Industry seal of approval

Choosing a college should be done as carefully as choosing a brain surgeon.

After all, if you were faced with the prospect of life-threatening surgery, you'd want to search for the most competent, professional, and ethical physician to do the deed. Where to start? Look for a physician endorsed by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). According to ACS, the endorsement indicates that the doctor volunteered to have his credentials and performance evaluated by his peers and that he has pledged to place the interest of his patients above his own.

In a similar manner to the surgeons who earn the ACS seal of approval, colleges and universities can earn academia's own seal of approval: accreditation. When a college or university is accredited by such organizations as the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools or the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, there is no doubt that the academic product is first rate.

For aspiring aviation professionals, the name Council on Aviation Accreditation (CAA) could and perhaps should play a role in the decision-making process. CAA--its name will change to the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI) in July--is a professional, specialized accrediting organization that certifies aviation professional programs, not institutions. Its mission statement is straightforward: "The Council on Aviation Accreditation advances quality aviation education worldwide through accreditation and leadership."

CAA's goals are to stimulate collegiate aviation program excellence and self-improvement; establish uniform minimum educational quality standards; and increase the credibility, integrity, and acceptance of collegiate aviation programs within institutions of higher education and all aspects of the aviation community, including industry, government, and the general public.

These goals are lofty, to say the least. Just how does CAA go about the business of accreditation, and what is the benefit for students and industry?

The accreditation process is complex and can span one to two years. First, a college or university makes a formal application to CAA. It must then undertake an exhaustive self-study. For example, the institution will provide CAA with a comprehensive analysis of program design, intent of criteria, administration, institutional commitment, financial resources, learning resources, faculty, support personnel, student services, facilities, academic standards, flight education, and cooperative education and internships programs. The list continues.

CAA then dispatches a team to the institution to conduct an audit. The CAA team investigates and reviews all facets of the program to validate the representations made in the self-study. Once the CAA board of trustees reviews the audit team report and is satisfied, the program earns CAA Accredited status.

Of special importance to the prospective students is CAA's commitment to industry. CAA recognizes a simple but essential fact: The objective of a collegiate aviation program is to develop and prepare young talent for an aviation career, whether that career path leads to a flight deck or the board room. As such, CAA leadership is not composed solely of academics.

The current CAA board of trustees consists of educators from Jacksonville University, Central Missouri State University, Purdue University, Florida Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, Kent State University, Parks College of Engineering, Mercer County Community College, Hampton University, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Additionally, the board includes members from such blue chip companies as American Airlines, UPS, JetBlue, The Boeing Company, Cirrus Design Corporation, the Air Line Pilots Association, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, FlightSafety International, Airbus North America Customer Service, the National Business Aviation Association, and the Air Transport Association of America.

The CAA's president serves a two-year term; terms alternate between industry members and academics. One of the most important activities of CAA is the annual Industry/Educator Forum, which helps to assure that educational programs, educator knowledge, and accreditation standards are in step with industry needs.

Each summer, industry representatives address educators on topics that should be core components of collegiate programs accredited by CAA; topics that should be considered for adoption in all programs; key attributes desired by industry in graduates; and/or future industry trends to be monitored. The intended outcome is to determine how those changes will affect accreditation standards.

Industry sentiment about CAA accreditation is positive.

Ken Caley, Boeing's director of flight operations support and training, is chair of the Industry/Educator Forum. He says, "The CAA plays a critical role in reviewing and accrediting universities and their specific aviation degree programs. This accreditation assures potential employers these graduates have completed a course of study that has adequately prepared them to enter the aviation field. It also provides prospective students--and their parents--with the confidence that any accredited university being considered has a program and curriculum that has been examined and approved by an independent accrediting organization."

Capt. Dave Bushy, JetBlue vice president for flight operations and past president of CAA, adds: "The primary motivator for our CAA involvement is that it is in our best interests to connect with young aviation professionals--not just pilots, but management and aviation maintenance students. Initially, we wanted to help encourage these students to come to our airline, as well as to give something back to our profession. Now, our involvement is more of a partnership with many schools. JetBlue is a low-cost carrier, and we need to find better ways to conduct our business. By partnering with professors and students, we can capture a lot of outstanding brain power and a lot of good ideas."

