First President
On July 6, 1886, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported the trustees of the Case School of Applied Science had announced the appointment of Cady Staley as their first President of the Faculty.
Cady Staley received an A.B., with Honors from Union College in 1865 and completed a degree in Civil Engineering the following year. He set out for California to apply his newly acquired skills with the Central Pacific Railroad, builders of the first American transcontinental railroad. Within two years he was called back to his Alma Mater to replace his teacher and mentor, Professor William Gillespie, the founding faculty member of Civil Engineering at Union College. From 1876 to 1886, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Union College, gaining extensive experience in the new and burgeoning field of engineering. Union College awarded him a Ph.D. in 1886 upon his departure and move to Case. He also brought an indomitable spirit and enthusiasm that matched what he found at Case during his visits. He summoned these strengths when, within the first two months of his term on the new campus in University Circle, a disastrous fire destroyed their new home, Case Main.
President Staley led the faculty to focus on the growing engineering fields of Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Mining and Metallurgical Engineering while still offering Mathematics and Astronomy, Physics, and Chemistry. Academic Standards were established for student performance, as well as a challenging Entrance Exam. Scholarships were continued, with the support of the Case Alumni Association, particularly for the graduates of Cleveland school.
In 1902, Cady Staley resigned as President of Case to embark on a lifelong dream of traveling and the pursuit of his many interests. The campus community was unprepared for this action, albeit they had sufficient forewarning. Reluctantly, the Trustees accepted his resignation and appointed Professor Charles Howe as Acting President.
