News

VA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR NEW GI BILL

Starting May 1, 2009, the Department of Veterans Affairs will begin accepting applications for the Post-9/11 GI Bill.  The application form is available online. 

The form requires that individuals currently eligible for another education benefit make an irrevocable election from their existing program to the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Typically individuals who are eligible for more than one benefit may use a combined total of 48 months of entitlement.  Therefore, for those individuals eligible for the Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB) program, please be advised that if you have entitlement remaining under the MGIB, the number of months of Post-9/11 GI Bill entitlement you will be eligible for will be equal to the number of months remaining under MGIB.  However, if you exhaust all of your MGIB entitlement, then you may be entitled to a maximum of 12 additional months of entitlement under the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Starting May 1, 2009 VA will begin processing applications for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits and  you will receive a letter explaining VA’s decision regarding your eligibility for the program.  Payments for the Post-9/11 GI Bill will not be processed until August 1, 2009.

 http://www.gibill.va.gov/ or call the VA toll-free number 1-888-GI-BILL-1 (1-888-442-4551) to speak with a Veterans Benefits Counselor.

Oregon Institute of Technology has entered into a unique aviation partnership with Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Ore. COCC has blended their two-year aviation degree with fixed-wing (airplane) pilot training offered by Professional Air, and rotary-wing (helicopter) pilot training offered by Leading Edge Aviation, both located at the Bend Municipal Airport.

With the addition of OIT to this partnership, participating students have the option to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from OIT in addition to an associate degree in Aviation Science from COCC.  Students will be able to complete the associate degree, professional pilot licensure/certification and bachelor’s degree on the COCC campus in Bend and at the Bend Municipal Airport.

Students may choose from the following Federal Aviation Administration airplane or helicopter certificates:

• Private Pilot; Airplane single and multiengine land, airplane single sea, and/or rotorcraft-helicopter
• Commercial Pilot; Airplane single and multiengine land, airplane single sea, and/or rotorcraft-helicopter
• Instrument Rating; airplane and/or helicopter
• Certified Flight Instructor (CFI); airplane and/or helicopter
• Certified Flight Instrument Instructor (CFII); airplane and/or helicopter

Flight simulator training is conducted using “glass cockpit” technologies which offer easily readable graphical views of key flight indicators such as altitude display and mach speed. FAA approved flight simulators are also used in training.

Graduates of the Operations Management bachelor’s degree program are fully prepared for a career in aviation, including the airlines and helicopter operations in areas such as fire fighting and oil exploration. 

Contact John O. Miller, aviation program director at COCC, for more information about the AAS/AS degree at COCC by telephone at 541-318-3736 or e-mail jomiller@cocc.edu. For more information about COCC, visit www.cocc.edu.

Contact Ralph Gibbs, assistant professor of management at OIT, or Charlie Jones, professor of management at OIT, for more information about the bachelor’s degree in Operations Management. Gibbs may be contacted by telephone at 541-725-5929 or via e-mail ralph.gibbs@oit.edu. Jones may be reached by telephone at 541-885-1377 or via e-mail at charlie.jones@oit.edu. For more information about OIT, visit www.oit.edu.