Message From the Chairman

Mori Hosseini

Mori Hosseini
Chairman of the Board

Dear Fellow Eagles,

As we look forward to launching Embry-Riddle’s centennial celebration, I’m pleased to share with you some of our accomplishments over the past year. Your support made a tremendous impact in 2024, and your encouragement and patronage will continue to elevate our university community.

Investing in Embry-Riddle’s Future

We are investing across our campuses to enhance students’ long-term success, foster partnerships to better our communities, and grow an innovation ecosystem centered around aviation and aerospace. Strategic investments are supporting these endeavors:

  • A contemporary residence hall and a dramatically modernized student union at the Prescott, Arizona, campus are under construction. These will serve as cornerstones of a redesigned quadrangle.
  • At the Daytona Beach, Florida, campus, we are preparing to debut the new Boeing Engineering Center of Excellence within the Cici & Hyatt Brown Center for Aerospace Technology in the Research Park. This will bring hundreds of high-paying jobs to the area.
  • A cutting-edge facility in Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park is now the new home of Worldwide’s expanding Asia Campus.

Top Ranks, Valuable Degrees

Embry-Riddle’s top rankings in surveys of the best colleges and universities reflect the value of our degrees and the exceptional student experience across our campuses. Highlights over the past year include:

  • In the latest "U.S. News & World Report," our residential campuses hold nine top-five rankings, including for overall quality, innovation, and being among the top five for veterans.
  • Our Aerospace Engineering program is among the nation’s elite engineering education offerings, claiming the No. 5 spot nationwide among doctoral-granting schools and the No. 1 spot among schools without doctoral programs.
  • The Worldwide Campus is ranked No. 1 for online undergraduate degree programs among private institutions.

Strong Financial Performance

Defying trends in higher education, Embry-Riddle’s finances have shown a decade of growth and progress. We have earmarked $33 million in investments for our 2023-2028 strategic plan.

Reaching for the Stars

Our alumni are pushing the boundaries of space exploration, and our students are collaborating closely with them to make history. EagleCam, launched aboard the Nova-C Lunar Lander last February, became the first student-built project to reach the moon. This opportunity was made possible by Steve Altemus (’87), president and CEO of Intuitive Machines. Jared Isaacman (’11) recently performed a historic first: a commercial spacewalk during the Polaris Dawn Mission. The mission also included a multicamera system engineered by our students, a product of a collaboration with Isaacman and SpaceX. 

New Trustees

In 2024, we welcomed three renowned trustees: Leanne Caret, a longtime CEO and Fortune 100 director; Kenn Ricci, principal of Directional Aviation Capital and chairman of Flexjet; and Steve Varsano (’77), founder of The Jet Business.

World-Class Educators

Our faculty engage with and support students from their time as undergraduates to the doctoral level. This past year, faculty have earned $58.7 million in research support, a record for the university, and 28 have been named fellows in professional groups.

A Wellspring of Innovation

Our Centers of Excellence are fostering industry partnerships and cutting-edge interdisciplinary work.

  • The annual summit by the Center for Aerospace Resilient Systems (CARS) connects experts across the globe who are tackling aviation cybersecurity.
  • After opening its new facility and holding its first symposium in 2024, The Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety has been named a prestigious 2025 Aviation Week Laureate.
  • The Research Park continues to attract a spectrum of companies, from powerhouses like Boeing to the electrical aircraft startup Aura Aero, which recently announced a groundbreaking strategic investment in the local community.

The Best and the Brightest

Thanks to the quality of our facilities, the expertise of our faculty, and the excellence of our programs, Embry-Riddle draws top-tier students who excel academically and distinguish themselves in elite competitions. From a field of nearly 100 university teams at the 2024 AIAA Design/Build/Fly competition, our Eagles placed No. 1.

From Life-Changing Education to Incredible Careers

We are committed to increasing scholarships to help more outstanding students take advantage of life-changing opportunities at Embry-Riddle.

In a fast-evolving job market, our degrees matter. Within a year of graduation, 95 percent of our graduates are employed, building their careers at industry-leading companies, or continuing their education. They are also earning prestigious internships, such as with the National Transportation Safety Board, and are poised to become the next generation of leaders in science, engineering, industry, and government.

Your generosity directly impacts their success and is crucial to Embry-Riddle’s future. As we prepare for another successful year and Embry-Riddle’s centennial celebration, please consider donating at givingto.erau.edu/give.

On behalf of the Embry-Riddle Board of Trustees, thank you for your heartfelt support. Forough and I wish all of you a healthy and happy New Year.

Sincerely,

Mori Hosseini
Honorary Doctorate ’13, MBA ’82, BS ’79

Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Chairman & CEO, ICI Homes