Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University

Coordinates: 29°11′19″N 81°02′55″W / 29.18857°N 81.04871°W / 29.18857; -81.04871
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 72Dino (talk | contribs) at 01:13, 25 February 2010 (update endowment). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
File:Embry-riddle color logo.gif
MottoLeading the World in Aviation and Aerospace Education since 1926.[1]
TypePrivate
EstablishedIn 1926 as the Embry-Riddle Flying School, part of the Embry-Riddle Company.[2]
Endowment$53.8 million[3]
PresidentJohn P. Johnson
Academic staff
3,144 (472 at residential campuses)[4][4]
Students34,571 (6,781 at residential campuses)[4]
Location
Daytona Beach
,
Florida and Prescott, Arizona
,
USA
AthleticsNAIA
ColorsBlue and Gold   
MascotEagles
Websiteerau.edu

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private, coeducational university with a history dating from the early days of aviation. Students are enrolled in one of two residential campuses located in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona or in Embry-Riddle Worldwide, composed of over 130 non-residential campuses and online programs. The residential campuses provide education in a traditional setting while Embry-Riddle Worldwide serves civilian and military working adults.

Embry-Riddle began in 1925 as the Embry-Riddle Company, an aircraft dealer and airmail provider, founded by Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle in Cincinnati, Ohio. Embry-Riddle was eventually incorporated into what is now American Airlines, before reforming during the buildup to World War II in Miami, Florida as the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation, and later, the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute. Embry-Riddle moved to Daytona Beach, Florida in 1965 and was renamed Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1970. The Prescott, Arizona campus opened in 1978.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is one of the best accredited aviation-oriented universities in the world.[5] Utilizing a fleet of over 90 aircraft, the university serves culturally diverse students primarily motivated toward careers in aviation and aerospace. The university offers bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and a recently announced PhD in Aviation at the residential campuses and through Embry-Riddle Worldwide. Bachelor's degrees, associate's degrees and non-degree programs are also offered by Embry-Riddle Worldwide.

History

Early days

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University began on December 17, 1925, exactly 22 years after the Wright Brothers' first flight, when Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle formed the Embry-Riddle Company at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was financed by Embry, a wealthy aviation enthusiast who served as company president. Riddle was named general manager, and the two began to sell Waco Aircraft in Cincinnati. In spring of 1926 (the date shown on the university seal), the Embry-Riddle Company opened the Embry-Riddle Flying School. On December 17, 1927, the Embry-Riddle Company established Cincinnati's first regular air mail service, from Cincinnati to Chicago.[6]

The school grew rapidly in 1928 and 1929, until the Embry-Riddle Company (now the Embry-Riddle Aviation Corporation) was merged with the Aviation Corporation (AVCO) of Delaware. AVCO phased out the Embry-Riddle Flying School in the fall of 1930. Shortly after, AVCO became American Airways (the predecessor of American Airlines), and the Embry-Riddle Company was gone.[6]

The Fritz Hotel in Miami, Florida. The building was occupied by Embry-Riddle prior to moving to Daytona Beach, Florida.

In 1939, Riddle was ready to get back into the business of training pilots. He contacted Embry, who had no interest in reentering a partnership with Riddle. Riddle, now living in Miami, Florida , found a partner in John G. McKay and his wife Isabel. Keeping the Embry-Riddle name, they reestablished the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation, partnering with the University of Miami to provide flight training under the Civilian Pilot Training Program, increasing the number of pilots immediately preceding World War II. The Embry-Riddle School of Aviation expanded rapidly, and soon moved to the former Fritz Hotel.[7]

Riddle and McKay also formed the Riddle Aeronautical Institute at Carlstrom Field in early 1941 for the purpose of training pilots for the United States Army Air Corps. A separate division of Embry-Riddle provided technical training in maintenance and metal work. Following Pearl Harbor, Embry-Riddle and its various divisions expanded rapidly to train professionals during the war, and the Carlstrom Field facility trained pilots for the Royal Air Force, while nearby Dorr Field prepared pilots for advanced training with the U.S. Army Air Forces.[7]

Embry-Riddle quickly exhausted the market for flight training. In 1944, McKay purchased Riddle's share of Embry-Riddle.[7]

Development into a university

Following the end of World War II, the McKays continued the business of training pilots. After John McKay's death in 1951, his wife Isabel McKay led the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute. The school endured financial hardship but continued to operate in its Miami home. Isabel McKay suffered a stroke in 1961 and in 1963 sold the school. That same year, Jack R. Hunt was named the first president of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute.[8] ERAI continued the training of pilots and mechanics in Miami until April 1965, when Hunt moved the campus to its current home in Daytona Beach, Florida.[2]

Embry-Riddle's move from Miami was accomplished by a group of Daytona Beach civic leaders known as the Committee of 100.[9] The school was packed into trucks and moved nearly overnight. Known as "Operation Bootstrap", the move was accomplished with the help of the Daytona Beach News-Journal, which supplied the trucks.

The Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Institute was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1968,[10] and was renamed Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1970.[11]

Hunt headed a large expansion of Embry-Riddle, including the purchase of a second campus in Prescott, Arizona in 1978.[12] Embry-Riddle purchased the former campus of Prescott College, which closed abruptly in 1974 from financial hardship.[13] Hunt served as president until his death January 7, 1984.[14] Hunt was followed by Lt. General Kenneth L. Tallman, who in his five years as president, formed Embry-Riddle's first graduate program. Tallman also added undergraduate degrees in Engineering Physics and Electrical Engineering.[11] Current president John P. Johnson credits Tallman with moving ERAU from a technical school to a university.[15]

Embry-Riddle's third president was Dr. Steven M. Sliwa, who ran the university from 1991 until 1998. Sliwa oversaw the largest expansion in Embry-Riddle's history, developing new majors and a capital expansion in excess of $100 million.[2] This includes the ICI Center (fieldhouse), Lehman Engineering and Technology Center, Capt. Willie Miller Instructional Center and Student Village on the Daytona Beach campus. Sliwa was followed by Dr. George H. Ebbs, who was president until November 2005. Ebbs expanded the university into several affiliate programs, and was president during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks federal investigators thought that the school may have trained at least one of the aircraft hijackers. However, after a short investigation, ERAU was fully exonerated from any involvement in the flight training of the terrorists. Although a former student shared the same name as one of the hijackers, that former student was found to have no connections to Al-Qaeda.[16][17][18]

Embry-Riddle aircraft destroyed by the Christmas Day tornado.

During his tenure as president, Ebbs expanded Embry-Riddle into non-traditional university projects, such as Embry-Riddle's Commercial Airline Pilot Training program (CAPT program), which was sold in 2006.[19] Ebbs also entered the university into a five-year contract with The United States Air Force Academy for Embry-Riddle to provide flight training for its cadets in 2002.[20]

Embry-Riddle's fifth president is Dr. John P. Johnson. Johnson was previously University Provost and Interim President. He was selected after a national search by the Board of Trustees on August 8, 2006.[21]

Christmas Day tornado

Further information: Tornadoes of 2006 § December_25

On December 25, 2006 at approximately 1:45 p.m. an F2 tornado touched down in Daytona Beach, causing major damage to the Embry-Riddle campus. Several university buildings were damaged, and both the main administration building (Spruance Hall) and the aircraft fleet maintenance hangar were destroyed. Approximately 50 aircraft were damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at $50 million.[22][23][24][25]

As a result of the tornado, the beginning of the spring semester was delayed from January 10, 2007 until January 16, 2007. Also as a result of the tornado, the planned upgrade of the Cessna 172 aircraft fleet to glass cockpit instruments was accelerated. During the tornado, one of the fleet's Cessna 172s was directly hit and measurements from the vortex were captured on the aircraft's instruments. An altitude of approximately 2,000 feet was frozen on the altimeter, which equates to a pressure drop of 70 millibars inside the tornado. The airspeed indicator was also broken indicating 120 knots. These measurements are one of a kind in meteorology since it is very hard to put measuring equipment inside the vortex.

Spruance Hall, the university's main administration building and home to more than 120 employees, was hit so hard by the storm that its internal steel frame bowed inward. In an eerie turn of events, the storm ripped away pieces of the building to reveal a “Merry Christmas” message from 1986, spray-painted on a length of its steel beam during the building's construction. [26][27]

Organization

Embry-Riddle is organized into two residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Florida and Prescott, Arizona, and the worldwide campus. Embry-Riddle Worldwide consists of over 130 distance learning centers (many at community colleges and military bases), Worldwide Online (which offers degrees through internet classes), and the Center for Professional Education (which offers continuing education credits and non-degree programs).

