special mission performance report 2016

2016

Massachusetts Maritime Academy

Special Mission Performance Report

Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 1 June 2016 1

Special Mission Update: 2016

Introduction

As one of two special mission colleges within the state university system, Massachusetts

Maritime Academy offers students a high-quality education within a distinctive learning

environment designed to provide a multi-modal learning experience directly focused on student

success in the degree programs and graduate success in the workplace. A hallmark of an MMA

education for the last 125 years, this educational approach is continually refined to meet the

changing demands of higher education and the global workforce. The specialized, STEM-based

degree programs prepare graduates for work not only in the maritime industry but also in a range

of technological, business, environmental, and civic sectors vital to the economies of the

Commonwealth and Nation. By immersing students in a disciplined and supportive learning

environment characterized by a regimental structure and a clearly articulated code of conduct,

the Academy graduates lifelong learners who possess the education, experience, confidence,

motivation, and self-discipline to excel in their careers.

Since fall 2005, when the Academy was first designated a special mission college, the

undergraduate population has increased from 949 to 1,537 degree-seeking students, an increase

of 62% (Table 1).

Table 1 Fall Enrollment Trends by Primary Undergraduate Program

Fall EM ESE FE IMB ME MSEP MT UNDC* TOTAL

2005 28 NA 96 66 287 131 191 150 949

2006 48 NA 108 53 243 86 174 283 995

2007 86 NA 85 50 252 60 190 304 1,027

2008 94 NA 106 72 262 56 177 330 1,097

2009 92 NA 116 90 273 60 192 329 1,152

2010 94 NA 135 112 266 74 170 337 1,188

2011 111 NA 153 128 260 100 170 347 1,269

2012 117 NA 165 132 256 101 186 346 1,303

2013 101 21 152 109 282 100 212 385 1,362

2014 102 51 186 150 456 102 347 1 1,395

2015 140 61 191 178 494 121 352 0 1,537 Includes full-time and part-time degree-seeking students, unduplicated head count; EM=Emergency Management; ESE=Energy Systems

Engineering; FE=Facilities Engineering; IMB=International Maritime Business; ME=Marine Transportation; MSEP=Marine Safety & Environmental Protection; MT=Marine Transportation

*Prior to 2014, students declared their majors in spring semester.

In planning for growth, the Academy has carefully analyzed the resources necessary to support

each degree program and arrived at optimal enrollment figures for each. Due to severely limited

academic space, the Academy’s strategic plan calls for increasing the undergraduate student

population gradually in upcoming years: by approximately 25 students per year until 2020, when

the undergraduate population should reach 1,650.1 This five-year increase of roughly 125

1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_25su1o1-m-aHlzbUlBenhhSXM/view


students is modest by comparison with growth experienced between 2005 and 2015, a period

during which enrollment increased by nearly 600 students. In conjunction with an increase in

applicants, the annual growth rate is based on a 97% retention rate from orientation to the first

day of the academic schedule, a first-to-second-year retention rate of 86-90%, and a six-year

graduation rate of 65-68%.2 The systematic and measured increase requires adjustments in the

current programming and infrastructure to maintain the high quality education for which the

Academy is known (see also “Financial Resources” and “Campus Infrastructure and

Improvements” below).

As indicated on the Massachusetts DHE web site, the Academy has the lowest tuition and

mandatory fee structure among its state peer institutions. Moreover, the Academy has had a

tuition and mandatory fee increase of $1,956 over ten years as compared to an increase of $4,524

at the other special mission college, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, during the same

period.3 As a result, the Academy has experienced the lowest increase over the last ten years—an

increase of 34%. The state university average over this ten-year time frame is 56.5%. Under the

special mission approval, the Academy is restricted to a five percent annual increase in tuition

and fees; however, in preparing to submit the special mission renewal in 2017, the Academy will

request that the permissible increase will be based on an average of the increases seen at the nine

state universities.

Several of the MMA degree programs are limited in enrollment due to constraints specific to the

nature of the required curricula. As preparatory programs for merchant marine officers, the

degrees in Marine Engineering and Marine Transportation are resource-intensive programs,

requiring academic and practical education aboard auxiliary training craft and in specialized

classrooms, laboratories, and simulators. These programs also require sea service for Coast

Guard licensure; consequently, each student in these programs will complete three, two-month

sea terms aboard the training ship Kennedy as well as a fourth sea term aboard a commercial

vessel. Enrollment in the two maritime programs is limited to approximately 50% of the

incoming class by a number of factors, including the limited berthing capacity of the training

vessel, a reduction in the number of commercial shipping billets available, and the low student-

to-faculty ratio required for intensive specialized instruction—as few as eight students per

instructional or support staff in some learning environments. The Facilities Engineering and

Energy Systems Engineering degree programs also require intensive instruction and specialized

resources, which will limit enrollment in these majors. Projected enrollment for Facilities

Engineering will be 60 students per cohort, while projected enrollment for Energy Systems

Engineering will be 24 students per cohort.

Due to the resource-intensive nature of the maritime license and engineering programs, the

greatest potential for enrollment growth is within the three remaining programs: International

Maritime Business, Emergency Management, and Marine Safety & Environmental Protection.

Each of these programs will enroll approximately 60 students per cohort. The third most sought

after degree program at the Academy (after Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering), the

2 https://www.maritime.edu/sites/default/files/mma_key_data_elements_2015-16.pdf

3http://www.mass.edu/datacenter/tuition/AppendixTuitionFeesWeight7.asp


Emergency Management program has the highest potential for growth. Through close

collaboration with local municipalities and the County of Barnstable, the program recently

became the first such program at a four-year institution in the Commonwealth from which 12

undergraduates are selected each year to attain Firefighter I and II certification. Now fully

implemented, this program component will likely attract transfer students completing

Associate’s Degree programs in fire science at other institutions.

With continued growth, the Academy has been prudent in maintaining adequate instructional

staff for all programs. Additional permanent, tenure-track faculty members have been hired and

all vacancies have been backfilled. The student to instructional staff ratio is currently 16:1

(IPEDS, degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking students). The low student-to-instructional staff

ratio is partly attributable to the requisite low enrollment in specialized training environments,

including laboratories and simulators, where students may number as few as eight per instructor.

Planning must also allow for growth without exceeding the support capacity of current staffing

levels. Concurrent with decisions to expand the student population, the Academy has taken

measures to improve information technology and campus business systems, making

improvements that have reduced costs while increasing efficiency. As a result, essential services

can be maintained at a level consistent with demand with only limited, strategic hiring of

additional staff. In addition, modest but steady increases in student fees will result in increased

revenue. Approximately $1.5 M in new revenue will be generated by the enrollment increase,

which will provide adequate funding to support any faculty hiring necessary to maintain a

student-faculty ratio of approximately 16:1. Moreover, the Academy continues to look for

opportunities to make staff support more efficient and reduce costs by adopting such practices as

e-payment and “one-card” technology.

Also necessary will be an expansion of the physical infrastructure. In response to the need for

more academic spaces for classrooms and laboratories, the Academy is planning a $20 M capital

project that will add a new combined classroom/laboratory facility, anticipated to begin

construction in fiscal year 2018-2019. The Academy has forwarded a plan to contribute 25% of

the construction costs of the project. In addition, housing a predominantly residential student

population requires considerable dormitory space. Currently, the dormitories are full, with

training vessel berthing accommodating the overflow. Since additional space will be necessary to

accommodate growth, the Academy is currently discussing with the Dormitory Authority the

possibility of increasing dormitory capacity, and a discussion on other space requirements will

take place between MMA and DCAM on 31 May.


I. Student Learning

A. Assessment

The Academy continues to make significant progress in the assessment of student learning,

employing direct and indirect measures to determine the effectiveness of academic and co-

curricular programming and using data to inform program improvement. The Director of

Institutional Effectiveness, responsible for assessment and institutional research, works to

develop and improve systems for conducting assessment, collecting and interpreting data, and

maintaining productive dialog across campus with regard to assessment initiatives.

Led by the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and comprising administrators, faculty, and

staff, the Campus-Wide Assessment Committee supports the assessment of learning outcomes at

all levels and discusses assessment initiatives, systems and methods for the collection and

interpretation of data, and best practices for the implementation of the assessment cycle. As a

result of this ongoing effort, the Academy is increasingly effective at interpreting data and

responding to observable trends. The assessment committee is currently reviewing the

Academy’s core competencies and institutional learning outcomes to improve their alignment

with the Academy’s mission and with course learning outcomes throughout the curricula of both

the undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Better alignment between competencies and

outcomes will assist in the articulation and deployment of assessment plans by departments

while clarifying the reporting of assessment data according to the standards for accreditation.

B: General Education Quality and Assessment

Providing a foundation for learning in advanced degree coursework, the general education

program at Massachusetts Maritime Academy is regularly evaluated, and ongoing revisions

ensure student proficiency in critical skills and knowledge. In addition to assessment measures

utilized within general education departments (see below), the Academy has administered the

ETS Proficiency Profile since 2009 to assess critical thinking, writing, reading, and mathematics

skills as well as knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. A direct

assessment of student learning, the examination provides data useful for benchmarking against

peer institutions and proficiency classifications useful for curriculum improvements.

Writing Proficiency Program

The assessment of writing skills among MMA freshmen and seniors by the ETS Proficiency

Profile Examination has yielded valuable data leading to the development and implementation of

the Academy’s writing program. With the exception of spring 2014, MMA seniors have obtained

writing scores slightly lower than those of their peers at Master’s institutions that administered

the examination between July 2010 and June 2015 [n = 104; institutional mean sub-score =

114.8] (Table 3).


Table 3 ETS Proficiency Profile Writing Score Data*

Spring

Term Sub-score % Proficient, Writing, Level 1

% Proficient, Writing, Level 2

% Proficient, Writing, Level 3

2011 113.69 56% 13% 7%

2012 113.60 56% 15% 6%

2013 114.30 63% 18% 7%

2014 114.97 68% 17% 9%

2015 114.28 61% 14% 8%

*Proficiency for Level 1 = 65%; Level 2 = 21%; Level 3= 9% (levels reference benchmark for % of students (n=65,969) proficient at peer

institutions)

Data on student writing skills collected since 2012 during administration of the Career Fair

Survey have corroborated the results of the ETS Proficiency Profile. The survey indicates that

about half of employers rate written communication as a “very important” skill for employees,

yet those rating the skills of MMA undergraduates as “strong” on the survey have ranged from

only 41% to 65% on the last six surveys

Based upon the results of the ETS Proficiency Profile and Career Fair Survey data, the Academy

determined that a full-scale writing program would be necessary to address concerns about

student skills in written communication. Resources were allocated for the development of such a

program, and the Humanities Department was charged with undertaking the project and hiring a

program administrator to oversee program implementation. Now fully implemented, the program

requires students to demonstrate writing proficiency in order to graduate. Students must pass a

writing proficiency examination after completing 30 credit hours as well as the composition

sequence, and they must submit a writing portfolio in their sixth semester at the Academy. To

date, 310 students have completed the writing proficiency examination, and the first portfolios

will be submitted this year (2016).

