The Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Creativity in the Madden College of Business and Economics has secured a three-year, $600,000 partnership with Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR®). The goal of the partnership is to establish a drone training curriculum centered on the technical mastery of unmanned aircraft systems and their application for positive change.
By joining forces with NUAIR, the Keenan Center will be at the forefront of this pioneering field, providing a rich educational experience that balances skill acquisition with ethical considerations. This partnership will enable students to be at the cutting edge of drone technology applications, focusing on innovation while fostering the greater good.
“The opportunities in the uncrewed aircraft field are endless – from pilots to engineers, first responders to utility inspectors, innovators to business owners,” said NUAIR President and CEO Ken Stewart. “NUAIR is thankful to be able to multiply its investment from Empire State Development to drive economic and workforce development in the upstate New York community through the Keenan Center and its students.”
“This partnership aligns with Le Moyne's dedication to service and innovation to benefit society and will allow Le Moyne students, faculty and the broader community to engage with and benefit from groundbreaking projects and initiatives,” said Doug Hill, director of The Maker Institute in the Keenan Center. “It is rooted in the ethos of our Jesuit tradition, emphasizing the peaceful use of drone technology for societal benefit.”
The Keenan Center’s comprehensive non-credit program empowers students with the knowledge to use drone technology to enhance public safety, support environmental sustainability, assist in humanitarian efforts, and contribute to other initiatives that safeguard and enrich communities. The collaboration will also identify shared opportunities that may yield potential revenue streams and foster economic development.
About NUAIR®
NUAIR defines, integrates, and enables the future of traditional and uncrewed aviation, so commercial and government organizations can excel at what is Next. With practical guidance from inception to launch, and launch to expansion, NUAIR navigates and defines complex regulations and drives concrete, repeatable results for success that scales. And at the center of a connected ecosystem in aviation technology, NUAIR accelerates Advanced Air Mobility from theory to reality.
About the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity
The Keenan Center is focused on integrating an entrepreneurial mindset into curriculum and business practices across Central New York. Named for Tim and Kathleen ’81 (Fehlan) Keenan, it seeks to advance the economy by utilizing personal enterprise to promote economic development and combat poverty. The center elevates the profile of both Le Moyne College and the Madden College of Business and Economics in the regional and global marketplace, and plays a critical role in the upstate New York entrepreneurial ecosystem.