Beginnings: The concept of a separate center for aerospace safety education was originally proposed by ERAU Prescott Professor William D.Waldock in 1986. At that time, the safety curriculum at the university consisted of two safety survey courses, offered within the aeronautical science degree program. Professor Waldock envisioned a series of courses and laboratory opportunities which would allow future aviation professionals to become educated in aerospace safety at the beginning of their careers. He attracted the support of ERAU senior management, including President Kenneth Tallman, and the Center for Aerospace Safety (CASE) became a reality in the summer of 1988. Later that year, an Advisory Council of prominent Safety professionals was formed to provide guidance for the new center.

Growth: CASE's initial thrust was to expand the course offerings to undergraduates. During the five years from 1988 through 1992, the number of safety courses increased from two courses to nine, and the student credit hours delivered increased from 800 to 4500. During that period an Aviation Safety minor was established -- the first minor offered in the University's history. Graduate level courses in Aviation Safety were also initiated.

The next achievement was the development of a successful aviation safety certificate program. Consisting of short course offerings in accident investigation, safety program management, and human factors, it was designed to meet the needs of working professionals throughout the aerospace industry.

Another early by-product of this increased emphasis on safety education was a significant growth in the number of safety-related student cooperative education opportunities. Other early CASE achievements included an increase in safety research opportunities, enhanced relationships with other safety organizations, and the construction of an accident investigation laboratory in Prescott.

As might be expected, some objectives failed to materialize. The desire to persuade other academic disciplines, such as engineering, computer science, and the social sciences to infuse a common safety philosophy and orientation within their curricula has not been particularly successful, nor was the 1993 effort to assume program management of the USAF Safety Training Program at Kirtland AFB, NM. Organizationally, CASE has been hampered by the lack of a permanent management structure, having been under the leadership of a series of interim Directors. Finally, despite a number of efforts, permanent funding sources remained elusive.

1996 brought two significant events: In April, a permanent CASE facility on the Prescott campus, the Robertson Aviation Safety Center, incorporating classroom, laboratory, faculty and library facilities was dedicated. In September, a permanent Director, Dr. Jeffrey Ashworth, was named and a new organizational structure for CASE including Associate Directors at Prescott, Daytona Beach and the Extended Campus was initiated.

The period from 1996 to 2002 saw major changes in CASE. In 1998, Embry Riddle sought and was awarded a large restitution payment as a result of an infraction by Arrow Air involving the sale of suspected unapproved parts. ERAU's principal justification for the award was based on the accomplishments of CASE and the credibility of the CASE Advisory Council. The $2M payment was awarded to Embry Riddle for the purpose of enhancing the safety of the flying public, with special attention to the issue of suspected unapproved parts (SUP). Oversight for the ensuing program was vested in the current Acting Director of CASE, the Prescott campus Chancellor.

The first step was to hire a program manager and seek guidance from the CASE Advisory Council and the ERAU faculty. It was decided that the Award should fund three projects: SUPs Education, Research, and a web based Aviation Safety Center with strong research capability. The center would contain a research search capability as well as a faculty developed library and information center.

Progress was slow for a number of reasons, most related to the lack of a full time CASE Director who could coordinate the efforts of the program manager with the other elements of the University. In December, 2000, a full time Director was appointed, and the pace of activity picked up. Within a year, several small research projects had been completed, a Blue Ribbon SUPs panel had been convened in partnership with the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) and the website was ready for beta testing, which commenced in January 2002.

Throughout the history of CASE, the Advisory Council has served as a source of support, encouragement, and sage advice under the leadership of (successively) C.O. Miller, Chuck Mercer, and currently John O'Brien, Director of Safety and Engineering for ALPA. The Council membership has evolved over the years to include key players in commercial and general aviation operations and manufacturing as well the influential trade associations and unions. In addition, four of the 20+ council members also serve on the ERAU Board of Trustees.

Since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the mission of CASE has been expanded to include the broad subject of aerospace/aviation security. Accordingly, the Vision, Mission, and Objectives of CASE have been broadened to incorporate this additional focus. CASE has been designated the principal coordinating agent for both safety and security education issues at ERAU.