Mathematics Support Program

All students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at the Academy complete coursework

in calculus, chemistry, and physics. These courses establish an essential foundation for more

advanced study in the major, which students acquire by first completing the Algebra and

Trigonometry course. Since the Academy no longer places students in remedial mathematics,

any incoming student who does not transfer credit for a comparable course will be placed in

Algebra and Trigonometry in the fall semester. Students whose scores indicate need for

remediation are offered three options to prepare for the course prior to the beginning of the

semester: completion of a summer course in Intermediate Algebra at MMA, completion of a

comparable course at another institution of higher education, or completion of an online

mathematics learning program (ALEKS), the components of which have been selected by MMA

mathematics faculty. If a student fails to satisfactorily complete one of the three options, that

student will be limited to 12 course credits in the fall semester and required to complete six hours

of tutoring in Algebra and Trigonometry per week throughout the semester at the Academic

Resource Center. Early results from the program suggest that it is having a positive effect on the

passing rate for the course, thereby helping to ensure that the affected students are making

satisfactory progress toward the degree. Since the program was implemented, the pass rate in

Algebra and Trigonometry has averaged 90.7%.


C. Degree Program Quality and Assessment

On a regular cycle, each degree department completes and submits a self-study that describes the

program and curriculum as well as departmental planning and assessment initiatives. The report

is evaluated by an external reviewer, who writes a formal response to the report for the benefit of

the program and the Academy. This process provides the departments with valuable information

for program revision and continues to inform curriculum changes within departments.

In the Department of Environmental Protection, Safety, and Emergency Management, the

Marine Safety and Environmental Protection program has instituted three safety courses to align

the program more closely with industry needs and the employment prospects of students within

the major: Fundamentals of Occupational Health and Safety, Advanced Health and Safety, and

Environmental Health and Safety Audit Program. In addition, the Department has established a

minor in Occupational Health and Safety. To provide experience deemed important for preparing

graduates from the program to enter the workforce, the Department has also established an

Experiential Learning Program for all freshman during the winter semester. Finally, plans are

underway to develop a concentration in shipboard environmental, health and safety, which is

designed specifically to prepare students for work in the field of environmental health and safety

aboard seagoing vessels.

In the Department of Science and Mathematics, curriculum changes have been made in response

to observations regarding student success in completing specific courses. By establishing a

minimum grade of C- in Algebra & Trigonometry for enrollment in Calculus I, for example, the

Department responded to data indicating that students with lower grades do not perform well in

the more advanced course. The change also aligned the requirement with that seen at other state

universities and community colleges. The addition of an elective Materials Science course was

also viewed as a positive development by the external reviewer of the Department’s self-study.

As a result of its 2011 self-study, the Humanities Department developed the Writing Assessment

Program, a rigorous program that makes writing proficiency a graduation requirement. The

Department also created writing courses that extend beyond the required first-year writing

courses (English Composition and Analysis and Interpretation of Literature). The new writing

courses include Composing in New Media, Writing in Style, and Technical Writing. Additional

humanities elective courses were also added as a result of the self-study, including Contemporary

Literature, Detective Literature, Introduction to World Religions, and The Brain, Narrative, and

the Self. The Department conducted its most recent Self-Study during the 2015-2016 academic

year, which has already resulted in a decision to remove German I, German II, and Discipline &

Punishment: Philosophies & Theories from the curriculum.

In response to a recent self-study by the Department of Social Science, several changes have

been implemented. The Department has increased the variety and number of electives offered

each semester; established written guidelines for teaching required courses, such as Western

Civilization and American Government; revised all course syllabi to reflect student learning

outcomes; replaced all two-credit courses with three-credit courses so that these courses qualify

as electives; created an American Studies concentration in collaboration with the Department of

Humanities; and created courses that support the Emergency Management major. In addition, the

Department continues to investigate the possibility of establishing other concentrations within


Social Sciences and the possibility of collaboration with the Department of Humanities to

improve student skills in written communication.

For each of the Academy’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs, learning outcomes are

published on departmental or divisional web sites. In addition, curriculum maps have been

developed for some of these programs, detailing specific courses in which the established

learning outcomes are addressed. Currently, the Energy Systems Engineering, Emergency

Management (draft), and Science and Mathematics departments have completed curriculum

maps. The International Maritime Business program has also published a detailed program

assessment plan on its web site.

A revision of the Academy’s core competencies and institutional learning outcomes is currently

before governance for approval. Once the revisions are finalized and approved, work will begin

on developing and updating assessment plans for each program.

Practical Education: Sea Term, Cooperative Education, and Experiential Learning

In meeting its mission, the Academy continues to emphasize its “learn-do-learn” approach to

educational programming, affording students numerous and varied opportunities to obtain and

reinforce knowledge in classrooms while putting that knowledge into practice in state-of-the art

simulators and laboratories and during cooperative education, experiential learning, and sea

terms. By requiring some combination of practical experiences for each of its undergraduate

programs, the Academy ensures that students completing the prescribed curricula have obtained

the knowledge and skills relevant to their disciplines and demonstrated their ability to put this

knowledge into practice. Every student graduating from the Academy has completed at least two

(often three or four) comprehensive projects associated with some combination of sea term,

cooperative education, or experiential learning (see Table 4). *EM=Emergency Management; ESE=Energy Systems Engineering; FE=Facilities Engineering; IMB=International Maritime Business; ME= Marine Engineering; MSEP=Marine Safety & Environmental Protection; MT=Marine Transportation

In each such project, the student is evaluated according to departmental rubrics and must

demonstrate understanding of and the ability to apply discipline-specific knowledge and training

within real-world work environments. Students must also demonstrate by means of these reports

the ability to synthesize learning, to solve problems, to employ critical thinking, and to

communicate effectively through written communication. In addition to the faculty evaluation,

students preparing reports for cooperative education experiences are evaluated by the host

organization. Supervisors provide an evaluation of student knowledge and skill in the discipline

as well as feedback on workplace skills, such as leadership, professionalism, and work habits.

The resulting feedback yields data useful to understand student learning and to prepare students

for success in their future workplaces.

Table 4 Number of Practical Learning Projects Required by Each Degree Program*

EM ESE FE IMB ME MSEP MT Sea Term 3 3 Cooperative Education 2 2 3 2 2 Co-op. (Commercial Shipping) 1 1 Experiential Learning 1 1 1


In various degree programs, the Academy continues to develop experiential learning courses,

practical learning opportunities that help students apply and acquire skills and knowledge in their

disciplines. In winter of 2016, the first such experiences were undertaken by students in two

programs: 55 Emergency Management students travelled to Florida where they worked on

projects with Habitat for Humanity, while 40 Marine Safety and Environmental Protection

students travelled to St. John, Virgin Islands to study the ecology, preservation, and restoration

of tropical ecosystems. Opportunities for experiential learning are currently under development

for students in the International Maritime Business program, and potential sites include Kenya,

Costa Rica, and India. During experiential learning, students will be assessed based on criteria

established for work performance and course projects.

Marine Safety and Environmental Protection

Learning outcomes for the program in Marine Safety and Environmental Protection (MSEP) are

published on the departmental web site.4 Having found that the pre- and post-examination

assessment is not producing actionable results, the Department is exploring the potential for

mapping examination questions to specific program outcomes. Assessment is also embedded in

courses across the curriculum, particularly those requiring research papers and laboratory

projects.

A comprehensive capstone project is required of all students in the program and takes place

within the Environmental Monitoring course sequence (two courses). Each year, a new cohort of

students participates in gathering data at established field sites and reporting on those data and

their learning experience by means of a formal laboratory report and a poster presentation at a

campus symposium. Faculty use a rubric to assess and grade the project according to specific

learning outcomes, and students received feedback from faculty and from those

attending the symposium.

Additional assessment of student learning occurs as students complete OSHA certification as

part of their program. To obtain certification, students must demonstrate significant knowledge

of relevant learning within the discipline.

Emergency Management

Learning outcomes for the program in Emergency Management (EM) are published on the

departmental web site.5 The Department is reviewing pre- and post-testing results to determine

whether it would be more effective to map examination questions to specific learning outcomes.

Assessment is also embedded within specific courses and undertaken during grading of

laboratory projects and research papers.

Throughout the program, students are assessed based upon their performance in tabletop

exercises conducted in the Emergency Management simulator. Students participate in realistic

scenarios and must demonstrate knowledge of the topic, critical thinking, good judgment in

decision making, and the ability to understand the Emergency Management process and arrive at

a reasonable and effective resolution of the crisis.

4 http://www.maritime.edu/msep-learning-outcomes

5 http://www.maritime.edu/emergency-management-learning-outcomes


Student learning is also assessed in a project completed for the Emergency Management

Capstone course, a project in which students select a current or emerging topic within the

discipline and write a research-based paper that requires synthesis of knowledge and the

application of learning to a real-world issue in the field. The project is graded on a range of

criteria that include subject knowledge, critical thinking, the ability to articulate and support a

course of action regarding the issue, and written communication skills.

International Maritime Business

Learning outcomes for the program in International Maritime Business (IMB) are posted on the

departmental web site.6 Student learning within the IMB program is tracked utilizing a variety of

both direct measures (i.e., IMB competency exam, IMB capstone research project, IMB

cooperative study report) and indirect measures (i.e., MMA Co-op Employer Evaluation, MMA

Senior Exit Survey, IMB Exit Survey).

The IMB competency examination was first administered to students in 2013 as part of the

Capstone Seminar in IMB course, which covers knowledge in both business and maritime topics.

