The Center for Atmospheric Sciences was established in November 1996 by CAS's co-directors, Dr. M Patrick McCormick and James M. Russell III.

Exerpts below are from the news article, "Building A Program From Scratch: 2 Scientists Find a Mission at Hampton U." By Jason Hughes, Chronicle of Higher Education, Page A12, April 9, 1999.

"...The president promised financial and administrative backing for a new atmospheric-sciences department, which he envisioned working closely with the nearby NASA facility...."

"'...With NASA right here, we could do some things that no other institution was doing,' President Harvey...."