Dr. Butler, noting that engaging in industry-related activities outside the classroom adds to the prestige of an Embry-Riddle degree.

Notable student accomplishments over the past year include:

• Embry‑Riddle’s EagleCam team — which designed and built a CubeSat that, earlier this year, became the first student project ever to land on the moon — received nationwide attention for their efforts.
• The Aviation Cyber Initiative — Capture the Flag Contest, a two-day event hosted at Embry‑Riddle’s Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS), provided student recruitment opportunities, demonstrations, poster sessions and technical briefings designed to strengthen students’ skills in combating cyber threats to aviation operations.
• The LLAMAS — Literally Looking at More Astronauts in Space – project will soon launch aboard the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. The LLAMAS camera project is the product of a collaboration with alumnus Jared Isaacman, who helmed SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission, the first privately crewed spaceflight, with fellow alumnus and crewmember Chris Sembroski.

Importantly, Embry-Riddle military graduates continue to thrive and experience remarkable success. In fact, over 170 alumni have reached the rank of general or admiral. Well over half of Embry-Riddle Worldwide students are active military members or veterans.

And the university continues to support and celebrate scholar-athletes. Many Embry-Riddle athletes go on to high-profile jobs in aviation or engineering, and over half of the university’s scholar-athletes achieve a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

Moving forward, Embry-Riddle is committed to reinforcing essential student skills that are aligned with the university’s curriculum while understanding industry trends within educational programs. “We must continue to focus on retention as it relates to student success and pursue opportunities to support our students with out-of-the-box activities that will expose them to careers in a wide variety of aviation-related industries,” said Dr. Butler.

Enrollment Management

Embry-Riddle’s enrollment remains robust overall. The university’s two residential campuses currently serve nearly 12,000 enrolled students, including over 600 active military or student veterans. And over 22,000 students are enrolled in the Embry-Riddle Worldwide campus.

“We’ve seen growth not only of enrollment numbers but of our academic profile as well,” said Dr. Butler.

As the university embarks on a new academic year, enrollment teams are focused on data-driven retention and admissions.

“We want to gather as much information and knowledge about prospective students to ensure both the success of the students as well as overall success of the university,” said Dr. Butler. “We are also focused on graduate enrollment in areas such as aerospace business, air traffic management programs and aviation maintenance science — where demand is outpacing pilots, but enrollment across the board is not.”

Academic and Faculty Success

The university has seen nearly $73 million in grants from our new hires and has received outstanding external recognition, including the appointment of several Fulbright Scholars, National Academy of Inventors Awardees and Society Fellows.

Dr. Butler noted that Embry‑Riddle’s Asia Campus has officially relocated to a new state-of-the-art training center at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore. “This development solidifies Embry‑Riddle's commitment to Singapore's aviation/aerospace ecosystem and significantly expands its educational and training offerings,” said Dr. Butler.

Looking toward the coming year, the university will focus on academic support initiatives while identifying any outstanding achievement gaps by looking at enrollment and industry demand as well as strengthening cross-campus activities, including with the Singapore campus. Embry-Riddle will also continue to focus on growing industry and agency partnerships through initiatives such as industry advisory boards and internship opportunities with organizations like the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Research and Innovation

Embry-Riddle has enjoyed a year of sustained growth with approximately $58.7 million in research funding and has garnered global recognition for programs such as the university’s Symposium on Aviation and Aerospace Cyber Resiliency and the National Training Aircraft Symposium (NTAS), which serves as a forum for aviation professionals from academia, government and industry to exchange ideas and learn about ways to address problems in the aviation industry.

At the university’s Research Park, in addition to the recent partnership with Boeing, Aura Aero Inc., a French aviation company that produces next-generation electric aircraft, is also growing its presence and expanding. The company expects to create approximately 20 new jobs in its operations at the Research Park by the end of calendar year 2024.

Added Dr. Butler, “We have made tremendous strides over the past years in terms of expanding our research and innovation. Moving forward, we will continue to strengthen our centers of excellence, growing externally funded doctoral education and external recognition.”

Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement

Over the past decade, the university saw approximately $156 million in philanthropic funds, and in the past year, Embry-Riddle has raised approximately $28 million from 4,000 donors, which represents a significant increase in funding.

In the upcoming year, the university will be officially launching a campaign to raise $200 million for the institution focused in four areas — scholarships, research, faculty support and experiential learning — and launching an alumni hall of fame.

Key Takeaways

While Embry-Riddle has made great strides in year one of its strategic plan and is on an upward trajectory, Dr. Butler cautioned faculty, staff and university leadership to avoid complacency. “We all have a role in student success that will ultimately lead to university success,” he said.

He ended the State of the University message with three key areas for attention and focus:

• Continue to be the global leader in aerospace higher education.
• Pay personal attention to student success.
• Continue to be respected for the university’s commitment to research and innovation with attention on advancing trends in aerospace, aviation and higher education.

Embry-Riddle is steadfast in its mission to teach the science, practice and business of aviation and aerospace, as well as its vision to be the unquestioned leader in innovation and excellence in aerospace education and research. “We’re all part of a shared vision and mission,” Dr. Butler said. “We are collaborators in moving toward what we have defined as success.”

Posted In: Institutional News