To meet the established performance target, 100% of students should score at least 50% on each

portion of the examination. In accordance with IACBE accreditation requirements, student

learning is tracked by the department. The 2013 results were lower than expected: 51% of

students achieved the goal in business competence and 88% in maritime competence. Timely and

appropriate measures have been taken by the Department, including the creation of a new

assignment on maritime industry market analysis and the development of subject matter guides

for all business and maritime topics. By 2015, 92% of students had achieved the performance

target in business competence, while 100% had achieved the performance target in maritime

competence. During the same period, the IMB Exit Survey provided indirect assessment of

student learning in each category, which reflected an increase of 4 percentage points in business

competence and 8 percentage points in maritime topics.

A capstone project is also required of all students during the Capstone Seminar in IMB course.

Students select a topic to research and submit the project for assessment by means of a

departmental rubric, which measures a student’s ability to meet departmental learning outcomes.

Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering

Learning outcomes for the program in Marine Transportation and the program in Marine

Engineering are posted on departmental web sites.7 These programs enroll approximately half of

MMA undergraduate students, for whom the license examinations serve as comprehensive

measures of student ability to meet program learning outcomes. A requirement for graduation,

the four-day U.S. Coast Guard license examination measures student performance in separate

categories of knowledge within the discipline and is typically passed by a majority of students on

the first attempt (see Professional Licenses and Certification below).

Students in each program must also complete additional assessments related to the Standards of

Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), some of which are embedded in coursework

while others are assessed in stand-alone learning modules.

6 http://www.maritime.edu/imb-learning-outcomes

7 http://www.maritime.edu/learning-outcomes-1; http://www.maritime.edu/meng-learning-outcomes


Facilities Engineering

Learning outcomes for the program in Facilities Engineering are posted on the departmental web

site.8 A key assessment for the program is the internally developed and administered Facilities

Engineering Qualification Examination (FEQE). Administered since 2005, the examination

assesses student learning in engineering as well as mathematics and written communication

skills. Students must pass the examination to graduate. The results of the examination indicate

that students struggle most with the mathematics section, leading to the establishment of

minimum grade requirements in Algebra and Trigonometry, completion deadlines for Calculus I

and Mechanics, and adjustments to prerequisites to ensure that students master content in support

courses prior to undertaking more advanced coursework in the degree program.

External measures of student learning take place when students undergo examination for

Massachusetts State licenses or certification (see Professional Licenses and Certification below).

Energy Systems Engineering

Learning outcomes for the Academy’s newest degree program, Energy Systems Engineering, are

posted on the departmental web site.9 Assessment measures for the program include course

artifacts, such as quizzes, examinations, and projects. Performance targets have been established

to assess student learning in each on an annual cycle. In preparation for ABET accreditation in

the near future, assessment measures within the program are reviewed and conducted according

to specific guidelines (see Specialized Accreditation below).

External assessment of student learning takes place through the NCEES Fundamentals of

Engineering Examination, which will be required of all students beginning with the class

graduating in 2016. The examination, which assesses knowledge in key areas of the discipline,

represents the first step to future professional engineer licensures.

Professional Licenses and Certification

Student attainment of professional licenses and specialized certifications are important indicators

of student learning at the Academy. Approximately half of students at the Academy are enrolled

in the two maritime license programs, Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering, and must

obtain maritime licenses as a graduation requirement. These students undergo external evaluation

by the U.S. Coast Guard, sitting for a rigorous, four-day examination during which they must

demonstrate extensive knowledge in their disciplines. Since 2013, a majority of students has

passed all modules on initial examination for both license examinations. Over the past three

years (2013-2015), the first-time passing rate for Marine Transportation students on the 3rd

mate

examination ranged from 76% to 88%, while the first-time passing rate for Marine Engineering

students on the 3rd

assistant engineer examination ranged from 68% to 81%.

Engineering students at the Academy have opportunities to obtain a range of licenses and

certifications, each of which serves as an externally developed evaluation of student success in

the degree program. Students in the Municipal Wastewater Treatment course—primarily those in

the Facilities Engineering program but also students from other majors—may take the

8 http://www.maritime.edu/feng-learning-outcomes

9 http://www.maritime.edu/ese-student-outcomes


Massachusetts Wastewater Operator Certification examinations and, upon passing the

examination, apply for a Massachusetts wastewater treatment plant operator (WWTPO) license.

Academy students typically sit for the Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator Grade 3

examination and have achieved a pass rate approaching 90% (85% in 2015). The pass rate

among MMA students has surpassed the statewide average,10

which has ranged between 33.3%

and 71.4% over the past several years. Approximately 12 students are also selected from each

freshman class to participate in the Massachusetts Stationary License (MSL) program. Again,

these students are primarily from the Facilities Engineering program, though Marine Engineering

students have also participated. Students selected for the program are able to sit for the

Massachusetts Fireman License Examinations administered under the auspices of the

Massachusetts Department of Public Safety. Over the last four years, 70-100% of enrolled MSL

program students had earned their 2nd

Class Fireman license, the first examination leading to a

Massachusetts Stationary permit. Facilities Engineering and Energy Systems Engineering

students may also obtain EPA certification in the reduction of refrigerant emission during the

servicing, repair, or disposal of refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. On the first

attempt, approximately 75% of participating students have earned universal certification since

2013 (76% in 2015). Finally, about the top 10% of engineering students take the Fundamentals

of Engineering exam, a national examination administered by the National Council of Examiners

for Engineering and Surveying.11

Though passing the examination does not result in licensing,

students who do so complete the first step toward earning the Professional Engineer license.

Since 2012, the initial pass rate for MMA students has been between 50% to 100% (50% in

2014; 100% in 2015) The Engineering Department plans to make this examination a requirement

for all students in the Energy Systems Engineering program.

Students in the Emergency Management program and the Marine Safety and Environmental

Safety program are required to take the Hazardous Material Management class, which covers

material requirements for the OSHA 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency

Response Standard certification. Since 2013, between 95% and 100% of students in these

programs have earned their certification (46 students certified in 2015).

Graduate Program

Graduate education at the Academy comprises two programs: the Master of Science in

Emergency Management and the Master of Science in Facilities Management. Delivered in an

executive format at an off-campus facility, each program is approximately 18 months in

duration. The content and format of each program is designed to provide higher education

opportunities for professionals seeking to continue their education and enhance their careers and

promotion opportunities. In both programs, learning outcomes are assessed by means of detailed

capstone projects, completed over the course of the program and presented in written format and

at a symposium at the program’s conclusion. Capstone advisors are assigned to oversee and

assess the projects, generally advising six or fewer students in a given cohort. Links to the

learning outcomes in each program can be accessed at the DGCE web site.12

10

http://www.neiwpcc.org/training/mwotexamresults.asp 11

See NCEES.org for more information 12

http://www.maritime.edu/graduate-programs


An online program survey is also administered annually to graduate students, asking them to rate

the program in key areas. The results continue to be reviewed by the Division of Graduate and

Continuing Studies, and the information is of use in making program adjustments as necessary.

Recent trends from the MMA Graduate Program Evaluation indicate that 75.8% of MSEM

students and 96.4% of MSFM students would recommend the program to others.

Specialized Accreditation

Currently, three degree programs offered by the Academy undergo external review. The Marine

Transportation program and Marine Engineering program are license programs audited by the

U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Maritime Administration. These audits are required of maritime

license programs and conducted on a five-year cycle. In the previous audit, the Academy was

found to have zero non-conformities. The Academy’s next audit will take place in this year.

The Academy’s program in International Maritime Business received accreditation in 2014 by

the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). As a result, the

Department now utilizes the IACBE framework for assessing learning outcomes and undergoes

routine evaluation for program quality and effectiveness, reporting on a regular cycle on its

ability to meet IACBE accreditation requirements, including expectations for program

assessment.

In 2012, the Academy launched its program in Energy Systems Engineering, a program designed

for future accreditation by ABET. A tenured engineering faculty member is currently serving as

the program coordinator and has been granted course release to enable effective program

oversight and management. ABET requires stringent attention to student learning outcomes at

both the program and course levels. The Department has developed an assessment plan, which

was adopted by faculty in 2014. As part of its preparation for accreditation, the Department has

also mapped learning outcomes across the curriculum and undertaken steps to implement

assessment measures throughout the curriculum. Additional resources have also been allocated in

support of program accreditation, included approval to hire additional engineering faculty. The

program has recently completed the initial phase of applying for ABET accreditation, completing

and submitting a preliminary study for external review and feedback. We anticipate receiving

accreditation for the program during 2016. The program will be the last to apply for specialized

accreditation in the near future.

D: Performance indicators for Student Learning

IACBE accreditation of the International Maritime Business Program (attained)

ABET accreditation following ABET visit October 2-4, 2016 (pending)

Work with all undergraduate and graduate academic programs to develop comprehensive

assessment plans (ongoing)

Continue research on development of M.S. Degree program in Global Maritime Business

(ongoing)

Continue tracking results of the mathematics support program for incoming students

(ongoing)

Full implementation of the writing proficiency program for the incoming class of 2017

(achieved)


Continuation of departmental self-study process, completed by two departments each

year (Academic Resource Center and Office of Institutional Effectiveness for 2016-17)

(on track)

Establish articulation agreement with Massasoit Community College for engineering

majors (in progress)

Live stream language courses from Fitchburg State University to MMA (achieved)

Establish ongoing assessment workshops for delivery during the academic year (in

progress; first workshops delivered spring 2016)


II. College Participation

A: College Access and Diversity

Diversity on Campus

Consistent with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education’s emphasis on increasing

college participation and achievement among underserved populations, particularly among

Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American students, the Academy has made increasing

diversity a high priority. Through focused outreach programming and on-campus initiatives, the

Academy strives to attract a diverse student population and promote a campus climate that will

enrich the academic experience and enhance the success of all students enrolled. Discussions

involving diversity are taking place on all levels on campus, including during strategic planning

and decisions in governance. Across campus, efforts are underway to maintain productive dialog

for diversity and to establish a more diverse working and learning community.

Diversity warrants special emphasis at the Academy. In fall 2014, only 5% of students enrolled

were Hispanic/Latino or Black/African American, and only 12% were women (see Table 5).

