Strategic Plan

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

Four 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 four 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 and was adopted by the MMA Board of Trustees in February of 2014.

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 education. 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 engineering 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

1Assure that our curriculum, our faculty, our campus, and our infrastructure support our commitment to provide our students the best marine and related educational opportunities.
  • Ensure that all majors provide a clear path to a successful career.
  • Demonstrate the Academy’s commitment to scholarship and to excellence in teaching.
  • Develop and implement a campus master plan to support achievement of our institutional objectives.
  • Develop a “Planned Maintenance Program.”
2Assure that MMA is affordable for our students and that the college of tomorrow is economically sound and sustainable.
  • Maximize existing assets and undertake new ventures to generate revenue beyond tuition and fees.
  • Raise the funds necessary to build an endowment that will allow MMA to meet the financial aid needs of our students.
  • Develop and implement strategies to enhance tuition income and fees.
3Continuously demonstrate that overall student satisfaction and success are central to our management philosophy.
  • Develop a facilities plan focused on maximizing existing facilities to enhance the student experience.
  • Engage students in the development and implementation of strategies to create a vibrant campus community that encourages growth and success.
  • Demonstrate a commitment to an inclusive community by improving the gender balance and enhancing student exposure to cultural diversity.
4Elevate MMA’s profile and stature through thoughtful and effective outreach, brand, and communication strategies.
  • Be able to clearly and consistently articulate the MMA brand and the value we provide.
  • Commit resources to support the implementation of strategies to successfully communicate our value proposition to our target markets.

PDF Downloads:

strategic plan thumbnailCampus and Facilities Inventory