Maine Maritime Academy
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | March 21, 1941 |
| President | Leonard Tyler |
| Undergraduates | 800 students |
| Location | , , |
| Mascot | Mariners |
| Website | http://www.mainemaritime.edu |
44°23.3′N 68°48.2′W / 44.3883°N 68.8033°W
Maine Maritime Academy is a public post-secondary college and nautical training institution with approximately 800 students, located in Castine, Maine. The Academy was established by the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941. Maine Maritime Academy is a public college. Costs of admission are comparable to the nearby University of Maine at Orono. Unlike most of the federal service academies, a congressional recommendation is not required to attend this state school. Students are not obligated to go to sea after graduation, and a large portion of the graduating class does not.
Maine Maritime Academy is one of six maritime training colleges in the United States which fields a unit with the U.S. Navy's Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). The college is affiliated under the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Maine Maritime Academy is the only business, residence, or organization to receive mail at the US ZIP code 04420.
History
Proposals for an institution devoted to nautical training began in Maine in the 1930s. Educational and civic leaders throughout the state led by Senator Ralph Leavitt of Portland, prompted the creation of Maine Maritime Academy by an act of the 90th Maine Legislature on March 21, 1941.
The original class of 29 students reported on Oct. 9, of that year to Rear Adm. Douglas Dismukes, a veteran of World War I who came out of retirement to head the fledgling school. Classes met on the campus of the Eastern State Normal School, with students lodged at Castine’s Pentagoet Inn. The MATTIE, a coastal schooner out of Camden, Maine, served as the first training ship. World War II required a rapid build-up of the U.S. Merchant Marine, with a critical need for new deck and engineering officers. The Academy met that challenge. By war’s end, Maine Maritime had graduated 384 men who served at sea during the war in every theater of operations.
In the post-war era, the program was expanded from the original concept of a three-year course leading to a bachelor of science degree. In the 1960s and 70s, Rear Adm. Edward Rodgers led a multi-million dollar development program, culminating in full membership in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In recent years, the college has grown steadily and now offers a total of 17 undergraduate and graduate academic majors, new training labs and expanded student services. [1]
Academics
The academy offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees with a choice of 10 different majors:
- Marine Engineering Operations (MEO)
- Marine Engineering Technology (MET)
- Marine Systems Engineering (MSE)
-4 Year Design Track -5 Year License Track (Regiment Required)
- Power Engineering Technology (PET)
- Marine Transportation Operations (MTO)
- Small Vessel Operations (SVO)
- International Business & Logistics (IBL)
- Marine Biology
- Marine Science
- Interdisciplinary Studies
The academy offers two-year associate degrees in:
- Small Vessel Operations (SVO)
- Small Craft Design
The academy also offers three graduate level programs in Global Supply Chain Management, International Business and Maritime Management leading to a Master of Science through its Loeb-Sullivan School of International Business and Logistics.
Student Life
Regiment of Midshipmen
Maine Maritime Academy provides both traditional regimented and nonregimented degrees and programs. The Regiment of Midshipmen is one way (among several) to satisfy the U.S. Coast Guard requirement for a structured lifestyle, though the academy also uses it to promote personal development, leadership and management skills. There are several majors that require involvement in the Regiment, however, a student may belong to the Regiment even if their major does not require it.
The Training Ship STATE OF MAINE is the focal point of the Regiment and its primary training aid. All midshipmen regardless of program are familiarized with the ship and assigned areas of responsibility. By learning and maintaining this 500-foot diesel powered vessel, midshipmen learn how to operate and manage a technically complex system.
Students in the Regiment of Midshipmen adhere to a strict schedule, wear uniforms, and fall under a hierarchy similar to a military organization. Students in the regiment are subject to additional rules and codes pertaining to dress, hair style, greetings of other students, etc. Approximately 57% of the student body participates in the Regiment of Midshipmen.[2][3]
Nonregimented Students
Students not participating in the Regiment of Midshipmen follow a schedule and way of life similar to students at other colleges. They may at times, or often depending on their major, have classes with students belonging to the Regiment.
Co-op and Training cruise
The college has aggressive co-op and internship programs. Students from all engineering majors and the Marine Transportation Operations major are required to complete at least one co-op. Some majors are required to complete two co-ops.
Students in Regiment of Midshipmen have the opportunity and/or requirement to participate in two cruises with the Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM). Students in the Small Vessel Operations major have the opportunity to sail with the schooner Bowdoin on its yearly training cruise.
Campus
The college has a 35-acre (14 ha) campus overlooking Castine Harbor, with residential, academic, and shore-based training facilities. Its docks host a fleet of three major vessels, including the historic Arctic schooner Bowdoin, the Training Ship State of Maine (TSSOM) and tug Pentagöet, as well as various minor vessels for training purposes. A major expansion took place from the 1960s–1980s, resulting in a modern campus which complements the town's architecture.
Zoning Controversy
 | This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. |
 | This article possibly contains original research. (February 2008) |
As Castine increasingly becomes a retirement community for wealthy individuals from out of state, tensions have grown with Maine Maritime Academy. The bourgeois values of suburban retirees often conflict with the frequently conservative values of the Academy community. In a sense, this is a part of the "Two Maines" conflict — one suburban, one rural — that wracks the entire state; in other ways it is simply an example of poor "town-gown" relations that have plagued institutions of higher learning for centuries. In trying to expand its campus, the Maine Maritime Academy recently purchased a property outside of its institutional zone. The property, Abbott House, was built in 1802 and sits in one of Castine's residential zones. The Academy is required to limit its growth to the institutional zone, which is defined in the zoning ordinances written by the town. To date, the legality of zoning regulations which were specifically written to limit the growth of a particular, publicly-financed institution has not been challenged in a court of law. The Academy paid $1,450,000 for the house, despite the fact that the Academy is on record as not having sufficient funds to maintain its current properties.[citation needed] The President currently lives in a house across the street from Abbott House. President Tyler insists that the Academy bought the Abbot House for the President to live in and that the current house will be converted to an alumni house. President Tyler cites privacy concerns and his own noise levels as reason for the move.
The Town has taken legal action against the Academy and has voted to use Town money for legal fees. Hundreds of Castine's citizens[citation needed], former Academy faculty members, and some current Academy students are engaged in various forms of protest against the Academy's perceived move to break the zoning ordinances, including writing letters to Maine's elected representatives on the state and Federal levels; signing petitions; instituting legal action; filing Freedom of Information Requests to investigate how the Academy allocates it assets; taking out ads in newspapers; mounting a PR campaign and creating websites, such as mmawatch.org[1] and Castine Citizens Action Group [2]. [3]. However, the Academy has its own support base of alumni, faculty and staff who support the purchase of the Abbott House. To date the conflict remains unresolved.
External links
- Maine Maritime Academy — Official External Website
- Loeb-Sullivan School of Business — Official Website
- ^ www.mainemaritime.edu/thecollege/index.php?c1=TheCollege&c2=History
- ^ http://regiment.mma.edu/about/fitin.html
- ^ http:////www.mainemaritime.edu/thecollege/index.php?c1=TheCollege&c2=FAQ