Table 5 Diversity Comparisons-MMA vs. Peers

*Institution Name % Female* % Hispanic/Latino* % Black or African American*

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014 MA Maritime Academy** 10 12 12 2 1 3 2 2 2 State Universities Bridgewater State University 58 58 59 5 5 6 7 8 9 Fitchburg State University 54 56 56 7 9 10 5 5 7 Framingham State University 63 63 63 8 9 9 7 8 8 MA College of Art and Design 68 70 70 6 6 8 2 2 3 MA College of Liberal Arts 59 60 62 6 6 7 9 9 9 Salem State University 61 61 60 10 10 12 8 8 9 Westfield State University 53 52 53 6 7 8 4 4 4 Worcester State University 60 60 60 7 7 9 6 6 7

*Institution Name % Female* % Hispanic/Latino* % Black or African American*

2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014 2012 2013 2014 Maritime Academies California Maritime Academy 13 14 14 15 16 17 3 2 2 Maine Maritime Academy 14 13 13 1 1 1 1 1 1 SUNY Maritime College 10 11 10 8 9 7 4 4 4

Source: IPEDS Fall Enrollment (undergraduate degree-seeking and non-degree seeking) *Fall 2014 data derived from College Navigator

**The figures for peer maritime academies represent both civilian and regimental students. MMA undergraduate students are 98+% regimental.

The percentage of Hispanic/Latino and Black/African American students enrolled at the

Academy has remained between 3% and 5% since 2012. Enrollment among female

undergraduate students at the Academy, on the other hand, was at 13% in 2015, a percentage

comparable to other maritime academies. Although the percentage of undergraduate Students of

Color is low, the Academy has seen a modest increase from 4% to 11% since 2004 and an

increase from 5% to 11% since 2010. In addition, the Academy has seen a positive upward trend


in diversity among the incoming class (class of 2020). Recognizing the need to increase

enrollment diversity, the Academy has set strategic planning goals for 20% of deposits at

orientation to be women and 12% to be Students of Color by 2020.

Recruitment Initiatives

The challenge of increasing diversity within the undergraduate program is one that the Academy

seeks to address, in part, through coordinated programming developed and administered by the

Department of Admissions. The Department has launched a new strategic approach to attract and

enroll an increasingly diverse student cohort, one that leverages existing programs and

partnerships with schools and organizations to reach middle school and secondary school

students in a wide range of communities. Designed to encourage college participation by

instilling self-confidence, motivation, and skills that predict academic success, such initiatives

help familiarize students—including many young women and Students of Color—with the

college environment and with the unique educational opportunities available at the Academy.

To encourage female students to consider an MMA degree program, the Department conducts

two on-campus programs that promote college awareness among young women: the Junior

Women Leaders in STEM program and the Sea, Science, and Leadership program (SSLP). The

Junior Women Leaders in STEM program recognizes female high school juniors—nominated by

teachers for demonstrating excellence and leadership in science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics—at a dinner event held on campus to honor recipients and award them scholarships

to the Sea, Science and Leadership program. The top three recipients also receive the Junior

Women Leader Scholarship upon enrollment in an MMA degree program. The Sea, Science and

Leadership program engages high school students in an educational program that develops

leadership and decision-making skills through hands-on workshops utilizing the Academy’s

ship-handling simulators, emergency management control room, engineering labs, small boats,

and the training ship Kennedy. The program also introduces participants to career opportunities

for graduates from the Academy’s degree programs and prepares them for the college application

and admission process.

The Department of Admissions also seeks to increase campus diversity through school

partnerships that promote the Academy to individuals who might not otherwise consider

enrolling in an MMA degree program. For example, the Academy maintains partnerships with

John D. O' Bryant School of Math and Science in Roxbury, MA, Brockton High School, Greater

New Bedford Regional Voc-Tech School, Sandwich STEM Academy, and several maritime

charter schools, including the Philadelphia Maritime Charter School and the Maritime Industries

Academy High School in Baltimore. At both maritime schools, the Department also offers fee

waivers for the Sea, Science and Leadership program (see above), thereby encouraging students

to participate in the program and learn about the Academy and its degree programs.

The Academy’s dual-enrollment program allows eligible high school students to enroll in MMA

courses and to apply credits earned toward a degree program in the future. This program has

been very well received at the John D. O' Bryant School of Math and Science. In fall 2015, 23

students enrolled in a course taught at the high school by an MMA instructor and visited the

Academy during a field trip conducted to introduce them to the college experience and the MMA

campus. The course will be offered at another high school in fall semester, while a new course

will be offered at John D. O’ Bryant School in the spring semester. The Academy is also


discussing with Massasoit Community College the possibility of offering a course on the MCC

campus, reaching not only the community of Brockton but also the communities of Randolph,

Canton, and Blue Hills. Through strategic expansion into various communities, the Department

will leverage its dual-enrollment program to reach more students and enroll participants in

multiple classes, increasing the likelihood that they will consider an MMA degree program.

The wide array of initiatives undertaken to reach potential students is so varied as to make

difficult the direct tracking of program outcomes, particularly with regard to recruitment.

Beginning with the class entering in fall 2015, however, the Department has begun asking

applicants to indicate whether they have participated in the Advanced Science and Leadership

Program (ASLP) or the Sea, Science and Leadership Program (SSLP), which will help the

Academy identify its success with regard to these two programs. Other programs do not readily

lend themselves to such tracking, but the Department has implemented a strategy whereby it

seeks to maintain a sustained focus on those programs that appear to be most successfully

reaching students from underserved communities. In addition, the Department actively seeks to

reach the same individuals through more than one outreach activity or program, a focusing

strategy that will expose such students to the Academy and its opportunities multiple times

during the critical years for college planning.

A significant factor affecting female enrollment at the Academy is the availability of women’s

varsity athletic programs. These programs have had a historically positive effect in promoting

MMA to prospective female students, though the low overall enrollment among women at the

Academy has sometimes made it difficult for these varsity sports to field a competitive team, as

substitutions are limited by the relatively small team rosters. Because such programming plays

an important role in recruiting women, the Academy’s coaching and admissions staff members

are working to create opportunities for engaging prospective students through increasing

program visibility during the camps and conferences held throughout the year on campus. As

part of this initiative, coaching staff are becoming more directly involved with soccer, basketball,

field hockey, and swim camps and are discussing opportunities to create additional campus-

based athletics camps. In addition, athletics staff are making a concerted effort to assist

admissions staff at high school college fairs, thereby more widely promoting MMA’s athletics

programs.

Campus-Wide Initiatives for Diversity

The Office of International and Multicultural Affairs (OIMA) was created in 2012 to help the

Academy achieve its goals for diversity. The OIMA director has implemented programs to

promote diversity and developed measures for sustaining and supporting diversity across

campus.

The Academy’s international exchange program, administered through the OIMA, contributes

significantly to diversity on campus. The program currently operates in collaboration with

Shanghai Maritime University, Dalian Maritime University, and the International Maritime

University of Panama. These experiences provide international students and MMA

undergraduates with exceptional opportunities for study within other cultures while promoting

global awareness and citizenship.


The campus has now created a Campus-wide Taskforce on Diversity and Inclusion that reports

directly to the President. The Academy has also joined the Leading for Change Diversity

Consortium, which is led on campus by the OIMA Director and whose members met for the first

time in March of 2016. In October 2015, the Academy also hosted a diversity workshop led by

Dr. Harold E. Cheatham. During his visit, Dr. Cheatham led an all-day workshop for groups

across campus to review the culture of diversity at MMA and to discuss approaches to recruiting

and retaining Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino students. Dr. Cheatham has provided

the campus with a report that contains a series of recommendations for increasing diversity at the

Academy, a document that will be of significant value to inform committee discussions and

activities.

The Office has also developed a mentoring program for 2016-2017 AHANA recipients to

promote retention and help ensure their success. To introduce potential first-generation, low-

income high school students to the campus, the Office is also planning to hold a diversity impact

day for fall semester 2016. These initiatives benefit from the oversight of the OIMA and

represent important developments for increasing diversity at the Academy.

As part of their participation in the Regiment of Cadets, students at the Academy now undergo

diversity and inclusion training during meetings held for freshmen, squad leaders, and for

students who participate in leadership classes.

The Academy also strives to recruit a diverse faculty and staff, and ongoing measures are

yielding positive results. Recently hired in support of the academic program were a tenure-track

faculty member of African descent and an African American instructor. An African American

athletic instructor was also hired in 2015, and there is an ongoing search for a tenure-track

humanities professor with expertise in African American studies. In addition, diversifying

faculty and staff is one mission component of the Campus-wide Taskforce on Diversity and

Inclusion established this year.

B. College Affordability

Cost of Education

As a special mission college, the Academy may retain money collected in tuition and fees but

must limit tuition and fees increases to no more than 5% per fiscal year. As part of the legislative

leadership promise to increase funding for education and develop a formula that would result in

the Commonwealth providing 50% of funding, with the remaining 50% obtained from tuition

and fees, the Academy has received additional funding from State appropriation ($486,640 in

2016).

The Academy has been frugal in its spending, vigilant for opportunities to reduce costs, and

diligent in budgeting; consequently, tuition and fees at Massachusetts Maritime Academy have

remained the lowest among Massachusetts State Universities (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Tuition Comparison, MMA vs. Peer Institutions


Source: IPEDS Student Charges: Price of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate students (academic year programs); Published in-state tuition and fees 2014-15 (preliminary release)

In order to continue to offer the best possible price to our students, the Academy has increased

tuition and fees by an annual average of 2% over the past three years : 0% in fiscal year 2014,

1% in fiscal year 2015, and 5% in fiscal year 2016. As the Commonwealth’s budget for fiscal

years 2016 and 2017 has not covered collective bargaining cost increases, the Academy plans to

increase tuition and fees by 5% in fiscal year 2017.

For the excellent value of its educational programs and the effectiveness of these programs in

preparing students for successful careers, the Academy continues to garner national

recognition.13

The US Department of Education recently placed the Academy on its list of 23

four-year schools with low costs leading to high incomes. In 2016, PayScale ranked the

Academy #13 nationally, #6 among public colleges, and #3 within Massachusetts on return on

investment.14

In 2015-16, Money Magazine ranked the Academy among the 25 most affordable

colleges that launch graduates into six-figure careers. Among four-year or higher colleges with

the highest value added, the Brookings Institution ranks the Academy #5. These indicators are

consistent with the high incomes reported by recent graduates. Since 2012, the percentage of

students reporting employment by graduation and anticipated annual salaries of $50,000 or

higher has been greater than 80% (see Table 6).

Table 6 Career Outcomes Data-Annual Salary

June 2012 June 2013 June 2014 June 2015

Annual Salary $50K or higher 81% 89% 90% 84%

Financial Aid

On average, 75-80% of students attending MMA receive financial aid, primarily from federal,

13

http://www.maritime.edu/mma-national-regional-rankings; http://www.maritime.edu/student-consumer-

information 14

Rankings data reflect the 20-year net ROI for on-campus students at in-state rates with no financial aid. When the

20-year net ROI is annualized, MMA ranks #2 nationally.

