Strategic Plan

75 YEARS OF GROWTH

Maine Maritime Academy celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding in 2016. To continue the Academy’s success through the next 75 years, we, the Board of Trustees of Maine Maritime Academy, put forward this plan to capitalize upon current opportunities and to navigate through the obstacles that we may encounter in the years ahead.

This is our commitment to the future of Maine Maritime Academy, to put in place a process management system that is guided by a thoughtful strategic approach ensuring that the Academy moves from strength to strength. Our approach will be to continuously evaluate the progress we are achieving and goals we are reaching, much as a navigator assesses a vessel’s position. This is how we envision meeting the needs of the MMA students of tomorrow.

THEMATIC GOALS / STRATEGIC THINKING

Five themes emerged in the course of our work to develop this plan. These themes will serve as strategic goals, a suite of measures that will maximize the college’s potential. These five strategic goals and the attendant objectives and action plans will help to guide the college and its leaders over the next 75 years and beyond.

Development of this pathway towards the future has been a collaborative endeavor, gaining benefit from the best efforts of many people within the Academy community. This strategic plan, this pathway forward, is our navigational course towards the future.

Like any plot laid down to chart a course, our position must be periodically checked and our progress assessed. What follows represents Maine Maritime Academy’s strategic process to achieve our goals and ensure a bright future.

Student in lab

MISSION FOR THE FUTURE

Marine and Related programs provide the focus at Maine Maritime Academy. Our mission is to provide a quality educationand support the development of Maine’s maritime and related workforces. The curriculum will empower students to take leadership roles, encourage rigorous self-discipline, promote curiosity, and provide graduates with the skills, ethics, and knowledge needed to succeed in the global economy.

VISION FOR THE FUTURE

We share a vision that Maine Maritime Academy will provide the best marine and related education of any small college.

STRATEGIC PROCESS

At Maine Maritime Academy, we have adopted a process engineering approach to the development and management of strategic planning.

Static plans that sit on the shelf serve no purpose. We have adopted a process management approach to our planning that will continuously review, as part of an ongoing cycle of planning, programming, budgeting and execution, where we stand relative to our goals. On an ongoing basis we will validate the plans that guide us and will modify our approach as necessary in order to ensure continuous improvement.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Offer our Students a variety of learning experiences on our campus, our training vessels, in the maritime industry, and around the world.
Maximize our extraordinary waterfront, vessels, and training ship to provide the hands-on, experiential, ocean-oriented and career-focused education that is so highly valued.
Retain and enhance the positive aspects of a small college environment, experience, and education.
Celebrate the completion of the ABS building and complete other physical plant and equipment upgrades that keep us current and enhance the learning experience.
Further our commitment to excellence in teaching by hiring, training, supporting, and retaining the very best faculty.
Demonstrate a commitment to enhancing student life through measurable increases in the satisfaction levels of our students.

Deepen our relationships with and continue to meet the needs of the industries that employ our students and graduates.
Strengthen our alumni network and provide training and educational offerings of value to them.
Generate new and expanded revenue opportunities, on and off campus, paired with strategic investments of resources and fundraising success, to allow us to keep tuition and fees affordable for Maine students.
Have a clear brand strategy that maximizes our profile with potential students and their parents, future employers, the general public, and our legislative representatives.
Experience increased applications for admission in all majors, including graduate, continuing education, and distance education.

Student at shore

STRATEGIC GOALS

TARGETED OBJECTIVES

1	Assure that our curriculum, our faculty, our campus, and our infrastructure support our commitment to provide our students the best marine and related educational opportunities.

Cultivate a motivated, supported, and appreciated workforce on campus by assessing and improving human resource practices such that we achieve a cohesive team working toward common goals.
Enrich programming for students, faculty and staff including academic support, preparation, modern industry standards, and appropriate and timely professional trainings.
Create internal communication that promotes teamwork, interdepartmental understanding and trusted leadership.
Develop and implement intentional processes while resurrecting current policies and procedures to effectively manage the Academy.
Define the IT department's critical role, communicate it broadly, and dedicate the resources necessary.
Create a consolidated organization and plan for extra-Castine Continuing Education programs.
Evolve the curriculum to remain current and responsive to demands 10 years out to ensure that all majors provide a clear path to a successful career.
Modernize the MMA Compensation and classification review infrastructure to ensure objective, logical analysis to achieve greater internal equity and external competitiveness.

2	Assure that MMA is affordable for our students and that the college of tomorrow is economically sound and sustainable.

Create and implement a plan that achieves financial sustainability beyond tuition-based income.
Evolve enrollment strategies, with supportive recruitment, to be consistent with our facilities and human resources that maintain a positive, healthy student experience. Update and Maintain Comprehensive Enrollment Plan.
Make facilities financially sustainable by modernizing them, minimizing waste, and adhering to a proactive facilities plan.
Explore means to alleviate financial pressures for students.
Establish a culture of giving on campus and spread that culture to our alumni and other stakeholders through active and engaging communication and events.
Implement short-time enrollment management action plans to increase recruitment and yield of students while providing input to inform development of Strategic Enrollment Management plan. This should include in-person visits to high schools, social media and digital advertising and streamlined admissions processes.

3	Continuously demonstrate that overall student satisfaction and success are central to our management philosophy.

Improve campus experience for all students, noting the varying groups, through support, care, activities, community involvement (campus and Castine), and recognizing the importance of athletics to the Academy.
Enable regimental students to integrate with the campus community while maintaining their identity and program integrity.
Recognize and act upon the importance of housing to the student and faculty experience.
Modernize campus and its infrastructure.
Strengthen the relationship of students with the administration through outreach and transparency.

4	Elevate MMA's profile and stature through thoughtful and effective outreach, brand, and communication strategies.

Apply time and effort to the symbiotic relationship MMA shares with the communities it is part of: Castine, State of Maine, maritime industry.
Make external communications, branding, and social media presence meaningful, cohesive, and positive.
Refocus mission statement (SP25) to align with our niche and define Academy identity.
Increase alumni engagement with special concentration on actively engaging younger alumni (1-25 years out).

5	Ensure that MMA's Facilities are able to support the achievement of all other Strategic Goals.

Develop a Strategic Facilities Plan and continuous management process by year end 2024 to prepare for new construction, optimize maintenance spend, decarbonize, and support all Strategic Goals at the Castine Campus as well as the MMA satellite facilities.
Develop a plan to fully staff Facilities Department and then utilize them to execute the Strategic Facilities Plan, including some input into generating procurement requirements and contractor selection.
Complete new pier construction and waterfront improvements to accommodate arrival of NSMV in midsummer 2025.