This morning, President Brennnan announced important changes to the summer Cruise schedule for both the TSSOM and Bowdoin. In addition, he announced the development of plans that would ensure that seniors who need additional sea time are still able meet their requirements this summer. Please watch the video below for his full message.

Following the President’s announcement, Acting Provost Mark Coté provided this update to students.

Good afternoon MMA students,

With the postponement of the at sea summer Cruises, I know that you have questions about what the plan is for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, I cannot give you clear guidance yet on how this will work, but know that we have several groups of Faculty and Staff who are working on how best to accomplish all the events and tasks that will allow you to continue on your programs and complete your degrees. It is still our intent to resume in-person classes in the Fall, with the understanding that we cannot yet predict the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maine in August and September.

There will be many things to consider and getting it all to work will take some time to figure out.  I have asked that all involved teams work to have a new 2020-2021 Academic Year plan finished by the end of June, and we will update you, and post a revised Academic Calendar, soon after that so that we all can start planning for the upcoming year. This is a major interruption to life plans for all of us, but it is the reality of the impact of this pandemic.

All students registered for the summer Cruise courses will be dropped from those courses. This will create a credit on your student account. Refunds can be requested through the Finance Office. However, we strongly recommend that these credits remain on your account, as you will be charged for the replacement cruise once that is scheduled.

On some specific logistical items:

1. For Super Seniors who need to complete a Cruise on the State of Maine or Bowdoin, we are looking at ways to get you the experience you need this summer. I hope to have approved plans that I can share with you soon.  Once we have that set up, we’ll get you registered for those classes and start the process of having you return to campus.
2. If you have already registered for fall classes, be aware that there may be changes to when and how we schedule classes to reflect the recommended practices for dealing with the COVID-19 situation. If changes are made, we will reflect those changes on the Portal as soon as possible. Note we don’t expect that type of information to be finalized until early August at the soonest.
3. Due to the challenges posed by the pandemic, we will be relaxing prerequisites for a number of classes, including allowing all Cadet Shipping and Summer Work Experience students to start their classes, even with Incompletes, for classes that are not yet completed from the spring term. If there are situations where you require a course that was impacted by the changes in our spring and summer operations to start your fall semester, we will look at those cases on an individual basis, but it is not our intent to prevent you from starting a class if the prerequisite was not met because of something outside your control.

I’ll close with a note of thanks. Your flexibility and resilience during this challenging time have made it possible for all of us to work through the challenges we face in a way that, while not always comfortable or easy, allowed us to complete our mission of preparing you for your careers. Thank you for working with us. I can’t say that things will get easier, but I am confident in our ability to get through this and emerge as better people in the future.

I wish you, and your families good health, as we work through this. I will update you periodically as things come together. Please reach out to me, or anyone at MMA, if you have questions or need assistance.

Prof. Coté

CAPT Mark Coté, USN(Ret) PE
Acting Provost/Academic Dean
Professor of Engineering
215 Leavitt Hall or 212 BIW
Maine Maritime Academy
(207)326-2485 or 2102