$7,250

$8,794 $9,002

$12,384

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$2,000

$4,000

$6,000

$8,000

$10,000

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$14,000

MMA State Maritime MA State University of MA

MMA Tuition/Fees Compared to Peer Institution Averages

http://www.maritime.edu/mma-national-regional-rankings


state, and institutional funding. In recent years, the Academy has made more need-based

financial aid available to eligible students through annual increases in institutional financial aid.

Since we have not seen any significant increases in federal or state funding in recent years, any

increase in financial aid funding has occurred at the institutional level. In the past six years,

institutional financial aid funding has increased by 223%, with awards reaching $3.1M in 2015,

76% of which was need-based. An additional $540,000 was made available through the MMA

Foundation, the majority of which was also need-based. Combined, these funding sources

enabled the Academy to meet 78% of financial need for eligible students in the 2015 fiscal year,

a 44% increase since 2007.

Most federal grant aid at MMA is awarded through the Federal Pell Grant and the Federal

Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) programs. Since 2010, Federal Pell Grant

funding has increased by 47%, from $716,000 in 2010 to $1,050,000 in 2015. During that period,

the percentage of our student body receiving Federal Pell Grants has increased from 16% to

20%. Our FSEOG funding has remained constant at $59,699.

State financial aid at MMA is funded primarily through the Cash Grant Program, The Need-

Based Tuition Waiver Program, and the MSCBA Housing Grant. The Cash Grant and Need-

Based Tuition Waiver Programs experienced decreases in funding during fiscal year 2013 and

fiscal year 2014. A slight increase in 2015 brought funding closer to fiscal year 2012 levels, but

they remain significantly lower than in prior years. The MSCBA Housing Grant has remained

constant since fiscal year 2013. Figure 2 shows financial aid trends at MMA since 2010.

Figure 2. Financial aid sources from 2010-2015

MMA continues to support economically disadvantaged students, meeting 78% of need for Pell

Grant eligible students in fiscal year 2015. Student need is based on the cost of attendance,

comprising tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, uniforms (sea bag), winter educational

expenses (training cruise, coops, commercial shipping, experiential learning, or on-campus

classes), transportation, and personal expenses. Approximately 53% of our minority aid

applicants were Pell Grant eligible in fiscal year 2015.

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FY10 FY11 FY12 FY13 FY14 FY15

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Financial Aid Sources: 2010-2015

Institutional Grant Pell GrantCash Grant Tuition WaiverHousing FSEOG


In addition, the Academy has established two grant programs addressing financial need for

women and Students of Color. The AHANA grant is a need-based grant given to students

identified as Asian, Hispanic, African and Native American. Once a student has received his/her

standard financial aid package through the financial aid application process, he/she is awarded an

AHANA Grant to meet any additional unmet need. The goal is to meet 100% of these students’

financial need. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average to receive

this award. During 2014-2015, 53 students were awarded a total of $297,575, with an average

award of $5,615. The MMA Grant is a need-based grant given to female students. Once a student

has received her standard financial aid package through the financial aid application process, she

is awarded an MMA Grant to meet any additional unmet need. The goal is to meet 100% of these

students’ financial need. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 cumulative grade point average to

receive this award. During 2014-2015, 68 students were awarded a total of $2,392,825 with an

average award of $5,777. During 2014-2015, 281 low-income students received a Federal Pell

Grant. Low-income is defined as any student with an expected family contribution of less than

$5,199. This year we have awarded a total of $1,056,108 with an average award of $3,758.

Massachusetts Maritime Academy works hard to promote these programs to the targeted

audiences and has celebrated a small but significant increase of the populations described.

Among first-time, full-time bachelor’s degree-seeking students who entered in fall 2009 and

received a Federal Pell grant, the six-year graduation rate was 63%. This rate falls short of the

rate for all students (72%).

C: Performance indicators for College Participation:

Maintain a tuition/fee increase that does not exceed 5% or result in total tuition/fee rates

that exceed 10.5% of the median Massachusetts family income (ongoing)

Meet 60% of need for the overall student population (ongoing)

Meet 90% of need for females, low income, and Hispanic/Latino or Black/African

American students (ongoing)

Expand Advanced Studies and Leadership Program to additional districts/classrooms (in

progress)

Expand dual-enrollment programs in underserved communities (in progress)

Increase diversity among the student body, reaching a goal of 12% minority students and

20% female students (ongoing)

Develop diversity initiatives in collaboration with the Leading for Change Diversity

Consortium (ongoing)


III. College Completion

A. Benchmarking and Progress

Retention

The Academy employs an admissions process that effectively identifies those applicants capable

of succeeding in its degree programs. In recent years, the Academy has seen a slight increase in

the number of applicants, while the percentage of accepted applicants who enroll has increased

substantially from 50% in fall 2012 to approximately 63% in fall 2015. This increase may be

attributed to high national rankings, employability of graduates, and high return on investment.

Since the Academy has implemented University of Massachusetts admissions standards we have

also seen an increasingly high quality of applicants. During the four-year period from 2012-

2015, the average SAT composite score for first-time freshmen has ranged from 1052 to 1079,

while the weighted average high school GPA for first-time freshmen has ranged from 3.04 to

3.15 (ee Figure 3).

Figure 3. Academic profile of enrolled freshmen

A key contributor to student success at the Academy is the Regimental program, which provides

an excellent support structure for student life and academic progress on campus through its

coordinated, focused efforts to ensure that every student has the necessary information,

resources, and leadership to complete a degree program. Through mentoring by Training and

Retention Officers and Training and Retention Assistants, students receive excellent assistance

and guidance as they progress through their programs. The regimental structure also makes it

possible to identify readily students who are struggling and to assist them in locating and

utilizing resources in place to help them succeed.

Another factor contributing to the high retention among undergraduate students is the unique

academic schedule. During the six-week winter deployment of the training ship Kennedy, Marine

Transportation and Marine Engineering majors complete sea term requirements while other

students undertake cooperative education, commercial shipping, experiential learning, or

academic coursework. The annual academic calendar, which includes both a winter and a

1052 1079 1077 1071

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summer session, enables students to complete key learning requirements within their majors and

to complete necessary coursework to maintain satisfactory progress in their programs. Some

students, in fact, are required by the Academic Review Board to complete coursework during the

winter or summer session. The coordinated review system plays a key role in student persistence

and retention by motivating them to take ownership of their academic progress while developing

the priorities and confidence essential to their success.

The Academy maintains a high fall-to-fall retention rate among first-time, full-time bachelor’s

degree-seeking students. Since fall 2008, this retention rate has ranged from 85-93%, a very

competitive rate by comparison with the Academy’s state university and maritime peers (see

Table 7).

Table 7 First-time, Full-time Bachelor’s Degree Retention Rate Comparison: MMA vs. Peers

Institution Name

Fall 2008 cohort

Fall 2009 cohort

Fall 2010 cohort

Fall 2011 cohort

Fall 2012 cohort

Fall 2013 cohort

Fall 2014 cohort

Massachusetts Maritime Academy 86% 85% 90% 89% 85% 89% 93% State Universities

Bridgewater State University 82% 81% 81% 81% 81% 81% 79% Fitchburg State University 77% 78% 73% 75% 78% 77% 75% Framingham State University 73% 75% 74% 74% 73% 75% 74% Massachusetts College of Art and Design 88% 89% 90% 88% 84% 89% 92% Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 74% 74% 72% 75% 79% 78% 74% Salem State University 75% 70% 73% 74% 78% 81% 80% Westfield State University 79% 80% 80% 81% 79% 77% 78% Worcester State University 77% 75% 80% 78% 80% 82% 77% Maritime Academies

California Maritime Academy 76% 81% 86% 82% 82% 83% unavailable

Maine Maritime Academy 79% 79% 73% 74% 75% 78% unavailable

SUNY Maritime College 74% 79% 76% 80% 79% 85% unavailable

Data Source: IPEDS Full-time retention rate - First-time, full-time bachelor degree-seeking. Fall 2014 cohort retention rates for MMA's state

university peers are based on data from the Massachusetts HEIRS state data system Fall to Fall Retention cube. Note that these rates do not factor

in allowable exclusions (e.g., for death or military leave) that are accounted for in rates reported through IPEDS.

To help maintain the high retention rate, the Academy conducts an annual Senior Exit Survey

and responds to concerns raised in a process guided by a consultant who conducts focus groups

each year with administrators, faculty, staff, and students to determine strategic measures to

reinforce retention. Data collected from the survey, for example, indicated a need to improve

information technology services and to improve the efficiency of online registration. As a result,

a department was created to oversee information technology, and information services continue

to keep pace with increasing demand and new developments (see “Campus Infrastructure and

Improvements”). Also addressed were the concerns about online registration, which underwent

significant improvement to improve efficiency. These changes have resulted in higher ratings in

both areas on the Student Satisfaction Survey.

Graduation


The robust support system and readily available mentoring, advising, tutoring, and support

services also help the Academy maintained an exceptionally high graduation rate. Combined

with an academic calendar that enables students to work on difficult subjects during the two five-

week inter-sessions in each academic year, the available support systems have contributed to a

slight upward trend in graduation rates in recent years. The result is a consistently high

graduation rate that continues to compare very favorably with those seen among the Academy’s

higher education peers within the Commonwealth and compared to those seen at the other state

maritime academies (see Table 8). Table 8 Six-year Graduation Rate Comparison: MMA vs. Peers

Institution Name

Fall 2003 cohort

Fall 2004 cohort

Fall 2005 cohort

Fall 2006 cohort

Fall 2007 cohort

Fall 2008 cohort

Fall 2009 cohort

Massachusetts Maritime Academy 63% 67% 65% 61% 67% 70% 72% State Universities

Bridgewater State University 54% 53% 52% 54% 58% 59% unavailable

Fitchburg State University 52% 52% 47% 51% 50% 57% unavailable

Framingham State University 52% 51% 52% 52% 51% 51% unavailable

Massachusetts College of Art and Design 65% 56% 68% 65% 74% 70% unavailable

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 50% 51% 53% 47% 57% 52% unavailable

Salem State University 43% 42% 42% 45% 46% 46% unavailable

Westfield State University 58% 60% 58% 60% 59% 63% unavailable

Worcester State University 44% 45% 47% 51% 49% 53% unavailable

Maritime Academies

California Maritime Academy 69% 61% 62% 58% 59% 54% unavailable

Maine Maritime Academy 67% 65% 69% 74% 74% 70% unavailable

SUNY Maritime College 52% 51% 47% 44% 50% 47% unavailable

Data Source: IPEDS Graduation rate - Bachelor degree within 6 years, total

For the most recent student cohorts, the graduation rate has approached tactical performance

metrics identified in the five-year strategic plan (see Table 9).

