MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Almost 60 Civil Air Patrol cadets from 31 states were selected to attend this year’s CAP National Cadet Engineering Technology Academy hosted and organized by Middle Tennessee State University’s colleges of Basic and Applied Sciences and Behavioral and Health Sciences, featuring majors ranging from aerospace to public health and mechatronics to criminal justice.
Fifty-four cadets, selected by CAP for the MTSU academy through a competitive application process, took part in classroom lectures, academic projects, hands-on learning and computer simulations during activities by the two science colleges, as well as supplemental opportunities provided by the Scott Borchetta College of Media and Entertainment and the College of Education.
“The state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding faculty create exceptional learning experiences for the cadets,” said Missouri Wing’s Maj. Christina Ragain, director of the academy and lead for the 14 adults who guided the cadet activity. “Each year, the (James E. Walker Library) MakerSpace projects, aviation simulations, BAJA rovers, and meeting (retired) Lt. Gen. (Keith) Huber are highlights of the week.”
Activities during the academy covered aerospace, agriculture, engineering technology, physics and astronomy, concrete and construction management, horse science, biology, chemistry, military science and mechatronics in Basic and Applied Sciences; fashion studies, social work, criminal justice, public health, physician assistant studies, athletics training and exercise science in Behavioral and Health Sciences.
Andrew Oppmann, MTSU’s vice president for marketing and communications and a CAP lieutenant colonel, urged cadets to take full advantage of the educational opportunities faculty crafted for the week.
“We at MTSU are honored to welcome you to our campus and congratulate you in your selection in this very selective academy,” Oppmann, a member of CAP’s Board of Governors, said during opening ceremonies.
Cadets also learned about the recording industry in Media and Entertainment and used the television production studio shared by MTSU’s True Blue TV in the College of Education’s Center for Educational Media for video interviews. Also, Huber, the university’s senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, conducted a leadership seminar for the cadets.
“The MTSU faculty has carefully curated every facet of this week to ensure that cadets not only learn about engineering but also experience the full scope of opportunities MTSU has to offer,” said Cadet Lt. Col. Ava Zendejas of Washington Wing, the academy’s cadet commander.
CAP’s national commander and CEO, Maj. Gen. Regena Aye thanked MTSU for hosting the annual event, acknowledging that the university was also deployed that same week to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for EAA AirVenture, the world’s largest aviation experience.
“Such a joy to get to speak about the great work that Middle Tennessee State University does, and our partnership with them, which is very impactful in the lives of our cadets,” Aye told Flying Magazine during an interview at the 2026 EAA AirVenture.
“We have about 60 cadets there now, learning about the aviation career field,” she added. “And when you are on a college campus, and you get to experience what college students get to see and do on a daily basis, that inspires you to see yourself in that environment.”
Civil Air Patrol, founded in 1941 just before the start of America’s involvement in World War II, has more than 60,000 volunteer members. Congress chartered the organization to support the Air Force, and it is best known for its aerial search-and-rescue missions; cadet program for youths ages 12 through 18; and commitment to aerospace education.
MTSU and CAP have been partners in aerospace education for cadets since 2014 and have hosted the academy since 2017. The two entities first partnered from 1948 to 1953, when CAP’s Middle Tennessee State College Squadron was organized by students taking flight training at the on-campus airport.
Ragain said CAP was already looking ahead to coming back to campus for next year’s academy. “We look forward to continuing to work with MTSU into the future,” she said.
