suny maritime college
“It is recognized that human resources and human element are of utmost importance for development of the sustainable maritime transportation system. High quality maritime education and training are the bedrock of a safe and secure shipping industry.” —International Maritime Organization
SUNY Maritime’s training ship, Empire State VI, was built in 1962 and has been used to train SUNY Maritime students since 1989. Of the six merchant marine academy training ships in the United States, Empire State has been in service the longest. The 2018 federal budget included $300 million to build a National Security Multi-Mission Vessel to replace the Empire State VI. ship successfully, all departments must work together and follow a chain of command. This is the core of the Regiment of Cadets. Wrapping up my interviews, I concluded with a comparison of recent graduates with graduates of 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, and 40 years ago, in terms of knowledge. Are the students today better prepared than past graduates? This question was not as easy for my graduates to answer. Most often I got a yes or a no answer. Most felt that, yes, the students with more high-tech and simulator training are better prepared to enter the industry today, but at the same time, no, simply because they are seeing a larger number of graduates that do not all take the path towards ship operations and licensing. The introduction of new programs, such as cyber security, has attracted considerable interest in the maritime field. This has ultimately increased the size of the maritime graduating classes, but the fear that this growth has taken away from what is most important, what many of us consider “our family” in the maritime industry, is palpable. We need to understand how changes in the workforce, training, and technology affects our future within the maritime field
is essential. The goals of maritime educators have not changed in theory over the last forty years, but in practice we must continue to stay abreast of this ever-changing industry as it evolves. Elizabeth McCarthy has been in the shipping industry for over 20 years. She is a graduate of SUNY Maritime College. She sailed as a deck civilian officer with NOAA and upgraded her license to a Second Mate–Unlimited and 1600-ton Master. Once ashore, she
attended law school at night while working as an analyst for a tanker brokerage company in Long Island. Married with three children, she currently serves as an assistant professor at SUNY Maritime College and adjunct professor at the US Merchant Marine Academy. She would like to thank her graduates for their time: Captain Richard Fitzgerald, 1977; Captain Joseph Ahlstrom, 1982; Anna Silva, 1998; Davi Smyth, 2005; Mark Koldras, 2012; Abigail Granit, 2018; and Alex Wagner, 2019.
Davi Smyth, (Class of 2005) SEA HISTORY 166, SPRING 2019 43