Table 9. MMA Graduation Rates: First-time, Full-time Freshmen

Term of Entry Entering Cohort Cohort Less Exclusions

Cumulative Percent Graduated

4-Year 5-Year 6-Year

Fall 2003 249 249 47% 62% 63%

Fall 2004 237 237 50% 63% 67%

Fall 2005 264 262 46% 61% 65%

Fall 2006 247 246 44% 57% 61%

Fall 2007 262 262 49% 64% 67%

Fall 2008 296 295 55% 67% 70%

Fall 2009 298 296 63% 69% 72% Notes: reported graduation rates reflect first-time, full-time bachelor's degree-seeking students (as reported to IPEDS). Per IPEDS allowance,

entering cohort headcounts may have been revised from what was initially reported at entry for eligible students who were omitted in the past; students reported who did not belong in the cohort; or students for whom better information regarding race/ethnicity or gender was made

available. As permissible by federal reporting standards for IPEDS, students who left MMA for any of the following reasons are excluded from

rate calculations: 1) students who died or became permanently disabled; 2) students who left school to serve in the armed forces (or were called up to active duty); 3) students who left school to serve with a foreign aid service of the Federal Government; 4) students who left school to serve

on an official church mission. Cohort sizes less exclusions that are shown are those associated with 4-year, 5-year, and 6-year graduation rates;

additional exclusions may apply to 8-year rates.


B. Performance indicators for College Completion:

Maintain admission standards at or above the current level (average SAT: 1071; weighted

average high school GPA: 3.14) (ongoing)

Maintain first-year retention for the class entering in 2010 at or above 86% (ongoing)

Increase in four-year graduation rate to 54% (achieved)

Maintain six-year graduation rate at or above the level for the class of 2009 (ongoing)

Promote STEM components of all academic programs through real-world experiences

(internships and co-ops) that foster improved learning and understanding for success in

academic programs (ongoing)

Receive DHE approval for STEM designation of Marine Transportation program

(achieved)


IV. Workforce Alignment

A: Career Preparedness

We believe that seven key factors contribute to the success of our degree programs in preparing

undergraduates for the workforce:

résumé and interview workshops – the Office of Career and Professional Services

provides this service often, encouraging staff and community leaders to participate in

resume review and mock-interviews;

the strength of the academic curriculum and its focus on STEM subjects;

a supportive alumni at work in fields related to each degree program;

experience gained through the co-op requirements for each of the undergraduate

programs;

the close working relationship with industry maintained through six advisory boards;

spring and fall career fairs hosted on campus;

a regimental lifestyle whose motto is “discipline, knowledge, leadership.”

Sea Term

The annual sea term is a unique component of the Academy’s academic programming. Until

recently, the Academy required all students to participate in at least one sea term, a tradition

which provided students with valuable exposure to the various majors and with opportunities to

develop the leadership and self-discipline expected of MMA students. Because the berthing

capacity of the training ship Kennedy cannot accommodate the growing student population, the

vessel now embarks with only those students in the Marine Engineering and Marine

Transportation programs. These students, constituting approximately 50% of the undergraduate

student population, are required as part of their preparation for obtaining U.S. Coast Guard

licenses to accrue a designated amount of sea time during their programs. They must also

undertake training and demonstrate proficiency in a wide array of topics to satisfy the Standards

for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW). As a result, students in either program

will undertake approximately five years of coursework during their four-year degree programs.

Although students in the non-license majors are no longer required to participate in sea term, the

Academy adheres to its “learn-do-learn” educational philosophy by requiring these students to

undertake experiential learning related to their disciplines. The first such experiences were

conducted during winter semester of 2016, during which time approximately 125 students

participated with very favorable results.

During sea term and commercial shipping experiences, license majors gain experience for work

in the industry through first-hand learning aboard vessels. Such experiences provide the

Academy with opportunities to solicit feedback from those supervising, observing, and assessing

students on work habits, knowledge, and skills. At the conclusion of commercial shipping

experiences, students are evaluated by supervisors at the host company, while on sea term they

are evaluated by professional faculty with expertise in marine transportation or marine

engineering. As a component of both sea term and commercial shipping experiences, students

also develop written reports according to a format developed and approved by the degree

department. The extraordinary contribution that these experiences make to the education of


MMA graduates is evident in the high career outcomes rate among graduates from the two

license majors: for the class of 2015, 94% of Marine Engineering majors and 78% of Marine

Transportation majors were placed within six months of graduation.

The training ship Kennedy, a federally owned vessel made available to Massachusetts Maritime

Academy through the U.S. Department of Maritime Administration, remains crucial to the

education of Marine Engineering and Marine Transportation students and provides a service to

the Commonwealth and Nation by preparing professional, licensed mariners for maritime

commerce around the globe. During the annual sea term from January to February, the vessel

accommodates 125 officers and crew as well as 600 cadets who are undertaking training and

fulfilling both sea time and Standards of Training, Certification and Watchstanding requirements

required by the U.S. Coast Guard and necessary for these students to graduate within their degree

programs.

In upcoming years, the Academy’s ability to effectively educate professional mariners and

prepare them for lucrative and productive careers in the industry will depend on the ability to

obtain federal funding for a vessel to replace the T.S. Kennedy. In service for 45 years, the

Kennedy is reaching the end of its service life, with no more than 10 years remaining before it

will no longer be suitable for its current mission. An urgent initiative will need to be undertaken

in the very near future to secure funding for a replacement vessel, as construction costs are

currently estimated at more than $300 million, a significant federal budgetary request during

challenging economic times.

Advisory Boards

The Academy maintains an advisory board for each degree program department and for the

Department of Career and Professional Services. These boards, comprising experts and

specialists within disciplines related to the Academy’s undergraduate programs, provide unique

opportunities for the Academy to align academic content and educational methods with

observable trends in the global workforce, which ensures that the degrees earned will be relevant

to the needs of those industries served by our academic programs. Based on feedback from board

members, the Academy continues to adjust curricula and introduce cutting-edge technologies and

instructional methods into the curricula of enrolled students. For the purposes of preparing

graduates for the job search, the Department of Career and Professional Services enlists the

assistance of its advisory board members to conduct mock job interviews, critiquing students and

providing the students and department with valuable information for graduate success.

Career Services

The Department of Career and Professional Services employs a survey to track career outcomes

among graduates. In spring semester, graduating seniors complete the survey online, after which

the Department gathers information to complete and update the information using verifiable

sources (e.g., LinkedIn profiles). A “first look” report is generated at graduation, followed by a

six-month report and a one-year report, and the ongoing survey effort yields a response rate of

approximately 80%. The results of the survey indicate that the placement rate for graduates is

very high, underscoring the value of an MMA degree program as well as the Academy’s success

in meeting its mission of preparing students for lucrative professional careers. For recent


graduates, the placement rate has remained very high: 88% for the class of 2012, 98% for the

class of 2013, 88% for the class of 2014, and 88% for the class of 2015 (six month update).

Networking and outreach activities are central to the Department’s mission of identifying

employment prospects and cooperative education opportunities for Academy students. Personnel

within the Department set up booths at conferences and professional meetings to inform industry

of the high-caliber graduates entering the workforce each year with outstanding knowledge in the

discipline as well as excellent professional and leadership skills. Their efforts have led to an

increase in the number of employers making cooperative education available to students as well

as an increase in the number of employers attending career fairs and related events held on

campus. Career fairs are held in fall and spring semester and have led to the employment of

countless students over the years, and attendance continues to grow. Representatives from 104

employers attended the fall 2015 career fair, while 121 attended the spring 2016 career fair to

recruit potential employees from within all seven degree programs offered at the Academy.

B: Performance indicators for Workforce Alignment:

Increase the number of cooperative education and commercial shipping opportunities

available to cadets by 15% by 2016 (on track)

Increase the number and range of workshops offered by the Department of Career and

Professional Services by 10% by 2016 (on track)

Expand exchange programs with foreign nations (in progress)

Ensure that 90% of graduates seeking placement after graduation are placed within six

months of their graduation (achieved)

Continue expanding participation in annual career fairs (121 employers represented at

the 7 April 2016 career fair) (ongoing)


V. Preparing Citizens

A. Civic Learning

In response to the BHE's interest in identifying both courses and other activities that promote

civic learning and/or participation in off-campus civic engagement activities, the Academy has

implemented a systematic plan for determining which courses and activities include civic

learning and engagement according to proposed DHE designations (i.e., HEIRS flags). Using a

checklist, a course inventory will be conducted for this purpose, and discussions have begun to

determine how best to flag these courses in campus publications and data systems.

A number of MMA courses contribute to civic learning. As part of the Academy's general

education requirement, all MMA students must take five social science courses, including

Western Civilization and American Government. Additional Social Science courses that

contribute to civic learning include courses in history (e.g., American History I and II),

geography (e.g., World Economic Geography), political science (e.g., U.S. Foreign Policy since

1945), and legal studies (e.g., International Law). The Department of Social Science has

developed an assessment plan with protocols to measure success in these courses. Initial data are

still in the process of being analyzed, and additional measures are still being developed.

The majority of MMA students are required to complete experiential learning, and the courses

will lend themselves to the civic learning designation. Approximately 50% of students complete

sea term aboard the Academy’s training vessel and in commercial shipping cooperative

education experiences throughout the industry. Others complete cooperative education within

their respective industries, often with organizations or companies that contribute to the public

good.

The Academy is also undertaking a process to identify and inventory activities outside of the

classroom that contribute to civic learning, and a review of on-site surveys is being conducted to

determine where these surveys capture elements of civic engagement by students. We anticipate

that these and the many unique co-curricular activities students undertake at the Academy, from

Regimental obligations and required community service to volunteerism and fundraising, will

qualify as educational components that will satisfy criteria for civic engagement.

To provide a means for assessing civic learning, the Department of Social Science has also

developed a checklist for use by faculty in all departments who wish to assess civic learning and

civic engagement in their courses.

