ACADEMIC MILESTONES
ABET Reaccreditation Three of the academy's engineering
technology majors are certified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET). In October 2014, MMA's Power Engineering Technology
and Marine Engineering Technology programs received ful re-accreditation.
MMA's Marine Systems Engineering program has recently completed its self-
study and is scheduled for a campus evaluation in October 2017.
Environmental Sustainability Minor The faculty
have approved the introduction of a new Environmental Sustainability minor
into the academic curriculum. The interdisciplinary minor combines new
and existing courses from multiple departments to help prepare students for
relevant environmental challenges they wil confront in their careers.
U.S. Coast Guard / MARAD Audit The U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) and the U.S. Maritime Administration conduct an audit every
five years of the Academy's curriculum, training records and compliance with
international and U.S. Standards of Training Certification and Watchkeeping
(STCW) as part of our ongoing authorization under federal law to endorse
students for mariners' licenses. The most recent audit, completed in March
of 2017, cited no discrepancies. The audit team's final report lauded MMA
for "extraordinary record management...a model for other academies to
duplicate, instructors' sincere commitment to ensure cadets' success, and top
management commitment."
NEASC Reaccreditation In April 2017, the academy
successful y completed a 10-year cycle of self-study to renew its ful
accreditation status with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
(NEASC).
Maritime Academy Council SOP with USCG The
Maritime Academy Council (MAC), currently chaired by MMA Vice President
for Academic Affairs Dr. David Gardner, is a consortium of five state maritime
academies and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy representing collective
interests in policy-setting with our regulatory agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard
and the U.S. Maritime Administration. In July 2017, the MAC and the Coast
Guard jointly signed a landmark Policy Manual that formalizes operating
procedures, common standards, regulatory measures, and evaluation processes.
Cross-Deck Training Over the 2017 winter and spring breaks,
senior Marine Transportation student Wil Andrews completed operational
internships aboard two 175-foot Coast Guard buoy tenders under a formal
training memorandum MMA has with the First Coast Guard District in
Boston. The agreement allows selected junior and senior regimental students to
work alongside crews of Coast Guard ships home-ported in New England.
SPECIALIZED
2016-17 Research & Grants (highlights)
· The Marine Engine Testing and Emissions Laboratory, a U.S. DOT
LABORATORIES,
University Transportation Center, established in 2013 with a $1.4 million
SUCH AS THOSE
grant, installed medium-speed engine testing capabilities in Andrews Hal
DEDICATED TO
to support research and assess benefits of new fuel and after-treatment
MARINE SCIENCE,
technologies.
· Under Professor Douglas Read's direction, MMA received a grant for
BRING LESSONS
$97,257 from the Maine Economic Improvement Fund Smal Campus
FROM THE
Initiative to construct a fuel-efficient 21-foot lobster boat technology
CLASSROOM TO
demonstrator in partnership with The Landing School.
LIFE.
· The Ocean Studies department received a $5,000 grant from the Quahog
Bay Conservancy (QBC) in support of undergraduate research at MMA.
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