A nationwide air traffic controller shortage has put new attention on a growing training option the FAA now approves for certain colleges. Middle Georgia State University is one of the few schools offering the Enhanced AT-CTI pathway, which gives students another route into air traffic control careers as the FAA works to rebuild its workforce.

The recent federal government shutdown highlighted how thin staffing has become, especially as delays and reroutes stacked up across the country. The FAA says it wants to hire at least 8,900 new controllers by 2028. According to FAA workforce data analyzed by USAFacts, about 3,000 controller positions were vacant nationwide as of late 2024 — though not every facility is equally understaffed.

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That shortage is driving interest in a newer FAA-approved college pathway designed to streamline controller training at a small group of universities — including Middle Georgia State. The Enhanced AT-CTI program allows students to train to the same standard as the FAA Academy, and if hired and meeting FAA requirements such as passing the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA), medical and security clearances, they can go directly to a facility instead of completing the full academy in Oklahoma City, which can involve long waitlists and multi-month courses.

Graduates still undergo facility-specific training and must be certified on-the-job before becoming full controllers.

Only about nine schools nationwide have been approved to offer the new Enhanced AT-CTI program as of 2025, according to Kemarie Jeffers, the department chair of aviation science and management at Middle Georgia State.

Inside Middle Georgia State’s tower simulator, air traffic control student Brooke Graffagnino says the job’s intensity is what drew her in. "It kind of gets your chest beating, because with how much traffic there is, sometimes it is intense," she said.

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She says students quickly find out whether they’re suited for the job. "You can kind of tell who does not [love it]. There have been quite a few, and they are no longer here. It takes a lot to get through it," she said.

Graffagnino says the importance of the work became clearer as she learned how controllers keep busy airspace organized. "Once you get in the airspace that is super crowded or approaching the larger airports like Atlanta, you need someone to help coordinate and keep everything separate and safe," she said.

Middle Georgia State was approved as an Enhanced AT-CTI school in mid-2024. Jeffers says the impact was immediate. "Before our program had maybe about 17 to 20 students. Right now we have 54. So we have already, in that short amount of time, almost tripled in size the amount of students that we have," he said.

To earn the enhanced designation, Jeffers said the school had to update its curriculum, overhaul parts of its simulator setup, and install new audio and video systems. "We’ve upgraded a lot of our equipment… we had to install audio and video equipment upstairs in our tower sim," he said. Those upgrades allow the FAA to remotely review or spot-check training sessions and ensure they meet federal standards.

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The program’s biggest distinction is what happens after graduation. "Enhanced CTI eliminates your requirement of going to the academy. You will graduate here and you can go straight to work," Jeffers said. "So it saves you time and effort — again, it gets you to work sooner and making money quicker."

The FAA requires enhanced programs to employ instructors with controller experience and maintain simulator equipment comparable to FAA standards.

As students advance, the simulations become more complex, requiring trainees to manage more aircraft at once. "As we get more comfortable and confident, we are able to allow more aircraft into the airspace at a time," Graffagnino said.

Before finishing the program, every student must pass a final simulation that mirrors the FAA Academy’s evaluation process. "Our instructors will then run a scenario and they will be graded… the exact same way in which they will be graded at the academy," Jeffers said.

According to the FAA’s FY 2025 Air Traffic Controller Workforce Plan, the agency anticipates about 2,000 hires in FY 2025, 2,200 in FY 2026, and incremental increases through 2028, though retirements are expected to offset much of that growth.

The Los Angeles Rams and MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford just keep winning, as they took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-7 on "Sunday Night Football."

The Rams have won six straight games and continue to lead the NFC West with a 9-2 record. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers fell to 6-5, tying them with the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South lead.

This game was as lopsided as it gets for a primetime matchup between playoff hopefuls, and much of that had to do with how confident and poised Stafford has been in his 17th NFL season.

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Stafford added three more touchdown passes to his league-leading total, giving him 30 on the year with only two interceptions. And the man who has enjoyed a resurgence in his own right, Davante Adams, continued to be his go-to target in the red zone.

Adams secured two touchdowns for the Rams, including the game’s opening score that capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive with a beautifully thrown fade from Stafford.

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Then, after Baker Mayfield threw a pick-six on the following drive for the Buccaneers, Stafford came right back out to start the second quarter with a five-yard strike to tight end Colby Parkinson, blowing the game open at 21-0.

Needing a touchdown, Mayfield found Tez Johnson for a 14-yard score on the ensuing drive to cut into the Rams’ lead. But Stafford needed only four plays to go 65 yards and connect with Adams again, this time on a perfect 24-yard touch pass.

Adams finished the game with 62 yards on five catches, while Puka Nacua led Los Angeles with 97 yards on seven receptions.

During the Buccaneers’ touchdown drive, Mayfield scrambled for seven yards on third-and-6, lowering his shoulder into two Rams defenders to move the chains. It proved costly for the aggressive signal-caller, as he suffered a left shoulder injury that eventually forced him out of the game.

The injury appeared to bother Mayfield when he tried to heave a Hail Mary at the end of the first half. He went down on one knee with his left arm motionless before eventually heading to the locker room.

When Tampa Bay came out for the second half, backup Teddy Bridgewater took over for the injured Mayfield, who was ruled out and stood on the sideline in street clothes. It’s unclear what exactly Mayfield is dealing with, but given his history of playing through injuries, this is clearly something he couldn’t power through — and it could be cause for concern moving forward.

Bridgewater was unable to mount a comeback as the Buccaneers struggled against a dominant Rams defense. Bridgewater went 8-for-15 for 62 yards and took two sacks, while Mayfield was 9-of-19 for 41 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, one coming on that Hail Mary attempt.

As a team, the Buccaneers managed just 193 yards of offense to the Rams’ 333, but that’s been the story of late for this surging Los Angeles squad.

At 9-2, the Rams hold the best record in the NFC, proving they are a legitimate force heading into the final stretch of the 2025 regular season.

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