Critical to these processes will be the adoption of a core competency that addresses civic and

global learning. Work is currently underway to evaluate and update the Academy's existing core

competencies to better reflect desired outcomes for both undergraduate and graduate education.

Articulating what civic and global learning means in the context of the Academy's mission is a

necessary step in identifying where civic learning is taking place both in the curriculum and co-

curriculum. A draft of the core competency has been submitted to governance following a

systematic review of the content and language by faculty.


At spring orientation, Dr. John Reiff was invited to campus to discuss civic learning with the

faculty, and his insight and comments will be helpful as we proceed with the project of

identifying, articulating, and developing assessments and data collection methods to evaluate

civic learning and engagement at Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

B: Performance indicators for Civic Learning

Submit to governance a proposal adding civic learning to core competencies and learning

outcomes (in progress)

Develop a checklist for classifying courses with civic learning components (in progress)

Perform a curriculum inventory by end of spring semester (planned)

Flag courses with civic learning components (planned)

Develop a system for identifying and collecting data on civic engagement activities

across campus (both curricular and co-curricular) (planned)

Engage assessment committee in articulation of civic learning goals and learning

outcomes (ongoing)

Solicit speakers to conduct presentations and workshops on civic learning (ongoing)


VI. Closing the Achievement Gap

A: Benchmarking and Progress

The Academy actively tracks student achievement, collecting and interpreting data that indicate

trends in persistence and degree completion among the student population. These efforts produce

data useful for identifying and addressing any achievement gaps in student persistence and

degree completion. Data currently indicate that retention and graduation rates are roughly equal

among female and male students, while Students of Color are retained and graduate at slightly

lower rates that white students. Given the small student population at the Academy, the

percentage of Students of Color changes dramatically in a single cohort whenever a single

student does not graduate within a given time frame. Table 10 compares the gap in graduation

rates among Students of Color versus white students at Massachusetts Maritime Academy to the

gap seen at peer institutions, including state maritime universities of comparable size.

Table 10. Graduation rate comparison for state and maritime institution cohorts 2006-2008

Institution Name SOC % Grad* White % Grad** White v. SOC Grad Gap***

Massachusetts Maritime Academy 55.9% 66.8% 10.9%

State Universities Bridgewater State University 51.3% 57.6% 6.3%

Fitchburg State University 42.5% 54.0% 11.5%

Framingham State University 40.6% 53.4% 12.9%

Massachusetts College of Art and Design 62.7% 69.6% 6.8%

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 47.3% 52.4% 5.1%

Salem State University 42.3% 46.9% 4.7%

Westfield State University 49.5% 61.6% 12.2%

Worcester State University 45.7% 53.0% 7.3%

UMass System University of Massachusetts-Amherst 69.5% 74.0% 4.6%

University of Massachusetts-Boston 40.7% 41.7% 0.9%

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 41.6% 49.9% 8.3%

University of Massachusetts-Lowell 50.7% 55.6% 4.9%

State Maritime Academies The California Maritime Academy 45.8% 61.6% 15.8%

Maine Maritime Academy 53.8% 73.5% 19.6%

SUNY Maritime College 36.9% 49.5% 12.6%

Data Source: IPEDS Custom Data Files (provisional release data): Graduation rate data, 150% of normal time to complete; Bachelor's or

equivalent degree/certificate-seeking subcohort (4-year institutions); *Students of Color (SOC): Students of Color include Hispanic/Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, *Black or African American,

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and two or more races. Nonresident alien students and students of unknown race/ethnicity are not

factored into these calculations. **Number in the adjusted cohort (i.e., revised cohort minus exclusions). Permissible exclusions per IPEDS: 1) students who died or became

permanently disabled; 2) students who left school to serve in the armed forces (or have been called up to active duty); 3) students who left school

to serve with a foreign aid service of the Federal Government; 4) students who left school to serve on an official church mission.

***Total number of completers of bachelor's or equivalent degrees (150% of normal time)


The Academy falls second to Massachusetts College of Art and Design among state universities

in Massachusetts in the graduation rate for Students of Color. The graduation rate among white

students at the Academy is also second only to that of Massachusetts College of Art and Design,

averaging 68% across the three years. The 10.9% graduation gap between white students and

students of color is an area in which the Academy is attempting to improve. It must be noted,

however, that while the graduation rate is measured in percentages, the number of Students of

Color at the Academy averages about 12 per cohort, which when compared against the numbers

at other institutions is nearly the lowest among all peer institutions. The graduation gap at MMA

is, however, lower than that at the other state maritime academies of comparable size. Further

analysis of the data should be initiated to understand the graduation gap between Students of

Color and white students at the maritime academies. The Academy is undertaking a number of

initiatives to understand and address this gap, including the expansion of dual-enrollment

programs offered within areas with dense populations of underrepresented students.

Among female students, graduation rates at the Academy are comparable to or higher than those

of male students. The six-year graduation rate for females in the 2009 cohort, for example, was

71%, while the rate among males was 72%. For the same cohort, the graduation rate was 71%

among white students and 47% among Students of Color. The percentage is influenced by the

small number of Students of Color enrolled. The Academy strives to close this achievement gap

while also maintaining a positive trend with regard to female undergraduate enrollment.

The Academy makes it a high priority to promote and expand diversity within the student

population, and we expect to see significant results in the near future. The Office of International

and Multicultural Affairs continues to direct key diversity initiatives, and there is strong support

at all levels of the institution for the work of diversity committees.

MMA provides the following financial and retention services for cadets to help them succeed in

their goal towards graduation and future careers. The Academy has established the AHANA

grant (available to Asian, Hispanic, African, and Native American students) to augment a

student’s standard financial aid package. The AHANA grant meets any additional unmet

financial need, which ensures that 100% of financial need is met for Students of Color.

B. Performance indicators for Closing the Achievement Gap:

Development of mentoring program for AHANA grant recipients (achieved)

Track results of students enrolling in MMA degree programs after participating in MMA

dual-enrollment [planned]

Make data on success among Students of Color an agenda item for diversity committee

[achieved]


VII. Financial Resources

A. Financial Planning and Initiatives

The Academy remains financially sound; over the last five years the Academy has reported an

increase in net assets. From fiscal year 2010 to fiscal year 2014, the Academy increased its

unrestricted net assets, or “rainy day fund,” from $12 Million to over $25 Million. With the

approval of its Board of Trustees, the Academy used a portion of these funds to fund capital

projects and deferred maintenance, leaving a fiscal year 2015 end balance of $19 Million. The

Board of Trustees has authorized another $9 million for capital projects. With these funds

committed, the balance is now $10 million.

Through prudent planning and careful spending, the Academy achieves a degree of resilience

critical during difficult economic periods. As stated in our procurement policy, for example, we

follow a “best buy” practice and work with Partnership Advancing Collaboration & Efficiency

(PACE) to maximize savings and reduce operating costs through collaboration and mass buying.

We are also in the process of implementing a process for providing ACH payments to vendors,

which will enable the Academy to reduce the cost of processing, printing, and mailing checks

and to do so without incurring additional software costs.

The master plan space utilization study has identified the need for additional classroom and

engineering lab space to accommodate increasing enrollment. With the Department of Capital

Assets, Management, and Maintenance, the Academy is therefore co-funding the construction of

a 30,000 square foot academic building. The project study has been completed in preparation for

the building design phase. The Academy will continue to work with the legislation to obtain

funding necessary to begin the project. A 33,000 square foot off-site facility has also been

acquired by the Academy as the future location of the Facilities Department, Marine Department,

and boat storage area upon completion of a $1.2 million renovation of the site.

The internal auditor position has been established and filled by a staff member with education

and training in forensic accounting. This position continually monitors policies and procedures to

ensure that internal controls are in place. An audit schedule has also been approved by the Board

of Trustees for the purposes of auditing departments on their budgeting procedures. Part of the

internal control officer’s responsibility is to provide training to staff on fraud, waste, and abuse,

thereby continuing to ensure integrity, ethics, competence and a positive control environment.

This position has proven not only beneficial but critical in fostering better communication with

regard to financial matters across departments.

Figure 4 shows sources of revenue for Massachusetts Maritime Academy since 2008. With

generally modest growth, the federal funding trend reflects a one-time increase of $1 million in

2014. Auxiliary expense is increasing due to borrowing undertaken to cover the expansion of the

dormitories.

Figure 4.


The Division of Graduate and Continuing Studies represents a significant source of revenue for

the Academy. With its two graduate programs, undergraduate offerings, and non-credit-bearing

training programs specific to industries, the division increases its revenue at approximately 5%

net growth per year, presently contributing approximately $1 M to the operating budget annually.

The Academy plans to develop a new business-related graduate program that will increase this

revenue and continues to develop industry training programs that will do likewise.

MMA has established a comprehensive advancement program that includes annual giving

programs; individual leadership and corporate giving strategies and solicitations; planned

(deferred) giving marketing and outreach; cadet philanthropy outreach through a senior class

campaign and cadet calling (Phonathon) programs; and special event fundraisers held on campus

and in regions throughout the country. In 2012, a $1 M donation was received, and in 2013, a

$1.5 M donation was received. In 2015, the Academy exceeded its $25 M goal for giving.

Scholarships remain the fundraising priority for Advancement. The Academy excels at its

mission and is experiencing unprecedented growth while attracting more and more qualified

applicants from the Commonwealth and beyond. These students, however, are not immune to the

financial pressures facing families across the nation. All too often there are families unable to

afford higher education without financial aid and scholarships. Our ability to mitigate these

financial burdens will allow MMA to continue to lead the way in preparing cadets for careers in

the industries we serve.

B. Performance Indicators for Financial Resources

Establish fee structure for STCW courses (planned)

Achieve target of $50 M in new giving by 2026 (ongoing)

Increase tuition and fees by 5% for academic year 2016-2017 (planned)

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VIII. Campus Infrastructure & Improvements

A. Physical Resources

The Academy is committed to maintaining a robust infrastructure and making improvements to

student life, doing so with a focus on sustainability and prudent management of expenses. Over

the last seven years, operating expenses at the Academy have reflected this commitment (see

Figure 5).

Figure 5.

*As noted earlier, auxiliary expense is increasing due to borrowing undertaken to cover the expansion of the dormitories.

