Malcolm MacKenzie

Malcolm MacKenzie has seen and experienced a lot on the path to his college degree, and the Western Connecticut State University student brings that rich history to the classroom and campus with him. MacKenzie said he has taken a “convoluted road” to his current status pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Supervisory Management from WestConn’s AASCB-accredited Ancell School of Business, and he is enjoying the journey.

“I’ve noticed that the rungs on the ladder to success are not endless, and that a degree will help get me to the top,” MacKenzie said. “Even in the trades, there comes a point in time in your career that if you want to keep expanding, you’re going to hit a wall without a degree. You’ll literally have zero chance of moving forward. I help manage a fleet of 30 corporate aircraft out of Farmingdale, Long Island, and a degree will enable me to better serve my employer, clients and propel my career.”

Malcolm MacKenzie in Iwakuni, Japan, 1996.

MacKenzie, who grew up in Fairfield and attended Fairfield Warde High School, was in auto shop tinkering with cars one day and felt that there was “something more.” He attended an air show at Sikorsky and saw a demonstration of Harrier aircraft and decided he wanted to work on them one day. MacKenzie followed through on that goal by attending H.H. Ellis Technical School in Danielson to study aviation. He graduated from Warde in 1985 and in 1988, he was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an Airframe and Powerplant mechanic.Soon after, MacKenzie joined the U.S. Marine Corps.

Fulfilling his dream of working on AV8-B Harriers by 1997, MacKenzie served as a reservist on the East Coast until 2015 with the U.S. Air Force Reserves at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where he continued to maintain C5 series military aircraft until his retirement in 2015. During that time, he served in the first Gulf War (1990-91) and after 9/11 (2001) to support our nation’s cause, although not directly in those theaters.

Malcolm MacKenzie in Hawaii, 1995.

He worked for several flight departments, managing and maintaining corporate jets at Westchester County Airport, before starting his current career with Northeast Aviation Corp.

“My current employer is 100% behind my pursuit of a Bachelor of Business Administration in Supervisory Management,” MacKenzie said. “They ‘get’ and appreciate the education that I am bringing to the table by going to school. I started going to classes full time, but dialed it back to part time as my responsibilities at work increased and I needed to also spend time with my family. My classes are all in-person and I take them in the afternoons and evenings, thanks to the support and understanding of my employer.”

MacKenzie, at 58, is not the age of most students, but still has made connections on campus. “Most of my fellow students are supportive of me being in class, but I know some are ‘weirded out’ by the ‘old person’ in class,” he said. “I’m just there to get an education and my professors have all been super helpful, professional and welcoming. I can offer a different perspective in historically relevant classes. In talking about the history of marketing in one class, I actually remember the ads we were discussing. The take-away is that someone like me, at my age, can pursue an undergraduate degree. I am having so much fun; it’s so much fun learning.”

A Kathwari Honors student, MacKenzie has availed himself of the opportunities from being in the program. “WestConn has top-notch professors,” he said. “They’ll step back and retrace stuff if they see blank stares, they come in early and stay late. You don’t get that kind of support in huge, auditorium-style situations. In my opinion, one of the best you have on campus, hands down, is Dr. Jennifer Nugent Duffy in the Department of History, Philosophy and World Perspectives. She does things like take students on field trips to New York City to learn Dutch Colonial history from the 1600s to the present.”

Malcolm MacKenzie in a Gulfstream G450 that he maintains.

MacKenzie also has found a home with WestConn’s Student Veterans Organization (SVO). “There’s really an immediate bond,” he said. “We’ve all been through something similar, depending on the campaign. We do a lot of things together, including sharing stories and supporting each other. It’s a good group to be a part of, and I really appreciate the space we have on campus to provide for a physical and emotional break for veterans. It’s good to have a quiet place we know we can go to.”

Another opportunity MacKenzie was excited to discover was the campus radio station, WXCI. “I have my own show, Wavelength with Ken from Danbury (Kenneth is my middle name) and I am on every Friday from 3 to 5. It’s a live show and lots of fun. I play metal mostly, and some pretty heavy stuff. I do have guests on air from time to time, but steer away from politics and other polarizing topics. It’s great that the studio has dual turntables and a huge rack of records. I also bring my own in and spin them.”

MacKenzie expects to receive his bachelor’s degree in May 2026 and jump immediately into WestConn’s MBA program.

“It’s a lot of work to get good grades, find family time and juggle all these priorities,” he said. “And it’s all worth it.”

Western Connecticut State University changes lives by providing all students with a high-quality education that fosters their growth as individuals, scholars, professionals and leaders in a global society. Our vision: To be widely recognized as a premier public university with outstanding teachers and scholars who prepare students to contribute to the world in a meaningful way.