< Previous50 UNIVERSITY NEWS AUBURNTIGERS.COM Auburn University has been soaring to new heights since it began offering avia- tion administration courses in the 1920s. The university purchased the local air- port in 1939 to train pilots for World War II. After the war, flight instruction continued and has evolved into one of the longest continually operated flight programs in the country. Today, the School of Aviation in the College of Liberal Arts offers undergrad- uate degrees in aviation management and professional flight, with a proud alumni network of more than 4,000. In collaboration with the Horst Schulze School of Hospitality Management in the College of Human Sciences, the school also offers an undergraduate certificate in aviation hospitality management. Instruction and flight training come from a highly accomplished and diverse team, including former U.S. Navy flight offi- cers Willie D. Billingslea and David Tidwell; former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Rebecca Baughman; Kim Wade, the former director of operations at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jack- son International Airport; and Jill Glidewell, who spent more than 40 years flying with the Air Force and Delta Air Lines. Recently named director of flight ed- ucation, retired Air Force colonel David Bottomlee brings more than 100 combat missions and thousands of hours of fight- er jet instruction to the Plains. While Auburn Aviation does produce skilled pilots, its mission goes far beyond the cockpit. As its former director James Witte once said, “We don’t train pilots here, we train aviators. We’re training people who go into the cockpit who are cognizant of the industry and of the forces that make an industry successful.” The professional flight major provides extensive flight training and certifications, while aviation management focuses on the business and operational aspects of the industry. Both tracks can lead to diverse careers in aviation and remain popular among students, with more than 1,000 currently enrolled. Notably, the number of female students has exceeded the national aver- age for more than a decade, and today, it’s three times higher. In 2017, as the university commemorat- ed 125 years of women at Auburn, it had its first entry in the Air Race Classic — an an- nual cross-country event for female pilots. Auburn teams have competed every year since. All students benefit from a vibrant aviation community, with organizations such as the War Eagle Flying Team, Striped Wings Student Ambassadors, Women in Aviation and the Aviatrix- es College Wing of The Alabama 99s Chapter of The Ninety-Nines. Home Field Advantage The Auburn University Regional Air- port has grown into a bustling hub of avi- ation activity, fueled by the rising number of student pilots and fleets of private and non-commercial aircraft. To accommodate increased traffic — in the air and on the ground — the airport has expanded its facilities, adding hangars and a new terminal building and lengthening runways. Construction of a new air traffic control tower begins this fall. “When you have 95,000 flying oper- ations a year, it gets to be a very busy fly- ing environment,” said Bill Hutto, airport director, “and the tower will allow us to sequence and space the aircraft properly.” Support from Delta Air Lines, The Del- ta Air Lines Foundation and the Jacob- son Family Foundation resulted in a $6.2 million grant that established endowed professorships and funded the Delta Air Lines Aviation Education Building — Au- burn’s first facility dedicated solely to avi- ation education. Since 2019, students have trained in the 23,000-square-foot building, which features enhanced classrooms, debrief- ing rooms and flight simulators, includ- ing an Airbus 320 commercial airline simulator. Auburn maintains strong industry ties through pilot recruitment programs at Delta, Southwest Airlines and United Air- lines, offering students hands-on training and career opportunities while helping address the nationwide pilot shortage. A partnership with Southern Union State Community College aims to tackle the aviation mechanic shortage. A new- ly constructed hangar near the Delta building will support the community col- lege’s Airframe and Powerplant School, expanding Auburn’s impact on aviation education for Auburn and Southern Union students. UNIVERSITY NEWS BY: AMY WEAVER AUBURN AVIATION: A LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION Auburn Aviation has enrolled above the national average of female students for over a decade. Professional flight is a popular degree, as is aviation management, which focuses on the business and operations of the