Dr. John P. Johnson is the university president. Dr. Richard H. Heist serves as provost and chief academic officer, and directly oversees the deans of each college. Each campus is led by a chancellor, and is organized into colleges and departments. University-wide departments are headed by vice-presidents.[28][29][30]

The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees at the residential campuses and through Embry-Riddle Worldwide.

Daytona Beach, Florida campus

Main article: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach
The Wright Flyer statue is the centerpiece of the Daytona Beach campus. The Jack. R. Hunt Memorial Library is visible in the background.

Embry-Riddle's largest residential campus and academic headquarters is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 185-acre (0.75 km2) site has been the home to Embry-Riddle since it moved from Miami in 1965. Built adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport, the campus has easy access for flight training. The main campus consists of an aviation complex, academic quad and residence halls surrounding the student center and Jack R. Hunt Aviator Park. Athletic facilities are located at the east end of campus, anchored by the ICI Center.

Total spring 2008 enrollment at the Daytona Beach campus is 4,562; 4,186 undergraduate and 376 graduate students.[4] Aeronautical science (flight training) and aerospace engineering are the two most popular degrees at the Daytona Beach campus. Daytona Beach's aerospace engineering degree program ranks number one in the U.S. News & World Report college rankings of aerospace engineering degree schools without a Ph.D. program.[31] Embry-Riddle has received this honor every year since the category was introduced in 2001.[32]

Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus has one of the most extensive ROTC programs in the nation, and the nation's largest Air Force ROTC program.[33] The ROTC program frequently wins national competitions.[34][35][36] The engineering physics program at the Daytona Beach campus is currently the largest undergraduate engineering physics program in the country and the only one specializing in aerospace.[37]

The Daytona Beach campus sponsors 16 intercollegiate sports. The Eagles are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Region XIV and compete in the Florida Sun Conference. Embry-Riddle's athletics are directed by basketball head-coach Steve Ridder. On October 2, 2006, Ridder was named NAIA National Athletic Director of the Year.[38] Ridder led the school to its only national title in any sport in 2000, in basketball.

Prescott, Arizona campus

File:ERAU Prescott Bldg.jpg
Academic Complex One is one of several new buildings on the Prescott, Arizona campus.
Main article: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott Campus opened in 1978. The 539-acre (2.18 km2) campus is located among Arizona's Bradshaw Mountains approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from Prescott's airport, Ernest A. Love Field. Prescott is a short drive to Phoenix and within a day's drive of Las Vegas and California. At an elevation of over 5,000 feet, Prescott has mild seasonal weather with moderate daytime temperatures, and ideal conditions for flying year-round.

Facilities at Prescott Campus include the multi-lab Aerospace Experimental and Fabrication Building, the Tracy Doryland Wind Tunnel Lab, Robertson Aviation Safety Center with an accident investigation lab, the Hazy Library and Learning Center, the 48,000 sq. ft. Academic Complex, King Engineering and Technology Center, Haas Interfaith Chapel, dining hall, student union, and residence halls. Total fall 2008 student enrollment at the Prescott campus was 1,719 students, including 31 graduate students.[4]

The Prescott campus has the only Global Security and Intelligence Studies program in the country.[39] This degree program focuses on important global issues such as terrorism, information warfare, transportation security, illicit trafficking networks, corporate security, population dislocations, natural disasters, widespread epidemics, international crime and homeland security.

Embry-Riddle's two Air Force ROTC detachments form the largest university-based Air Force commissioning source in the nation. Embry-Riddle's AFROTC detachments also produce more commissioned officers and more pilots and other rated officers for the Air Force than any other institution in the nation except the Air Force Academy. Army ROTC also operates a large detachment on the Prescott Campus.[40]

The Prescott campus is home to the Golden Eagles Flight Team, which competes in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association. Prescott's Golden Eagles Flight Team has won the regional championship each year for the past 23 years.[41]

Worldwide campus

Main article: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Worldwide

Embry-Riddle Worldwide consists of over 130 distance learning centers (many at community colleges and military bases), Worldwide Online (which offers degrees through internet classes), and the Center for Professional Education (which offers continuing education credits and non-degree programs). In the 2006-2007 school year over 27,000 students were enrolled in the worldwide campus.[4]

Notable alumni

Main article: List of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alumni

Embry-Riddle Alumni include six astronauts, a former U.S. Congressman, and a former White House Fellow.[5] Approximately 25 percent of commercial airline pilots have graduated from Embry-Riddle.[42]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