The Academy continues to develop its infrastructure to accommodate the educational

requirements of students preparing for professional careers in a rapidly evolving global

workforce. Academy graduates have consistently demonstrated that they possess the necessary

education, training, and professional skills to compete in their industries, underscoring the

quality of education made possible at the Academy through prudent attention to developing and

maintaining the specialized learning spaces—smart classrooms, laboratories, simulators,

computer labs, and training vessels—that make such education possible. Essential to maintaining

the Commonwealth’s competitive edge in an expanding array of industries and professions, the

Academy’s infrastructure has undergone expansion and upgrades in recent years and as of fall

2015 supported 1,571 undergraduate (degree-seeking and non-degree-seeking) and 103 graduate

students.

The 2016-2020 strategic plan anticipates continued growth of the student population until 2020,

when the combined undergraduate and graduate numbers should reach 1,800 (1,650

undergraduates and 150 graduates). Prudent strategic planning has enabled the Academy to

maintain the necessary infrastructure to support growth of the student population, with careful

consideration given to both the current and future needs of the campus. The 2014 Campus

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MMA Operating Expenses: 2009-2016*

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Master Plan focuses specifically on the campus infrastructure and reflects the expansion and

renovations planned and underway.

A number of critical projects have been completed to support continued growth of the student

population, including the 2014 expansion of the dormitory complex to house more than 1,500

students and the complete renovation of the former library building (now the Gerhard E. Kurz

Hall). Within the renovated building are 30 new offices that accommodate 36 faculty members in

four academic departments, the International Maritime Business Center, the Office of

Instructional Technology, the Department of Career and Professional Services, the MMA

Bookstore, and the Advancement Office. Two classrooms were included in the renovation, as

were two conference rooms, one of which was designed with live streaming technology for

conducting virtual meetings and to support distance education.

With a sustained growth in the student population, it has been necessary to increase the capacity

of two of the highest occupancy facilities on campus: Admirals Hall and Pande Hall. In 2014,

Admirals Hall was expanded and seating installed for 412 individuals (formerly 260), and the

facility was designed to accommodate additional seating for up to 500—sufficient seating for an

entire undergraduate student cohort. Technological upgrades were also completed during the

renovation to make presentations more effective for speakers and audiences alike. In 2015,

Pande Hall, the campus dining facility, was also expanded and remodeled. The space now

includes 200 additional seats and an exterior apron overlooking the parade field, which provides

a platform for commencement, homecoming, ceremonies, and other events.

Specialized laboratories are essential to the Academy’s general education, and degree programs

and upgrades have been recently necessary. In 2014, a $600,000 renovation and expansion of the

chemistry laboratory and a $250,000 renovation of the radar laboratory were completed.

To make space for a future building providing additional laboratory and classroom space, the

Academy has purchased a 33,000 square foot facility on a five-acre land parcel near the campus.

Once the facility conversion is complete, the Department of Facilities and the Department of

Small Boat Operations will be relocated to the site. The site currently occupied by these

departments will then become available for a building to house five additional classrooms and

four additional laboratories. Necessary to accommodate anticipated student population growth as

well as faculty growth to support programming, the building will also include office space for 23

faculty members.

Also necessary to support student growth are upgrades to the athletic facilities, and the strategic

plan calls for an $8-10 million expansion to the field house and fitness area as well as the

addition of equipment storage, office, and locker room space. In addition, the upgrades will

include an onsite café for food service. Half of the necessary funding has already been procured

in the form of a philanthropic contribution from Clean Harbors, Inc.

Dock facilities upgrades will also be necessary to accommodate an anticipated increase in

demand by marine license majors for training aboard small vessels and for other marine

programming. A project planned for 2017 will address this need.


B. Technological Resources

The hiring of a Vice President and Chief Information Officer in 2014 and the establishment of a

new Division of Technology and Library Services underscore the Academy’s commitment to

providing its students and staff with state-of-the-art technology-based services. The new division

comprises four departments: Enterprise Systems, Infrastructure Technology, Instructional and

Media Services, and Library Services. Each department has key focus areas which ensure the

services they provide the Academy community are of the highest caliber.

The Academy has introduced various teaching tools, including smart classroom technologies, a

lecture capture tool and a cloud-based learning management system. Building upon the

Academy’s motto of “Learn, Do, Learn,” the use of simulation technologies has continued to

grow. There are presently nine simulation labs on campus, including the state-of-the-art, full-

mission bridge simulator installed in the ABS Information Commons in 2012. These

technologies immerse students in a wide array of simulations, including ship navigation, ship

handling, tugboat operations and maritime safety. The full-mission bridge simulator is one of

only nine in the world, and it offers a realistic, 360-degree experience from the bridge of a ship.

Numerous “databases” from around the world allow students to become familiar with specific

ports, operational procedures, and safety measures. Because such technologies are vital to the

experiential nature of instruction at the Academy, an Instructional Technology person was hired

in 2011 to oversee the recently created Instructional and Media Services department. Much effort

is spent in keeping the hardware and software of each simulator at current levels and error free.

Given that some Coast Guard licensing requirements and training can be met through the use of

simulators, it is imperative that the simulators are fully operational when classes are in session.

The Academy’s training ship, TS Kennedy, provides students unparalleled learning experiences,

both at sea and in port in Buzzards Bay. The Technology and Library Services division works

closely with the crew of the TS Kennedy to ensure that onboard teaching spaces, networking,

hardware, and communications equipment are in good working order for the annual six-week

Sea Term voyage.

The Academy continues to automate business processes to improve efficiency. The Student

Information System, Ellucian Colleague, now serves as the “system of record” and supports such

processes as dormitory access control and enrollment management, which has streamlined a

number of campus activities. Such integration has been a priority for the past two years, and

focused training is provided to departments to continue to improve processes across campus.

Since 2011, the Academy has systematically transitioned applications and services to the cloud,

increasing efficiency while reducing the Academy’s responsibility for system and hardware

maintenance. Since this time, the Academy moved its learning management and fundraising

systems to the cloud and moved its email, calendaring, and file sharing to Google Apps for

Education. Touchnet was recently implemented for secure credit card payment processing and

CollegeNet’s 25Live now provides automated room and space scheduling. In 2015, a complete

redesign of the Academy’s web site was accomplished using an open source content

management system, making the web site more secure through monthly vulnerability scans and

other security-related tasks.


The Academy has worked diligently over the past five years to increase its use of virtualization

technologies to provide a modern, flexible, and cost-effective platform for computing, storage

and network needs. A virtual desktop infrastructure is now deployed, with 75 virtual desktops

throughout the ABS Information Commons and in the dormitories. In addition, virtual desktops

are being used in classrooms to support the unique desktop applications being used. The

telephone system was also virtualized in 2012, reducing administrative needs while providing

unified communication capabilities. The increased use of instructional technologies has also led

to more demand for bandwidth, which the Academy has met with of a 400% increase. And in

2013, wireless internet access was greatly expanded based on student and faculty use of portable

devices.

Technological security improvements have also been recently implemented. To simplify user

authentication to systems across campus, the Academy has deployed a single authentication

technology, providing better security and password management. Two unified threat

management devices were also installed and now provide data loss protection and intrusion

prevention. Based on the results of a 2014 security assessment, a three-year information security

strategy was created utilizing the SANS top 20 critical controls as the framework. To provide

data backup and disaster recovery, a best-of-breed backup system with redundant appliances and

deduplication capabilities was installed. One of these appliances will soon reside at a remote co-

location site to provide off-site data replication. In addition, the Academy purchased an IP block

from the American Registry of Internet Numbers to simplify the IP scheme and support disaster

recovery. Until the disaster recovery strategy is fully implemented, a cloud-based backup

provider is in use.

C. Performance Indicators for Campus Infrastructure and Improvements

Achieve DCAMM approval to commence construction of new academic/laboratory

building (pending)

Convert newly acquired off-site property to support facilities and small boats departments

and clear site in preparation for new academic/laboratory building (in progress)

Complete $2M renovations of Blinn Building roof and exterior (summer 2016)

Complete Harrington Building roof renovation (summer 2016)

Continue discussion with Dormitory Authority regarding dormitory expansion (ongoing)


Summary

Founded in 1891 as the Massachusetts Nautical Training School, the Massachusetts Maritime

Academy operated for the first seventy years as an independent, post-secondary educational

institution fully supported by the Commonwealth and reporting directly to a Board of

Commissioners appointed by the Governor. MMA became a member of the state college system

in 1964. In the late 1990s, the Board of Higher Education (BHE) strongly suggested that all state

colleges improve efficiency, accentuate job experience and training, adopt a more focused

mission, and develop regional expertise in a few specialized majors. That description fit MMA

perfectly. Following the BHE suggestion, Dr. Stanley Koplik, then Chancellor of Higher

Education for Massachusetts, proposed in 1997 that the Commonwealth fund “Vanguard”

colleges that would be independent from central control yet held to high institutional standards.

MMA’s subsequent designation as a special mission college fulfilled this vision and enabled the

Academy to return to a cutting-edge educational model that mirrors its original 1891 contract

with the Commonwealth.

The Academy undertakes effective strategic planning, with annual updates to its rolling five-year

strategic plan, makes prudent financial decisions, and adapts readily to improvements in

technology. These measures and practices help ensure the Academy’s continued success as an

institution of higher education within the Commonwealth. Through programs that focus on

experiential learning in STEM-based fields, the Academy also continues to prepare its students

for success in an expanding array of careers, and it does so with an unwavering focus on

employment opportunities for its graduates, making these prosperous times for MMA. The

following benchmarks and performance indicators underscore the Academy’s commitment to

continued success:

Performance Indicators:

The acceptance rate for the class entering fall of 2015 was at 74%

Employment opportunities for graduates continue to grow with many of our graduates

having to choose between jobs with pay scales that range between $45-100 K per year to

start.

100% of our undergraduate programs require professional industry cooperative

experience, and seventy-three percent of the non-seagoing majors obtain co-ops in

Massachusetts.

The US Department of Education recently placed the Academy on its list of 23 four-year

schools with low costs leading to high incomes.

In 2016, PayScale ranked the Academy #13 nationally, #6 among public colleges, and #3

within Massachusetts on return on investment.

In 2015-16, Money Magazine ranked the Academy among the 25 most affordable

colleges that launch graduates into six-figure careers.

Through its annual sea term and many experiential learning opportunities that send students to

locations around the globe; its excellent educational programs that prepare students to be active

citizens and skilled professionals in their fields; and its regimental system that fosters leadership,


self-confidence and self-discipline, Massachusetts Maritime Academy continues its 125-year

tradition as a significant contributor to the economy of the Commonwealth and the Nation.

special mission performance report 2016

Documents