Maine Maritime Academy builds leaders for maritime and related industries establishing a workforce that is prepared to service the future of American global trade and national security. Our students are not only technically adept, they carry a strong work ethic, they aspire to lead. This is what sets our graduates apart from other college graduates. Ours know what to do, they want to do it, and they have the discipline to do it right. Our academic programs create critical thinkers and problem solvers for the workplace. Through our regimental program, academic rigor in all programs, and an environment that demands excellence, Maine Maritime Academy embodies Dirigo, the Maine State Motto. Dirigo, I lead, is exemplified by the demeanor and reputation of our graduates in industry. Dirigo is essential to succeeding at Maine Maritime Academy and our graduates take their grit, discipline, rigor and aspiration to lead into the world beyond. We are proud to be represented as such in the workplace now and into the future.
The Maine Maritime Academy Strategic Plan 2025 is the result of months of listening, reflection, and consensus-building across our community. With contributions from over 321 students, faculty, staff, alumni, and stakeholders, this plan centers the student experience as our guiding purpose and beacon with endorsement by our leadership. Every goal and objective has been crafted to support students academically, socially, and professionally—while ensuring our institution is sustainable, inclusive, and forward-thinking.
Vision
Maine Maritime Academy will deliver a best-in-class maritime education in a rigorous academic environment combined with a comprehensive hands-on student experience.
Mission
Maine Maritime Academy’s mission is to deliver a thorough education grounded in rigorous academics, experiential learning and professional preparation for success and leadership within the maritime, engineering, and related fields. The curriculum will empower students to take on leadership roles, encourage self-discipline, promote curiosity, while providing graduates with the skills, ethics and tools needed to succeed in the global maritime world, engineering, and related professions.
Strategic Goals
Into the Future!
Maine Maritime Academy’s 2025 Strategic Plan lays out a roadmap to a thriving future for our institution. The roadmap was derived from campus listening sessions and feedback discussions held with people who are knowledgeable of our current state and who will be impacted by our strategic decisions: Students, Staff, Faculty, and the Alumni and other stakeholders. The voice of Students and Staff in the 2025 Plan is stronger than in those of the past. This plan is comprehensive and inclusive. There are two critical areas of focus: Finance and Enrollment/Retention. There are also two opportunities for enhanced success learned from past plans.
Public institutions and small colleges with small endowments are struggling financially in 2025. We are no different. Strategic Goal 3 addresses the financial need to be sustainable while maintaining affordability to the demographic of students likely to attend MMA. Training professional mariners for the US Fleet is not trivial, and it is expensive. We must diversify our revenues in an accretive manner.
The second critical area of focus is Enrollment and Retention. We want to attract optimal numbers of students to MMA and keep them here. The path to those goals is to create a student experience that leads to student success. Those experiences are unique to potential new applicants and students, and success isn’t necessarily about jobs and careers. The opportunities for great jobs and careers are certainly core to MMA and should not be minimized. If we cannot paint a picture to prospective applicants, if they cannot see themselves thriving here, then they will not come. Similarly, success beyond jobs and careers might be defined through other lenses such as athletics, social opportunities, personal development, family, etc. It is our job to continuously listen to our current and prospective students and adapt to their changing needs.
There are two imperatives derived from lessons learned in previous plans for sustained strategic success. The first imperative is to continue listening, to be attentive. Those who implement this plan must continue to listen to the voices of Students, Staff, and Faculty, maintaining discourse and transparency in order to establish and maintain trust. The second imperative for the 2025 Strategic Plan to succeed is implementation management. To assess our status and evolve moving forward, we must track our progress against the Plan. This requires a robust and consistent reporting process along with commitment to follow through. The 2025 Strategic Plan is a dynamic, living document which should be relied upon assessing and improving efforts.
This plan exemplifies the importance of the power of listening and the need to communicate clearly. The work now begins to convert the plan into action and build upon the trust established to result in a thriving Maine Maritime Academy that benefits an entire ecosystem of stakeholders. Stakeholders include our Students, Staff, Faculty, Alumni and Board of Trustees. These broaden to include the State of Maine, the United States, and a global maritime and related businesses of which we are a part.
The Board of Trustees approved this plan on November 6, 2025, and we are pleased to present it to the MMA Community and the public as a whole. We will remain engaged as we implement and manage this plan toward a thriving future for Maine Maritime Academy.
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