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Photo by Enan Chediak, The Times-Picayune Nunez Community College staff react to the successful launch of the Artemis II mission during a watch party in the STCCC on the Nunez campus. Graduates of Nunez’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program played a part in assembling the wiring and electrical systems in the SLS rocket used for the mission.
Nunez Community College in Chalmette harnessed some of the rocket power of NASA’s Artemis II mission to lobby for a new or retrofitted Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Building on the Nunez campus. The legislative session proved successful, with Nunez ultimately receiving $4 Million in dedicated funds in support of expanding the aerospace, welding and manufacturing programs ($3M) and campus operations ($1M). This growth happens in tandem with the current Louisiana Economic Development investments in the Aerospace field. Since its inception in 2018, Nunez’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program has awarded more than 300 credentials, with program graduates moving on to work at Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Vivace, Blue Origin and other prestigious aerospace leaders.
In order to expand the pipeline of engineers and technicians flowing from Nunez to the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, and the larger aerospace industry, Nunez has embarked on a mission to raise $9 million to build a new Aerospace building or retrofit the existing building. The facility would be multi-use, housing other high-tech courses alongside Aerospace as part of Nunez’s MADE initiative, which will encompass Maritime, Aerospace, Defense manufacturing and Energy. While Nunez continues to secure the remaining building funds, the school has begun enhancing the parking lot in front of the building this summer.
"The incredible support and advocacy behind this funding is an investment in the future of our students, our region, and Louisiana’s growing aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors,” said Dr. Tinney, Nunez Chancellor, who sits on the National Lieutenant Governors Association’s Aerospace, Aviation & Defense Committee and recently attended the Association’s State-Federal Exchange on Aerospace in Washington D.C.
“These dedicated dollars will help Nunez expand high-demand workforce programs, strengthen our connection to industry partners, and move us closer to realizing a state-of-the-art Aerospace Manufacturing Technology facility. We are grateful to Governor Jeff Landry, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, the legislative delegation, our industry partners, and community advocates who recognize that when we invest in education and workforce development, we create opportunities that transform lives, fuel economic growth, and ensure that Louisiana remains a leader in innovation and aerospace manufacturing for generations to come.”
On the morning of May 28, to kick off St. Bernard Day at the Capitol in Baton Rouge, Nunez hosted an advocacy breakfast for a room full of influential guests, including lawmakers, industry representatives, education leaders and supporters from St. Bernard Parish, in the apartment of Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, who generously offered up his home in Baton Rouge to support Nunez’s Aerospace program. These annual advocacy events are typically held in college communities. This year’s strategic location change enhanced visibility for the only Aerospace Manufacturing Program in Louisiana and enabled the legislative delegation to see firsthand the impact Nunez is making in this field.
“Through innovative programs like the Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program at Nunez Community College, students can see firsthand how education leads to exciting careers in a growing industry that is helping power our country’s space exploration,” said Lt. Gov. Nungesser. “Louisiana has a proud history of contributing to the space program. With work on future NASA missions happening just minutes away from Nunez at the Michoud Assembly Facility, it’s inspiring to see so many young people discovering they can be the next generation of innovators, engineers, and explorers who will help shape that future.”
Hands-On History
The advocacy breakfast came just weeks after Nunez watched the hard work of its Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program pay off in real time during a ‘NASA Official’ watch party on campus for the launch of Artemis II on April 1.
Nunez had personal stakes in the success of Boeing’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, which propelled the Orion capsule and four NASA astronauts to space to begin their trip around the moon. Many graduates of Nunez’s Aerospace program have gone on to work for Boeing, and some had a hand in assembling critical components of the SLS at Michoud before the rocket was moved by barge to Cape Canaveral in Florida, where it launched.
Among the components that comprise the SLS, much of the electrical and wiring systems were assembled by Nunez graduates. To celebrate the historic contributions hand-built by Nunez alums, the Nunez community gathered in the Student Testing and Career Counseling Center on the Nunez campus to watch the live stream of the launch.
“Watching Artemis II launch and being a part of that story was an incredibly proud moment for Nunez Community College,” said Dr. Tinney. “Our Aerospace Manufacturing Technology graduates quite literally helped build the pathway to the moon, and this launch is a powerful reminder that world‑changing innovation can begin right here in St. Bernard Parish.”
80-plus guests filled the STCCC, with many wearing complimentary, specially designed Artemis II T-shirts created for the occasion. Some younger guests got into the spirit by attending in themed outfits, including one boy in a full astronaut costume. Guests enjoyed free food and giveaways and, in the final moments before launch, heard brief remarks from Dr. Tinney and Aerospace Manufacturing Technology Instructor Lloyd Norton, who highlighted his impressive Aerospace students and alumni and expressed his immense pride in the Nunez program. Dr. Tinney and members of the Nunez team led the crowd in a countdown, with the party erupting in cheers when the SLS boosters ignited and lifted the massive rocket off the pad.
“I was very excited to see the Artemis II launch, knowing that some of the workers that made this possible are my former students,” said Norton. “I wish my students and the Artemis program a long and successful relationship.”
The excitement extended well beyond campus. Multiple local television stations broadcast live from the watch party throughout the evening, spotlighting Nunez’s unique role in America’s space program and capturing the pride and anticipation in the room as launch time approached.
Join the Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program this fall at Nunez. Apply now at Nunez.edu. Classes begin Aug. 18.
