CARBONDALE - Southern Illinois students interested in aviation technology may soon have a new path to education made available.

A proposed partnership between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Shawnee Community College would allow students the opportunity for dual-enrollment and open a new joint facility at the Cairo Regional Airport.

Paul Sarvela, dean of SIUC's College of Applied Sciences and Art, said the program would allow aviation technology students to take general education courses at Shawnee while simultaneously completing courses through SIUC.

"They'll be gradually introduced to the program and meet the faculty along the way," Sarvela said, adding this early interaction with department faculty may help improve the college's full-time undergraduate recruitment and retention efforts.

Under the proposed system, students would pay Shawnee's per-credit-hour tuition price for classes through the community college and SIUC's price for classes through the university, Sarvela said. This would also lock students into a four-year tuition rate for SIUC.

"The minute they become Shawnee students, they become SIUC students," said SIU President Glenn Poshard. "This is one of those cutting-edge programs we see as a win-win for the community and the two colleges."

In addition to coordinating coursework, the program may also lead to the creation of a Shawnee Community College extension center at the Cairo Regional Airport that SIUC students would also be able to use, said Larry Peterson, president of Shawnee Community College.

The Cairo center may also be a way to attract businesses to Southern Illinois, Peterson said.

"Right now, a large percentage of aviation technology is being farmed out to Latin America," he said, adding that businesses could instead be encouraged to have maintenance done locally.

Officials said the dual-enrollment partnership may begin in the fall of 2009, and Peterson hopes to see the Cairo project become a reality within three to five years.