Western Michigan University Announces 2025 Appointment of its College of Aviation’s Former Flight Ops Director as the New President

Michigan, USA – Western Michigan University (WMU) has proudly welcomed Russ Kavalhuna, an aviation alumnus and former Executive Director of Flight Operations of the University's College of Aviation, as the new President of Western Michigan University. Kavalhuna officially began his tenure as the 10th president of the university, marking a significant milestone for both the institution and its aviation program.

• The College of Aviation is one of the largest public university aviation programs in the United States, with around 1,100 undergraduate students enrolled.
• Earlier this year, WMU expanded its training infrastructure with the addition of four Frasca TRAC20 G7 flight simulators to support its growing pilot training operations.
• In July 2023, WMU also entered a fleet renewal agreement with Cirrus Aircraft, upgrading its current 28 SR20s to 32 TRAC20 G7 aircraft to align with evolving industry training standards.

Source: Western Michigan University