MASSACHUSETTS MARITIME ACADEMY PARENTS ASSOCIATION MEETING MINUTES
May 19, 2006

Approved by vote of the MMAPA on September 15, 2006.

Present:

Guests:

Jimmy G. Dishner, Trustee
Paul F. Kelly, Trustee
Admiral Richard Gurnon, President
Captain Allen Hansen

Get-Acquainted Social

Two of our newest Trustees, Jimmy Dishner and Paul Kelly, together with Admiral Gurnon and Captain Hansen, met with the assembled parents prior to the regular MMAPA meeting for a get-acquainted social and refreshments.  At the start of the formal meeting, all four men spoke to the parents.

Jimmy Dishner, who was appointed to the Board of Trustees in December, 2005, said he believes the focus at MMA has returned back to the cadets, where is should be at all times.  He believes that due diligence should be afforded the cadets and their needs, and he has recently enjoyed sitting with the cadets in the Mess Deck and speaking with them.  He invited the parents to call or e-mail him directly if there is anything he can do to assist, with the understanding that he will likely refer most matters to the administration for resolution. 

Paul Kelly is the newest trustee, having been appointed in March, 2006.  He said the common purpose of the parents, trustees, and administration is the corps of cadets.  He believes the success of MMA depends on communication and perception, and we must use communicate well with each other to confirm that our perceptions are truly the reality.  He will work to encourage accessibility and openness.  He is pleased to see some parents of incoming cadet candidates present tonight.

President Karen White thanked both trustees for coming to meet with us, and invited both to communicate with parents by posting to our website, either directly or through her.  She presented the trustees with sea term mugs and MMA “Friends” t-shirts to thank them for spending time with us and for their efforts on behalf of the cadets and the Academy.

President Admiral Rick Gurnon spoke about the role of the Trustees, Administration and other stakeholders.

The Board of Trustees are overseers of the Academy, responsible for making policy and providing direction to the administration.  The administration carries out the policy, enforces the rules and makes day-to-day operational decisions.  Parents pay the bills and help their children make the decision to attend MMA.  He believes that the Trustees, administration and parents work together as a team to help the cadets successfully complete their program at MMA.

The wind turbine is projected to save about $250-300K annually on the Academy electric bill of $900K a year.  The Enterprise uses about $10K per month in electricity just sitting alongside! 

We are exploring photovoltaics, a form of renewable energy that converts sun into electricity.  The administration plans to partner in this effort with the companies in that field that hire our graduates.  In the future there could be a fuel cell next to the swimming pool with waste heat used to help heat the pool.

The dorms are being expanded to provide 168 more beds, which will help in efforts to increase enrollment capacity.  Captain Hansen is in charge of the $14 million dorm expansion, which is currently ahead of schedule and below budget.

Artificial turf for the football field would cost $2.6 million, and that project is awaiting approval from the Board of Trustees.  The improvements will include lights and increased space, which will allow woman’s soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.  This will help increase the percentage of female cadets from the current 12-13% level to the 20-30% that would be consistent with the percentage of females at the Coast Guard Academy and the California Maritime Academy.

Very long range plans before the Board of Higher Education and subject to capital asset management, are for improvements to the library.  The library was built in 1969 and it has not been appreciably updated since.  At the time it was built, there were but two majors (deck and engine), neither of which involve a substantial research component.  As we added Facilities, MSEP, IMB and Emergency Management majors, there developed an increase in library use and an expansion of the concept of the library from the traditional to more of an  “information commons.”  The long-range plan is for an $11 million, four-year project to build two additional stories on pylons, possibly above the 4Co. parking lot.  This would be done to comply with regulations requiring new buildings to be built no lower than the 100-year tide, which is 42”.

Enrollment figures bring a string of good news.  The incoming class has 300 confirmed students as of now, and we anticipate meeting or exceeding last year’s incoming class of 327, without any compromise in the quality of the incoming student.  Our students hail from all over Massachusetts and New England, especially from Rhode Island and Connecticut.  The House and Senate, which provide more than half of the Academy funds, have increased the MMA budget from $11.9 to 12.8 million.  This allowed for the hiring of six new faculty in the last year, with three or four more projected for the Fall.  Admiral Gurnon credits the Senators and Representatives for providing $325K for investment in renewable energy and $400K for brand new, state of the art simulators.

Captain Allen Hansen spoke about the incoming class and the need for the new athletic field to help draw more female cadets.  He said that the construction was halted temporarily because of concern for the noise during Coast Guard exams.  The Mess Deck is wireless and open more hours, and it is available for studying in what may be a less noisy environment than the dorms. 

In the area of discipline, this has been one of the more quiet spring semesters, which Captain Hansen attributes to the seniors as strong and effective leaders.  He announced Brian Taylor as the new Regimental Commander and Robert Johnson (of Tyra Banks Show fame) as his Executive Officer.  In the Coast Guard exams, 77% of the Engineers and 84% of the Deckies passed.  There are four cadets who need to do complete retakes and four who need partial retakes.

President Karen White thanked Admiral Gurnon and Captain Hansen for joining us and we moved on to the general business meeting.

Alcohol Awareness Program

Secretary Ann Prete met today with Nurse Ann Fredrickson.  In February, Ann made an Alcohol Awareness presentation to the parents.  The regimental policy is zero tolerance.  Nurse Fredrickson is going to work with the incoming cadet candidates and members of the college community to educate cadets and parents about alcohol.  During orientation, cadet candidates will hear about the effects alcohol has on a person’s judgment.

Treasurer’s Report

Treasurer Harry Wood reported that we have $12K in our checking account.  We need $5K for expenses, including about $2K to replenish the t-shirt stock.  We, therefore, have about $6K for release for scholarships, which is about the same as last year. 

Motion:David Stoica made a motion to release $6K to the MMA Foundation for scholarships.  Seconded by Jim Parker, motion passed.

Election of officers

The following officers were elected to serve for the 2006-2007 school year:

Karen White, President - re-elected

Sandra Parker, Vice President - re-elected

Harry Wood, Co-Treasurer - re-elected

Ann Prete, Co-Treasurer - former Secretary

Jim Parker, Admissions Liaison - re-elected

Ann Marie Stoica, Secretary - new

In the Works for the 2006-2007 Year

In the upcoming year, we will consider changing meetings to Sunday afternoons so parents may come when they drop off their cadets after a weekend home.  We may consider having regional meetings in areas where there are large concentrations of parents, and we may have a meeting on the night before the Enterprise arrives back from Sea Term, as that went well this year.

We will continue our fund-raising through the cruise raffle and the sale of t-shirts, mugs and certificates.  We may sell duffle bags at orientation drop-off as we sold six last year and could have sold a few more to the cadet candidates who arrived with their belongings in plastic tubs and trash bags.

Next meeting

Our next meeting will be on Friday, September 15th, which is the evening before the first home football game.

Respectfully Submitted,

Ann Marie Stoica
Secretary