MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s partnership with the Commonwealth of the Bahamas for aerospace training and education took flight with the recent visit by the 700-island nation’s minister of energy, utilities and aviation to the Murfreesboro campus.

The Honorable JoBeth Coleby-Davis, whose portfolio in the government of Bahamian Prime Minister Phillip Davis now includes aviation, led a delegation of government and education officials from her country to launch an initiative with MTSU called PEARL, which stands for Partnership in Education Excellence, Aviation Research and Leadership.

Prime Minister Davis’s government is investing in expanding and enhancing the commonwealth’s aviation infrastructure, including additional airports. The PEARL Initiative would build a pipeline of future Bahamian aerospace professionals, trained by MTSU and the University of The Bahamas, as pilots, aviation maintenance specialists, flight dispatchers and airport facility managers.

Coleby-Davis and MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee amended the 2025 partnership document between the Bahamas and MTSU to include details on the PEARL Initiative. PEARL is expected to take off next summer with the first-ever residential program on the MTSU campus for Bahamian high school students interested in Aerospace careers.

“This is actually the second year that we’ve been having some very serious conversations with the Ministry of Aviation in putting together a program and a collaboration that would give MTSU and the ministry an opportunity to develop a world-class partnership in helping the Commonwealth of the Bahamas provide the workforce for that industry,” said McPhee, a native of the Bahamas. 

“We also signed an agreement with the University of the Bahamas a few months ago to develop this partnership across the board. And the past day or two, we have been working on solidifying those initiatives.”

The partnership will include dual credit and dual enrollment opportunities for Bahamian students at the university and pre-university levels; access to MTSU online courses for Bahamian university students year-round; MTSU faculty-led cohort travels to the Bahamas for short-format courses co-taught by Bahamian faculty; and exposure for the Bahamian students to the full spectrum of aerospace disciplines and pathways to formal degree enrollment at MTSU. 

Added Coleby-Davis: “Today, we take a significant step towards securing the future of aviation in the Bahamas. By signing this amended memorandum of understanding with Middle Tennessee State University, we are not simply signing a document; we are signing a commitment to our people — to our young Bahamians who dream of becoming pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers, and aviation leaders who will continue to propel the Bahamas as the regional leaders in aviation.”

Watch the signing ceremony below:

Before leaving late last Friday, Aug. 14, the delegation also toured MTSU Aerospace facilities, met with leaders of Nashville’s international airport and checked on Bahamian students already enrolled in flight training at the university.

At Nashville International Airport, the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority and its President and CEO Doug Kreulen welcomed the Bahamas delegation for a visit focused on the continued growth and expanding partnerships. McPhee accompanied the delegation on the visit.

With 20 full-time faculty members, 100+ flight instructors, and over 1,400 students, MTSU Aerospace is among the largest of the nation’s collegiate aviation programs. 

MTSU’s total aerospace enrollment, including all seven undergraduate concentrations and three graduate concentrations, makes up about 6% of the university’s total student population. Students from 32 states and 16 foreign countries are enrolled in the program.

— Andrew Oppmann ([email protected]), Jimmy Hart ([email protected])