industry.52 MEET THE COACHES AUBURNTIGERS.COM Auburn safeties coach T.J. Rush- ing has been where every player he coaches wants to go: the winning Super Bowl locker room. “Winning it is hard to put into words,” said Rushing, who earned a Super Bowl ring as a rookie with the Indianapolis Colts at the end of the 2006 season. “It’s what you dream about as a little kid. For that to happen, it’s like wow. You can’t believe it. It’s thrilling.” A five-year NFL veteran, Rushing carried those lessons into his coaching career. “You got to see what being on a great team is about,” he said. “The leaders working the hardest, being in the build- ing the latest and expecting everybody to meet them. The standard is here. Let’s all meet it. If we all meet it, we can ac- complish great things. That’s what we were able to do.” Drafted in the seventh round in 2006 after starring at Stanford as a cornerback and kick returner, Rushing still shares the Cardinal record with three kickoff returns for touchdowns, experience he’s happy to share with Auburn’s return specialists. “We’ve got a lot of elite athletes out there,” Rushing said. “It’s about fielding the football and letting your God-given ability take over. Everybody has to buy in to say this guy is special enough that if we do our job, he can score. As soon as you get that buy-in from everybody else, the returner is going to do what he natu- rally is born to do.” After serving as an assistant to Au- burn head coach Hugh Freeze last sea- son, Rushing earned a promotion to safeties coach in January. “You came last year, got to see what coach Freeze and coach Durkin had in place,” Rushing said. “You want to help support, encourage and keep it going in the right direction because I think this program is trending in the right direc- tion. I want to lend a helping hand, get going with some energy, enthusiasm and passion for the game.” Rushing and Auburn defensive coor- dinator DJ Durkin worked together pre- viously for two seasons at Texas A&M, re- uniting the “DJ & TJ Show” on the Plains. “Attention to detail,” Rushing said of Durkin’s strengths. “Very passionate, gets the kids going, gets them playing for him and our staff. He builds a staff ca- maraderie. You go into our D staff room, everybody’s locked arm in arm, speak- ing the same message, trying to get the same message across. “I think the kids feel that, and they want to play hard for us. We play an elite, solid defense, attacking style. He’s very passionate about what he does.” Rushing brings his own passion to Auburn’s safeties room, a unit that fea- tures talented veterans such as Ka- leb Harris, Champ Anthony, Jahquez Robinson, Sylvester Smith and Kens- ley Louidor-Faustin, transfers Jacoby Mathews and Taye Seymore, and fresh- men AnQuon Fegans and Eric Winters. “Maximize their potential on and off the football field,” Rushing said. “That’s what you hope for, that they grow. And that on the football field, we’re a dom- inant force that shows up in the run game, violently tackles and that when the ball’s in the air, we come down with it. We’re ballhawks also. “We’re that hybrid position. We get everybody lined up. We get the defense set on the third level, and we make sure everybody’s doing their job and doing it to a very high standard.” From his hometown of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, population 6,000, Rushing headed west to Palo Alto, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, population 7.5 million. “Definitely an eye-opening experi- ence,” Rushing said. “Going from small- town Oklahoma to Stanford in the Bay Area. It was a great transition, great col- lege career.” T.J. and his wife, Taylor, are the par- ents of a teenage daughter and two preteen sons. In his X bio, “Family Man” comes before “Ball Coach.” “That’s my joy,” Rushing said. “If you know me, you know that’s what I’m all about.” AUBURN SAFETIES COACH T.J. RUSHING BY: JEFF SHEARER54 2025 STADIUM MAP 2025 STADIUM MAP AUBURNTIGERS.COMThe Medical School making a difference in our community EVERY DAY ©2025 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. All rights reserved. Please go to www.vcom.edu/outcomes for a copy of our outcomes report. At the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) in Auburn, Alabama our mission is to train future physicians who are community-focused and ready to make a difference. That starts right here at home. Over the last 20 years, VCOM students and alumni have made great improvements to healthcare in southern Appalachia, but there is still work to be done. We’re inviting you to join us in this mission and make a difference for our community. 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