Students learn about the business of flying

It was summer camp without the canoes. But not to worry. The teenagers attending the Westminster College aviation camp had airplanes instead.

The weeklong camp held on the Westminster campus this summer included trips to the college's flight center adjacent to Salt Lake International Airport to learn more about the potential for careers in aviation. The center has 15 planes, including one multi-engine craft, that support the school's aviation program year-round.

And while one group of campers was up in the air, another was involved in some very down-to-earth study of the stock market. They could save the "Bassis Bucks" (named for Westminster president Michael Bassis) that they earned through participation to build an investment portfolio. Or, like many would-be investors, they could spend their bucks on immediate treats instead.

"Some of them prefer to buy songs on the radio, toys, souvenirs and other items rather than hold onto their bucks," said Ryan G. Hessenthaler, coordinator for the Center for Financial Analysis, who had been leading the students through the intricacies of the stock market. That's a genuine case of camp imitating life, he said.

"We've been checking out the stocks, learning how to invest and to understand general market terms," said Annika Van Hove, Sandy, a student at Juan Diego High School. Since the Bassis Bucks come in large denominations — how about a $50,000 bill, for instance — the students knew not only how it felt to be "rich," but how it felt when they lose it all in one bad market move.

"The camp is a chance for these students to get in touch with themselves and to find what it is they want to do," said Aric Krause, dean of the Westminster business school. The school is housed in the new Bill and Vieve Gore Center for Business, Aviation and Entrepreneurship. An electronic "ticker tape" that circulates the lobby sports the names of the camp participants during the week, along with the very latest stock quotes.

The Gore center is one of the most technologically rich education facilities west of the Mississippi, Westminster officials say. And it includes several flight simulators that give aviation students a taste of flying before they climb into a cockpit, as well as all the accoutrements to enrich a business or finance education.

The aviation group heard a panel of pilots who encouraged them to follow their aviation dreams if that's what they want to do. And the jobs available in the industry are many. "We need pilots, navigators, traffic controllers, battle managers, maintenance, communications, missile experts" and many more, Col. Tim Martin, head of the University of Utah ROTC program, said.