References

  1. ^ Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Visual Standards Manual (PDF). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. March 22, 2007. p. 9.[dead link]
  2. ^ a b c "Embry-Riddle - The Embry-Riddle Story". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  3. ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 24, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Facts and Figures". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  5. ^ a b "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Fast Facts". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2008-06-19.
  6. ^ a b Craft, Stephen. Embry-Riddle and American Aviation (PDF).
  7. ^ a b c Craft, Stephen. Embry-Riddle in a World at War (PDF).
  8. ^ Douglas, Rebecca (April 9, 2007). "The McKay Factor" (PDF). LIFT Magazine (ERAU). Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  9. ^ "Embry-Riddle to dedicate Jack R. Hunt Aviator Park" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. January 23, 2003. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  10. ^ "Commission on Colleges". Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  11. ^ a b Linville, Ray P. (January/March 1999). "Embry-Riddle offers aviation and aerospace education". Logistics Spectrum. 33 (1). Huntsville: 32 (2 pages). {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Profile". Barron's Profiles of American Colleges. 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-21.[dead link]
  13. ^ "Yavapai Heritage Roundup". Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  14. ^ "Jack Hunt Dies at 65; Flew Atlantic in Blimp". The New York Times. January 9, 1984. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Mettin, Jonathan (March 14, 2006). "Former President Tallman dies at 80". The Avion Newspaper. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  16. ^ Viglucci, Andres (September 15, 2001). "Hijack plotters used S. Florida as a cradle for conspiracy". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2007-07-01. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Ebbs, George (October 8, 2001). "Open letter from President George Ebbs". The Avion Newspaper. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  18. ^ "Reflections of Sept. 11". The Avion Newspaper. September, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-29. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "CAPT History". Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  20. ^ "Embry-Riddle Wins Contract to Train Air Force Pilots" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. August 13, 2002. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  21. ^ Harper, Mark (August 9, 2006). "ERAU selects own for president". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  22. ^ "Storms cause damage throughout Volusia County". Daytona Beach News-Journal. December 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-25.[dead link]
  23. ^ Brown, Anthony (April 9, 2007). "A Whirlwind Recovery" (PDF). LIFT Magazine (ERAU). Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  24. ^ "Christmas Tornadoes Destroy Homes, Leave Thousands Without Power". Local6.com. December 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  25. ^ Haug, Jim (December 26, 2006). "ERAU president thankful damage not more severe". Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved 2006-12-26.[dead link]
  26. ^ "A Whirlwind Recovery" (PDF). LIFT Magazine (ERAU). April 9, 2007. Retrieved 2009-03-07.
  27. ^ {{cite news}}: Empty citation (help)
  28. ^ "Organizational Chart". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University President's Office. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  29. ^ "Organizational Chart". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Chancellor's Office (Daytona Beach). Retrieved 2007-08-13.[dead link]
  30. ^ "Academic Organizations (Colleges and Departments)". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2007-08-13.
  31. ^ "Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University - Best Colleges - Education - US News and World Report,". U.S. News & World Report. August 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
  32. ^ "Embry-Riddle Keeps Top Spot in U.S. News & World Report's Best College Rankings" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. August 18, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  33. ^ "AFA Association Honors Embry-Riddle President" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. July 1, 2005. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  34. ^ "Air Force ROTC Detachment Named Best in Nation" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. August 9, 1999. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  35. ^ "Daytona Beach Air Force ROTC Detachment Named Top Unit in Nation" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. October 30, 2002. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  36. ^ "Air Force ROTC Programs Thrive at Embry-Riddle's Residential Campuses" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. June 29, 2001. Retrieved 2006-12-25.
  37. ^ "Engineering Physics Program". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  38. ^ "ERAU's Ridder named NAIA Athletics Director of the Year" (Press release). Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. October 3, 2006. Retrieved 2007-07-01.
  39. ^ "B.S. Degree in Global Security and Intelligence Studies". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  40. ^ "Embry-Riddle Did You Know?". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  41. ^ "Golden Eagles Flight Team". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
  42. ^ "Minutes of Committee on Education". 45th Legislature First Regular Session. Arizona State Senate. January 25, 2001. Retrieved 2007-07-01. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)

External links

29°11′19″N 81°02′55″W / 29.18857°N 81.04871°W / 29.18857; -81.04871

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Embry–Riddle_Aeronautical_University&oldid=346205104"