This article is part of a special series, “Just the Right Time,” featuring some of our outstanding Adult Learners.
Note: The average age of graduates in the Class of 2024 is 35. About 83 percent of the Class of 2024 — over 24,000 graduates — earned their degrees through Liberty University Online Programs. As an innovator in distance learning for 40 years, Liberty has a longstanding tradition of serving working professionals, veterans and service members, parents, and grandparents. It’s why Liberty remains one of the country’s largest online education providers.
At 81, Nicholas Schillen completed his M.S. in Aeronautics through Liberty University Online Programs in December, becoming the oldest graduate in the Class of 2024.
A U.S. Air Force veteran, Schillen’s military career stretched from 1963-87, with him rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Starting as a radar navigator and bombardier in B-52s during the Cold War, he received his pilot’s wings and flew special operations missions aboard C-47 Skytrains in Vietnam in the late 1960s before working with the Defense Intelligence Agency and being assigned as an aviation military advisor to several posts in Central America.
In civilian life, he has been an instructor for airlines, the Air Force Junior ROTC program, and at flight schools. His specialties include commercial certification and instrument-rated single and multiengine flight instruction. He launched his own flight school, MN Aviation Consultants Inc., in 2018. As owner and CEO, he provides one-on-one flight instruction to recreational pilots and those seeking professional certification. Additionally, he has provided consulting services in quality control and standardization of training procedures to several South Florida flight schools.
Schillen said he first heard about Liberty through associations in his flight school and was impressed with its military friendliness. He said pursuing his master’s degree has given him a whole new perspective on the industry.
“If you do something in your skill and your area of expertise after a while, you think you know it all. At least I did, but that’s not true,” he said. “I broadened my view of aviation. I’ve been a very hands-on, operational type of pilot, and I wasn’t familiar with many of the topics covered — aviation law, for example. I’m a history buff, so that aspect of the courses was of great interest to me.”
It had been more than 50 years since Schillen had enrolled in college, and he quickly discovered that the road to a master’s degree wasn’t going to be easy.
“Well, if anybody thinks it’s going to be a cakewalk, I tell them, ‘Don’t even try it,’” Schillen said. “It’s work, and you’ve got to put in the time and effort. If you follow the process the way Liberty does it, and you dedicate your mind to it, it will pay off.”
He said the process was extremely rewarding.
“People ask me, ‘Why would you get a master’s at this point in your career?’” Schillen said. “Completing it was a big measure of honor in and of itself. I graduated with distinction, which I never thought I could or would. But I just did my best. If I made a mistake, the instructor let me know. Their feedback was always excellent and so were their words of encouragement.”
Schillen, who said he has always lived by the Golden Rule, especially in the way he has operated his flight school, said the main benefit he received from his online studies was the strengthening of his faith.
“I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but I never took my faith too seriously until I started taking master’s level courses. The concept of writing a paper about aviation leaders in military history or flight safety through a biblical lens was new to me. So that approach was very significant to me. It made me more knowledgeable and gave me the confidence to speak and to train from a spiritual perspective.”
Read other profiles in this series:
