[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 29, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S786-S787]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO EMBRY-RIDDLE UNIVERSITY

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, time magazine once referred to Embry-Riddle 
Aeronautical University as The Harvard of the Sky, a designation truly 
honoring both institutions. I say this because unsurpassed standards, 
values and public contributions constantly are reflected in 
achievements by those representing both schools.
  On this occasion, however, my remarks are about Embry-Riddle, for it 
absolutely is one of our Nation's most intriguing centers of higher 
learning.
  Recently, the New York Times featured the selection of Embry-Riddle 
for English and operational proficiency training of China's air traffic 
controllers.
  ValuJet's crash in the Florida Everglades last May prompted the 
National Transportation Safety Board to name ERU alumnus, Greg Feith, 
as investigator-in-charge. The university's aviation safety role, 
through an extensive curriculum, real-situation training laboratories, 
research and issue guidance is unparalleled. Air Force Capt. Scott 
O'Grady's amazing survival in Bosnia had as a postscript: ERU graduate. 
So it is with White House Fellow, David A. Moore.
  Although ERU graduates hold key positions throughout business and 
commerce, we find this especially prevalent among airlines and the 
aerospace and aircraft industry. Some are astronauts. NASA's Lt. Comdr. 
Susan Leigh Still, USN, who received her bachelor of science degree, is 
scheduled for a mission in space this spring.
  The school is a major contributor of pilots to military and civilian 
aviation for two reasons. One is the level of academics in engineering, 
aerospace science, aviation and related disciplines. The other is due 
to ERU's own air fleet, its own flight instruction, its own meteorology 
training, and its own aircraft and engine student maintenance programs. 
Under the critical eyes of certified instructors, undergraduates 
perform all engine and airframe maintenance. I understand there never 
has been a safety incident attributable to their work.
  By invitation of the U.S. Army in Europe, Embry-Riddle now offers 
college classes to our servicemen deployed north of Croatia in support 
of Operation Joint Endeavor. This newest service adds to the 
university's extensive network of more than 100 education centers 
throughout the United States and Europe.
  A late December item from the Kiplinger Washington Letter refers to 
global companies relying on associates who work in team settings or 
situations. Embry-Riddle student assignments routinely involve team 
involvement. They take it a step further--through distance learning.
  For a particular assignment we might find one student in Daytona 
Beach serving with another located at the university's Prescott, AZ, 
campus, while a third comes from an extended campus overseas. A 
sophisticated networking system allows students to connect 
electronically with other institutions and class members around the 
world. In addition, identical courses are taught concurrently by a 
single instructor from either the Daytona or Prescott campuses as 
students from both locations interact.

  ERU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 20 
undergraduate engineering programs in our Nation. It has the largest 
engineering-physics program in America. Undergraduates last year won 
the national design competition for general aviation, an intensely 
challenging venture sponsored by NASA and the Federal Aviation 
Administration.
  Quite often we hear the term, ``student-athlete.'' At Embry-Riddle 
that designation has a real, rather than shallow, meaning. No better 
example is found than with this season's basketball team. Under the 
guidance of athletic director and coach Steve Ridder, a Kentucky 
native, not only does the team consistently win on the court, it also 
wins in the classroom.
  For example, 11 of the squad's 17 members have a 3-point or better 
GPA. Of the five seniors this year, one has a 3.6 and another a 3.4 in 
aerospace engineering, one a 3.4 in engineering physics, one a 3.2 in 
aviation business, while the school's all-time leading scorer also 
carries a 3.2 in aviation business.
  ERU President Steve Sliwa didn't arrive at the Daytona Beach, FL, 
campus via a traditional academic path. He brought an eclectic 
background to the university: aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, NASA 
division level manager, founder of a software firm and astute business 
administrator.
  Those of us in Government should be particularly impressed with his 
most

[[Page S787]]

recent capital construction program, a $100 million, eight-project 
endeavor, on schedule and under budget.
  Consider Dr. Sliwa's interests and experiences in computer and 
software technology, which have propelled Embry-Riddle onto the very 
apex of this science. Almost every facet of our life now depends on 
software. Yet, software is immature compared to other engineering 
disciplines. Official mandates for technological reliability and 
consumer protection simply do not exist.
  Think about the countless applications of software: worldwide 
financial transfers; systems to fly airplanes, to operate medical 
equipment, to help vehicles function, and for a myriad of other daily 
tasks. What happens when such technology fails? The question is 
receiving increased attention at two universities. A consortium between 
Embry-Riddle and Carnegie Mellon has been established to address the 
issue of standards and methodologies to prevent future disasters due to 
unreliable or flawed software. The Department of Defense is keenly 
interested in their efforts.
  ERU began in 1925 when a naive eastern Kentuckian, John Paul Riddle 
of Pikeville, and entrepreneur T. Higbee Embry of Cincinnati, OH, 
opened a school of aviation at Lunken Airport in Cincinnati, OH. Now 
moving into its eighth decade, the school gives new meaning to 
``cutting-edge'' education.
  From hands-on investigation of aircraft accidents--thanks to a unique 
outdoor laboratory featuring crashed planes--to design of computer 
systems and from leadership in national issues to redesign of roof 
flaps for NASCAR racing vehicles, ERU is indeed out in front.
  Achievements as I have described don't happen without reasons. A most 
distinguished and forward-thinking faculty, visionary leadership and 
rare discipline combined with resourcefulness have propelled Embry-
Riddle into what I believe is ``tomorrow's institution of higher 
education today.''
  How fortunate for ERU students. How fortunate for America.

                          ____________________