On CAA accreditation, Bushy adds, "The student can have confidence that the school has gone through an internal evaluation program, a real introspective look at how to get better. The CAA sets the template for that. This process says to the institution, 'Hey, you have got to fulfill these standards so that you are comfortable with the fact that you are providing a high-quality education.' This process is not that dissimilar to what we do in the airline industry in ATOS [Airline Transportation Oversight System]. We get better by looking at ourselves critically against a set of standards and performance criteria."

Peter Morton has served as Boeing's vice president of human resources as well as director of training-airlines and is the CAA president-elect. Morton now is an industry consultant. "Almost every profession has a guardianship that is nongovernmental. Every profession I can think of--legal, business, medical--has a nongovernmental entity that establishes standards so that people who are customers of that profession are assured of a certain level of performance," Morton says. "When the CAA was created, there was no such entity guaranteeing standards for collegiate aviation programs.

"For an institution that has actually gone through accreditation, the programs benefit in a number of ways. The discipline associated with accreditation is a pretty tough task. The self-study guide probably weighs five pounds. As a consequence, the entire political focus of the institution changes. The president, the provost, the dean all know that the accreditation process is taking place, and then resources are made available. The byproducts of the process could result in the modernization of the fleet and training tools. Ultimately the students and their parents have an assurance that the program is accredited and meets a set of standards that are objectively derived and applied.

"Additionally, CAA bylaws demand its board be composed of members of the industry who hire the graduates and the educators who produce the graduates. There is a very deliberate formula built into the rules that encourages a continuing relationship between the employers and educators."

Capt. Larry Rockliff, vice president of training for Airbus North America, is a CAA corporate trustee. "Earning a college degree is essential. The reason I say that is simple. In today's environment of large air transports, the operation of this equipment is 95 percent management and 5 percent manipulation. You can teach almost anyone the motor skills to manipulate the airplane, but learning how to manage an airplane is a different story.

"I think there is more to a college education than a degree. There is a certain maturity; there's an ability to put a sentence together. This is so important in something as basic as writing a discrepancy in the maintenance log. If there is a disconnect between the pilot's report and the maintenance technician's understanding, that flight might not proceed. Some high schools are producing graduates who cannot put together a coherent thought on paper."

Rockliff reinforces the notion of industry/academia synergy that CAA produces. "We have teamed with Boeing and others in the CAA's Industry/Educator Forums to create the link between academia and the heavy-metal manufacturers. We, of course, recognize the skills that are required to operate this type of aircraft. Through CAA, we have been able to send messages to the various universities to include such skills development in their curriculum.

Gary Kiteley is CAA's executive director. "What makes CAA unique is the predominant governance by industry on our board. Of our 38 board members, only nine are educators. That is very unusual.

Likewise with our officers; two of our officers are industry people. We feel that accreditation--the development of standards and the evaluation of programs leading to accreditation--should have heavy industry input. They are the ones who will be hiring our graduates."

Tim Brady is the dean of Embry-Riddle's College of Aviation and president of CAA. "The CAA is the only accrediting body in the world that concerns itself with maintaining high quality standards for collegiate aviation programs and, thereby, maintaining high standards for the future leadership of aviation in this country."

The key word in Brady's statement is world. Recently, in a move to strengthen its position as the global leader in the advancement of aviation education, the Council on Aviation Accreditation announced a change of name and identity. CAA will be known as the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI). The change becomes official at the annual international meeting in Duluth, Minnesota, July 10 through 14.

Brady puts the work of the soon-to-be AABI in perspective. "In the long strategic view of the aviation industry, it will be the people who are prepared in this fashion who will be the mainstay. We want to ensure the future of our business."

Wayne Phillips is an airline transport pilot with a Boeing 737 type rating. He is a B-737 instructor and operates the Airline Training Orientation Program in association with Continental Airlines. He is an aviation safety consultant in Michigan and speaker for the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.