The University of North Dakota’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences has reached a historic milestone with the graduation of Anthony “A.J.” Lake, UND’s first-ever graduate of the Enhanced Air Traffic–Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program.
Lake was awarded his bachelor’s degree in Air Traffic Management at UND’s Winter Commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. But at the same time, Lake also graduated from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Enhanced AT-CTI pathway, and his achievement places UND among the earliest institutions in the country to successfully graduate a student from the FAA-approved enhanced pathway.
Robert Kraus, speaking at Winter Commencement reception in the Aerospace school’s Robin Hall, took the time to congratulate all UND Aerospace graduates, including the University’s first Enhanced AT-CTI grad.
“First, I want to say congratulations to all of our students who are graduating today in a couple of hours, and thank you for coming out to this reception where we can get to share a few more minutes with you,” Kraus said. Then he added a unique recognition:
“Today we also recognize our first graduate of the FAA Enhanced AT-CTI Program at UND.”
Unlike traditional AT-CTI graduates, students in the enhanced program who meet rigorous performance benchmarks can bypass the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, Okla., and proceed directly to air traffic control facilities for on-the-job training, Kraus noted.
Only nine schools nationwide have been approved for the FAA’s Enhanced AT-CTI pathway. The highly selective program was designed to help address the nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers by accelerating the controllers’ preparation and making full use of university-level training facilities, such UND’s 360-degree control tower simulator and 32-position radar lab.
“This is all our hard work coming realized,” said Craig Carlson, associate professor of aviation and assistant chair of UND’s Air Traffic Management program. “We built the Enhanced AT-CTI program, but we set a very high bar; and until a student successfully completed the program, we didn’t know for sure it could be done.
“So, A.J. passing the FAA’s Air Traffic Skills Assessment exam was a great accomplishment for him, and a huge weight lifted off our shoulders, too,” Carlson said. “It proved we did this right.”
A demanding program
Carlson emphasized that the enhanced program is intentionally demanding and requires exceptional commitment.
“This enhanced program is not for every student,” Carlson said. “It’s for highly motivated individuals who are willing to put in significant extra time in the labs. A.J. was the perfect student for this: he wanted to be the first, and he put in the work.”
To meet FAA standards, UND significantly remodeled its air traffic control curriculum, aligning upper-level tower courses directly with FAA Academy simulations and training requirements. The University is also expanding its simulation facilities and planning additional faculty hires in response to rapidly growing student interest in air traffic control. Enrollment in UND’s Air Traffic Management program has increased since the FAA approved UND’s Enhanced AT-CTI Program in 2024.
Lake, a native of Faribault, Minn., said the chance to enter the workforce months earlier than the traditional route motivated him to pursue the enhanced program.
“I’m saving three or four months of time, for sure,” Lake said. “It feels like a real accomplishment. I came out of it smiling — and there was a round of applause from all the associates and professors who were in the room, so that was great.”
Lake will soon receive a list of FAA tower assignments that he can choose from. He hopes to begin his career in the Upper Midwest, potentially near the Twin Cities area.
With thanks to U.S. Sen. John Hoeven
Carlson expressed his personal gratitude to Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., for the top leadership role the senator has played in moving the Enhanced AT-CTI program forward.
Hoeven, for his part, expressed his own praise for Lake and the UND program. “Congratulations to Anthony Lake on becoming UND’s first-ever Enhanced AT-CTI graduate,” Hoeven said.
“We worked to secure UND’s role in this new AT-CTI program to help address the air traffic controller shortage, and it’s gratifying to see UND’s first graduate from the program. At a time when the nation faces a critical need for highly trained ATCs, Anthony’s willingness to lead the way sets a powerful example for prospective students and helps strengthen the future of the aviation industry.”
Lake’s success is just the beginning, Carlson noted. UND expects multiple additional Enhanced AT-CTI graduates in the coming semesters, with numbers projected to grow steadily in the years ahead.
“This is going to snowball,” Carlson said. “AJ helped prove what’s possible.”