Sixteen hardy souls attended a gathering held January 12 on a heavy rain day in San Diego. The venue, Ballast Point Miramar Restaurant, was great and service was top-notch, offering excellent light hors d’oeuvres and multiple craft beverages. It was a fairly young crowd—alums around 40 or younger—who enjoyed the casual, social atmosphere. The chapter is planning an annual summer Lobsterfest, so save the date: Saturday, August 17 at the ZLAC Rowing Club.

The Ned Andrews Chapter held a gathering on Thursday, March 14 at The Daniel in Brunswick, Maine. Attendees enjoyed a delicious buffet meal. The featured speaker for the evening was Jerrod Pratt ’98E, U.S. Operations Manager for Hydro Tech, speaking on the topic of hydropower.

The August 2019 Mariner will feature articles and profiles of alumni who are recent graduates. To assist us, we will be sending a survey to our recent alumni via email in April.

The survey queries alumni regarding the most pressing issues they face, such as maintaining employment, career success, debt management, and work/life balance. It also attempts to gauge how much impact MMA has had on their lives and feelings toward the college. And the survey explores ways the Alumni Association might assist them with career services and more.

Recent alumni: please note that your student@mma.edu email accounts expire one year after graduation.

If you are not receiving the electronic newsletter Shipmate every other month, then the email we have on file is incorrect or non-existent.

We encourage all alumni to update their email by contacting alumni@mma.edu.

The second annual traveling presentation of Up Close will be visiting alumni in South Carolina and Florida during the week of May 5. Ports of Call include the Carolina Yacht Club in Charleston on Sunday, May 5; The River Club in Jacksonville on Tuesday, May 7; and the University Club of Tampa on Thursday, May 9.

The purpose of each Up Close visit is to network, inform and share the compelling story of change, growth and success at MMA. The presentation highlights academy statistics, recent renovations, and upcoming initiatives, including the latest news on the Center for Professional Development.

The Up Close presentation highlights academy statistics, recent renovations, and upcoming initiatives.

Plans are to expand our visits in the near future. If you are interested in hosting an Up Close event, contact Alumni Relations: 207- 326-2337 or alumni@mma.edu.

Alumni from several classes have joined a peer-to-peer effort to reach out to fellow classmates to help meet the Vision 20|20 participation goals. This team of volunteers is working toward the 20% alumni participation benchmark that is required to earn a $750,000 grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation toward MMA’s scholarship endowment.

Twenty-one alumni have joined the team including Mike Ames ’77, Rich Armstrong ’86, Eric Brown ’05, Larry Burrill ’77, Pat Carney ’86, Bob Curtis ’90, Dave Fenderson ’56, Bill Full ’76, John Gillis ’72, Chris Gilman ’16, Jeff Ivory ’95, Jake Jacobs ’85, James Jeffcoat ’05, Eddie Ma ’18, Bill Mahoney ’56, Eliza Pingree ’15, Bill Sawyer ’57, Andrew Strosahl ’05, Fred Therrien ’71, Joe Valliere ’99 and Thomas White ’18. These volunteers are getting in touch with classmates via email, phone or social media to encourage an online or mailed donation to the Annual Fund of $1 or more to count toward the participation goal. MMA alumni must reach the 20% benchmark by June 30, 2020 to qualify for the matching grant.

Climb aboard! To find out more about Vision 20|20, contact MMA’s Annual Fund Manager Karen Brace at karen.brace@mma.edu or 207-326-2182. To participate by making a donation, visit MMA’s website at https://mainemaritime.edu/support-mma/, or mail a check to the Annual Fund at MMA, 1 Pleasant Street, Castine, Maine 04420.

Your contribution during the Maritime Alumni Participation Challenge in May will count toward the 20% goal. Mariners can get there by pulling together!